Julian Lane has come a long way from being a contestant on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.
The MMA veteran nicknamed ‘Let Me Bang’ starred in seasons 16 and 25 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, one of the very few to compete on two seasons of the UFC’s reality TV show.
Lane never made it to the UFC Octagon, but the 38-year-old gradually became a household name in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing despite suffering a slew of losses earlier in his career.
Riding a four-fight win streak in BKFC, Lane fought for a world title in the BKFC 79 main event on Saturday night.
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Julian Lane wins BKFC welterweight title 13 years after ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
Lane challenged for the vacant BKFC welterweight title against Gorjan Slaveski in Sturgis, South Dakota.
‘Let Me Bang’ knocked down Slaveski twice across two rounds, putting him down in rounds 3 and 5 before they reached the championship distance.
After five rounds of action, Lane was crowned the BKFC Welterweight Champion by unanimous decision; it was his first major world title of his 40+ fight career.
“Put some respect on my name,” Lane said after winning the BKFC title.
“I ain’t 8-8. I was 8-7 coming into this fight, now I’m 9-7.
“It’s been a long journey, man,” Lane continued.
“Up and down rollercoaster.
“I’ve been broken. I’ve been beat down, but I just keep coming back from the dead.
“They can’t stop me, man,” Lane added.
How Julian Lane got his nickname ‘Let Me Bang’
Lane went viral for an altercation he had on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in 2012.
On season 16, episode 8, Lane became meme-worthy when he had a meltdown with a fellow contestant, repeating over and over again how he wanted to ‘bang’ after losing his fight on the show.
“Let me bang, man!” said Lane.
“Let me bang, bro,” Lane said as he emotionally broke down.
Years later, Lane embraced the ‘Let Me Bang’ line, making it his nickname.
Lane was invited back to the show in 2017 on season 25, a ‘redemption’ season for past contestants. Lane lost his first fight to former UFC fighter and season 13 semi-finalist Ramsey Nijem.