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Joe Lauzon returns to action at UFC 274 on May 7 for his first fight in two and a half years, and it's a classic oldschool showdown against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.
Lauzon and Cerrone have both been fighting since 2005, and they've both accumulated a ridiculous amount of UFC bonuses (Cerrone has 18 while Lauzon has 15). However, they've both slid recently: Cerrone is on a 0-5-1 run, and Lauzon is 2-3 over the past five years.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Joe Lauzon explained how they're different men outside the cage. He said:
"I think Cowboy's a little bit more of an adrenaline junkie. I am completely fine sitting on my chair playing XBox and going to the gym and teaching classes and hanging out with my kids watching Encanto and all these other movies, like Bubble Guppies at six in the morning every day. I am completely content doing that. I think Cowboy's a little more adventurous, he's a cowboy! He's more go-go-go."
As for 'Cowboy', Lauzon expects a tough fight. He said:
"He has has a rough last couple of years but he's fought killer after killer after killer. He's fought really good guys at 170, at 155. He's fought some killers. So it's not a case where it's an easy fight, 'Cowboy's all washed up.' It's nothing like that. He's just fought some really hard guys. And I think for all fighters, the wear and tear just accumulates. He probably doesn't take shots as well as he used to."
Joe Lauzon has twice as many submissions as he does knockouts, but the KOs are impressive, including ones over Diego Sanchez, Takanori Gomi, and Jens Pulver.
Watch Joe Lauzon talk about his UFC 274 fight against Donald Cerrone below:
Joe Lauzon has been waiting for the pandemic to calm down before returning
Joe Lauzon's last win came in October 2019, and very nearly marked the end of his fight career. Following the success of that fight, Lauzon convinced Dana White to let him compete again. Then the pandemic happened. Lauzon explained:
"Shortly after that fight was when all the COVID stuff ramped up and I had no interest whatsoever trying to train for a fight that may or may not happen. If we're gonna fight again, we're going to fight under the right circumstances. I wasn't going to fight while things were so crazy and bananas and everything else. Things are still a little bit crazy, but it's much more manageable, much better now."
Joe Lauzon is the second longest tenured fighter in the UFC, having fought his first bout for the promotion in September 2006.
