UFC Live 4: Joe Lauzon's Victory over Curt Warburton Was Extremely Impressive

UFC lightweight competitor Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon looked outstanding in his matchup with British born mixed martial artist Curt Warburton at UFC Live 4 on Versus here at the Consol Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

During the stand-up exchanges, a solid jab/left hook combination by Lauzon sent the Brit reeling to the canvas.

Following up with a flurry of punches, Lauzon quickly transitioned into a kimura. Torquing Warburton's  arm behind his shoulder, a tapout by Warburton secured a submission victory for "J-Lau."

Possibly earning Submission of the Night honors, Lauzon's performance was phenomenal in this fight.

Rebounding from his defeat at the hands of George Sotiropolous at UFC 123 in November of 2010, Lauzon has definitely improved on his overall fight game.

Establishing a balanced stand-up skill-set to compliment his ever evolving ground game, Lauzon’s performance displayed his improvements as he added a solid boxing facet to his talents.

“I’m just happy that something we did in boxing everyday worked,” Lauzon stated after his victory during his post-fight in-cage interview with Joe Rogan.

What’s next for Joe Lauzon?

Securing victories over the likes of Gabe Reudiger, Jeremy Stephens and the aforementioned Warburton, Lauzon has defeated extremely talented fighters; yet not the best in this division.

Contrastingly, Lauzon’s defeats have been at the hands of the best in the UFC lightweight division.

Losses to top contenders Sam Stout, Kenny Florian and George Sotiropolous have plagued Lauzon’s title shots for the UFC lightweight crown.

A decisive victory over the top10 within the lightweight division is necessary for Lauzon to become relevant within this deep division.

A matchup with either Clay Guida, Anthony Pettis or Melvin Guillard would be the next logical step for the career of Joe Lauzon.

With ever evolving stand-up skills and an excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree, it is now time for Lauzon to secure a win over the best in the UFC lightweight division, or he will be plagued to remain within the middle tier of this extremely competitive division.

I welcome your comments.

Todd Seyler

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