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Ever since he burst onto the MMA scene Joe Lauzon has been working to earn respect. Hes lost only once since then"to top contender Kenny Florian in a bout that earned fight of the night honors"but for some reason hes had trouble being taken seriously as a top contender in the UFCs lightweight division. In the main event at the UFC Ultimate Fight Night in Tampa, Florida Lauzon withstood a game challenge from late replacement Jeremy Stephens to earn a 2nd round submission victory.
Lauzon was in control of the fight throughout, but Stephens gave a good account of himself despite his opponents obvious technical superiority on the ground. Stephens wasnt able to match up with Lauzons ever improving BJJ skills, but he used good old fashioned tenacity and some powerful punching to keep the fight competitive throughout. Lauzon appeared to be on the verge of ending the fight midway through the second with a ground and pound assault that he attempted to transition into a rear naked choke. Stephens fought back with a vengeance despite his disadvantageous position and opened a nasty cut on Lauzons forehead with an elbow strike.
As puddles of crimson gathered anytime Lauzons head neared the mat, he gained a new sense of urgency not wanting to lose on a stoppage due to the cut. He regained control on the ground and caught his opponent in an arm bar. Stephens tried to extricate himself, but was eventually forced to tap giving the bloody Lauzon a hard fought triumph.
The semifinal matchup featured another impressive effort from Cain Velesquez, who many have pegged as the heavyweight superstar of the future. He trains with the American Kickboxing Academy, and has a reputation as the hardest worker and most dominant sparring partner in a gym who includes among its membership superstars such as Bobby Southworth, Cung Le and Josh Thompson.
Velesquez was never really threatened in the fight, but he did have difficulty finishing off tough UFC newcomer Dennis Stojnic. Stojnic displayed impressive toughness and a chin of granite, which is less surprising given his training home at Amsterdams Golden Glory gym where he works alongside such fighters as K-1s Semmy Schilt and DREAMs Alistair Overeem. Stojnic did become the first of Velasquezs opponents to make it into the second round as he withstood a brutal beating near the end of the first to make it to the bell.
In the second round, Velesquez quickly caught his opponent and sent him to the canvas with a nice combination which he followed up with another ground and pound attack. Stojnic again kept trying to defend himself despite a hellacious beating, though the referee finally jumped in and stopped the contest awarding Velesquez the TKO verdict.
On the undercard, Josh The Dentist Neer earned a tapout victory over the sports best known (and perhaps only) vegan, Mac Danzig.
In the opening bout of the evening, up-and-coming welterweight Anthony Rumble Johnson used his significant height and reach advantage to dispatch tough Luigi Fioravanti. Though most observers were impressed with Johnsons wall to wall domination of the tough US Marine Corps veteran, he was very critical of himself in his postfight interview calling his performance sloppy.
The live crowd in Tampa gave a very poor account of themselves, at times booing fighters mercilessly for no apparent reason whatsoever. This was in addition to the usual booing when the fight goes to the ground typical of uneducated MMA fans"they often turned on fighters midbout for no discernable reason. Their behavior reached a nadir in Cain Velasquezs post fight interview, where he was booed mercilessly despite an impressive victory and informing Joe Rogan that he was about to become a father for the first time. It was somewhat surprising, since the Tampa/St. Pete area is home to a flourishing MMA scene.
Lauzon was in control of the fight throughout, but Stephens gave a good account of himself despite his opponents obvious technical superiority on the ground. Stephens wasnt able to match up with Lauzons ever improving BJJ skills, but he used good old fashioned tenacity and some powerful punching to keep the fight competitive throughout. Lauzon appeared to be on the verge of ending the fight midway through the second with a ground and pound assault that he attempted to transition into a rear naked choke. Stephens fought back with a vengeance despite his disadvantageous position and opened a nasty cut on Lauzons forehead with an elbow strike.
As puddles of crimson gathered anytime Lauzons head neared the mat, he gained a new sense of urgency not wanting to lose on a stoppage due to the cut. He regained control on the ground and caught his opponent in an arm bar. Stephens tried to extricate himself, but was eventually forced to tap giving the bloody Lauzon a hard fought triumph.
The semifinal matchup featured another impressive effort from Cain Velesquez, who many have pegged as the heavyweight superstar of the future. He trains with the American Kickboxing Academy, and has a reputation as the hardest worker and most dominant sparring partner in a gym who includes among its membership superstars such as Bobby Southworth, Cung Le and Josh Thompson.
Velesquez was never really threatened in the fight, but he did have difficulty finishing off tough UFC newcomer Dennis Stojnic. Stojnic displayed impressive toughness and a chin of granite, which is less surprising given his training home at Amsterdams Golden Glory gym where he works alongside such fighters as K-1s Semmy Schilt and DREAMs Alistair Overeem. Stojnic did become the first of Velasquezs opponents to make it into the second round as he withstood a brutal beating near the end of the first to make it to the bell.
In the second round, Velesquez quickly caught his opponent and sent him to the canvas with a nice combination which he followed up with another ground and pound attack. Stojnic again kept trying to defend himself despite a hellacious beating, though the referee finally jumped in and stopped the contest awarding Velesquez the TKO verdict.
On the undercard, Josh The Dentist Neer earned a tapout victory over the sports best known (and perhaps only) vegan, Mac Danzig.
In the opening bout of the evening, up-and-coming welterweight Anthony Rumble Johnson used his significant height and reach advantage to dispatch tough Luigi Fioravanti. Though most observers were impressed with Johnsons wall to wall domination of the tough US Marine Corps veteran, he was very critical of himself in his postfight interview calling his performance sloppy.
The live crowd in Tampa gave a very poor account of themselves, at times booing fighters mercilessly for no apparent reason whatsoever. This was in addition to the usual booing when the fight goes to the ground typical of uneducated MMA fans"they often turned on fighters midbout for no discernable reason. Their behavior reached a nadir in Cain Velasquezs post fight interview, where he was booed mercilessly despite an impressive victory and informing Joe Rogan that he was about to become a father for the first time. It was somewhat surprising, since the Tampa/St. Pete area is home to a flourishing MMA scene.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance sportswriter specializing in combat sports including mixed martial arts, boxing, and pro wrestling. He contributes MMA news to a number of online and broadcast media outlets. He is a frequent sports radio guest and MMA blog contributor. He's currently working on a biography of pro wrestling announcer Gorilla Monsoon.
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