Julian Lane disqualified for shooting a takedown in a bare-knuckle boxing match

Julian Lane was disqualified from his bare-knuckle boxing match against Bryce Henry after shooting for a takedown in the fourth round, a moment that left the MMA veteran looking genuinely confused about why he had just lost.

Lane, known to fight fans as “Nitrane” and a cult figure from his time on The Ultimate Fighter, abandoned the striking-only ruleset of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship at the worst possible moment. The takedown attempt was immediately penalised with a disqualification — the only outcome available to the referee when a fighter introduces grappling into a discipline that explicitly forbids it.

In keeping with his reputation for unpredictability, Lane appeared bewildered by the decision, a reaction that will surprise nobody who has followed his career. What prompted the shot remains unclear, though the fourth round of a bare-knuckle contest is an unusual moment to audition wrestling skills.

Elsewhere in the week’s overlooked action, Asyljan Tasket delivered a clean left hook at Alash Pride 123 to finish Alexey Meshkov with minimal setup — the kind of straightforward, effective striking that Lane might have considered.

At EFC 134, Veja Hinda produced a heavy finish over Bheki Ngcobo, whose legs took a brief moment to register the knockout before sending him to the canvas. A separate card saw Jason Mackay’s punch drop Guelor Sondi in near face-plant fashion, Sondi’s own leg altering his trajectory on the way down.

Lucas Rodrigues put together one of the more complete finishing sequences of the week at King’s Arena 3, working Krystian Bielski with sustained power shots to the head and body before a pair of right hands closed the show.

Duval Pierre added another face-plant finish at Eternal MMA, while the UFC Fight Pass portion of the week’s action included a Bellator contest featuring Alan Salamov against Derek Campos and KJ Thomas taking on Jesus Castillo.