“He could barely stand” – Replacing brother on one day notice goes terribly wrong as Junior Tafa gets legs CHOPPED at UFC 298; fans react

Marcos Rogerio de Lima chops up Junior Tafa's leg leading to a TKO stoppage in the second round of the UFC 298 bout.

“He could barely stand” – Replacing brother on one day notice goes terribly wrong as Junior Tafa gets legs CHOPPED at UFC 298; fans react

Marcos Rogerio de Lima chops up Junior Tafa's leg in their UFC 298 fight (via X)

The UFC 298 fight between Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Junior Tafa was spectacular. Tafa replaced his injured brother Justin Tafa on just one day’s notice. The fight did not go well for Tafa as de Lima chopped down his legs en route to a TKO win. 

De Lima battered Tafa’s lead leg with thunderous kicks from the opening bell. Tafa limped and winced after each crushing blow. Yet he courageously fought on. De Lima briefly switched tactics. He tried grappling and clinch work. This allowed Tafa to recuperate slightly. But soon, de Lima ruthlessly returned to attack the damaged leg.

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Marcos Rogerio de Lima uncorked more devastating leg kicks early in round two. Tafa’s compromised leg finally gave out. He fell to the canvas in agony. De Lima pounced with punches to seal the deal. The official stoppage came at 1:14 of round two. De Lima had chopped down Tafa through sheer brutality in the UFC 298 bout.

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With the win, de Lima bounces back from a quick loss to Derrick Lewis. Tafa’s decision to step up should be praised. But he paid a painful price. His leg may never be the same again. De Lima moves to 3-1 in his last four fights. The savage leg kicks proved he’s still a dangerous heavyweight. Meanwhile, Tafa is now 5-2 overall.

Fight fans react to Junior Tafa being decimated by leg kicks

MMA fans exploded with reactions after Marcos Rogerio de Lima’s savage leg kick TKO of Junior Tafa at UFC 298. Tafa bravely stepped up on short notice. But his night ended in agony as de Lima chopped his leg to bits.

Fight fans react to Marcos Rogerio de Lima's leg kick TKO of Junior Tafa
Fight fans react to Marcos Rogerio de Lima’s leg kick TKO of Junior Tafa (via X)

Fight fans took to social media to express their thoughts on this event. Hardcore fans applauded Tafa’s courage. Some believed stepping up on one day’s notice was a bad idea. Other fight fans believed that lack of training was the reason for this disastrous event. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans:

https://twitter.com/G09ners/status/1759048615962829203

Tafa earned universal praise for stepping up. But de Lima’s otherworldly leg kicks stole the show. It was a reminder of MMA’s harsh realities. Stepping up on short notice can go terribly wrong, and Tafa experienced that firsthand at UFC 298 gruesomely.

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