UFC on FOX 4 – Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner preview
As ‘UFC on FOX 4′ draws closer, MMABay continues to break down the main card action set for Saturday, August 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This time, we take a closer look at a lightweight contest pitting the always dangerous Joe Lauzon against former WEC champion,Jamie Varner. Will ‘J-Lau’ put another veteran in his place or will Varner’s unlikely comeback story continue? Find out after the jump…
Joe Lauzon (21-7, 8-4 UFC)
Always loitering with intent on the fringes of the UFC lightweight title picture, Massachusetts native, Joe Lauzon, has never quite managed to raise his game in the fights that really matter since graduating from season five of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. The entertaining grappler has made mincemeat of low-level competition, picking up four impressive ‘Submission of the Night’ honours, but ‘J-Lau’ has dropped the ball more often than not when facing the division’s finest.
That was certainly not the case at UFC 136 though, when Lauzon – a massive underdog – took on the in-form Melvin Guillard who seemed one win away from a title shot last October. ‘J-Lau’, renowned for being a fast starter, dropped Guillard with a punch before sinking in an agonisingly tight rear-naked choke to get the submission victory just 47-seconds into the first round.
The sensational performance saw Lauzon’s name once again being mentioned in the same sentence as ‘title shot’ but to earn that, he would need to get past former WEC champion, Anthony Pettis, at UFC 144. In front of a sell-out Japanese crowd, Pettis landed a savage headkick just 1:21 into round one, crushing ‘J-Lau’ and with it, his hopes of a title shot.
Jamie Varner (20-6-1, 2-1 UFC)
Lauzon was originally expected to face British prospect, Terry Etim, in the City of Angels but when the Liverpudlian pulled out Joe Silva turned to former WEC lightweight champion, Jamie Varner. The experienced Arizona native is in his second stint with the promotion after going 1-1 many moons ago and it’s a surprise to not only see Varner back in the big leagues, but also that there’s life in the old dog yet.
The MMA Lab lightweight endured a horrible slump towards the end of his WEC career, going 0-3-1, a run that began with Varner losing his title to Ben Henderson and ended with a disappointing submission loss to Shane Roller. When the WEC merged with the UFC, Mr Varner did not get the memo.
The 27-year old got back on the horse though and went 3-1 in the little leagues, making short work of veteran Drew Fickett to earn himself a recall to the UFC in May to face unbeaten knockout artist, Edson Barboza. Few fancied Varner’s chances but incredibly the veteran came out blazing and finished Barboza with punches midway through the first round. Now eager to prove to his former bosses that he truly belongs on the biggest stage of all, Varner takes another dangerous fight at short notice and with a win, could be on the verge of a title-eliminator.
The Verdict: Varner’s well-rounded skillset poses a problem for Lauzon, who tends to fare best against pure strikers or fellow grapplers. Varner can do both, and more importantly, he can do both for three straight rounds and if he can survive ‘J-Lau’s first round onslaught it should be plain sailing for the former WEC champ. Both have under-valued power in their hands but this writer expects Varner to use his to set up the odd takedown attempt and rough up Lauzon on the ground. If Varner plays it safe, he takes the decision but expect the veteran to prove a point this weekend by ground and pounding a drained ‘J-Lau’ to a finish. Varner, decision.
By Steve Davies.
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