Lightweight Joe Lauzon Set to Face Al Iaquinta at UFC 183
Joe Lauzon is a virtual lock to improve the entertainment factor of any UFC card. And it should be another doozy when he hooks up with fellow streaking lightweight Al Iaquinta at UFC 183 on January 31.
The news was first reported Wednesday by Mark La Monica of Newsday.
Lauzon (24-9) has received more UFC post-fight bonuses than any other fighter in the promotion's history. Following his second-round TKO of Michael Chiesa in September, Lauzon received his 13th UFC bonus, setting the record.
It was also his second consecutive victory following two straight defeats. The streak righted the ship for the popular 30-year-old, though a November injury scrapped a promising bout with Diego Sanchez.
Iaquinta (10-3-1) is on an impressive two-fight win streak of his own, withย TKOs over Rodrigo Damm and Ross Pearson. He has fiveย wins in six contests dating back to his loss to Chiesa in the finals of The Ultimate Fighterย Season 15.ย
Iaquinta, 27, trains with the Serra-Longo fight team alongside Chris Weidman and other UFC standouts in Long Island, New York.
Lauzon hails from and trainsย in the suburbs of Boston. Though he has a reputation for slugfests, Lauzon is primarily a submissions ace, using his spidery jiu-jitsu to garner 17 professional submission wins to go with his six knockouts.ย
The fight for which Lauzon is probably best known, however, was indeed a striking-heavy affair. A three-round battle with Jim Miller left Lauzon bleeding heavily from a cut on his face, which required many stitches to repair after the bout.
Though Lauzon would go on to lose the fight to Miller by unanimous decision, he gained wider notoriety for his toughness. The fight earned the men a Fight of the Night bonus from the UFC as well as nods from more than one media outlet as the 2012 fight of the year.
Iaquinta mainly finds success with his muayย thai, gaining half of his pro victories by knockout.
