UFC 183 Results: What We Learned from Iaquinta vs. Lauzon

“Raging” Al Iaquinta scored an impressive finish at UFC 183 against one of the toughest lightweights in the land, Joe Lauzon.

After a close first round that was primarily fought on the feet, Iaquinta turned up the heat in the second round and connected with some powerful punches that rocked Lauzon until the referee mercifully stepped in after Lauzon had taken an unfathomable amount of punishment.

Iaquinta proved that he is ready for the upper echelon of the UFC’s lightweight division, and he did so emphatically.

Lauzon’s record of most post-fight bonuses in the UFC precedes him nearly every time he steps foot in the cage, and nearly everyone has high expectations for a Lauzon fight. The first round lived up to the expectations of being a hard-fought competitive scrap. By the second round, Iaquinta seemed to have timed the offense of his opponent enough to put him away.

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

We’ll continue to recognize the toughness of Lauzon. He didn’t go down easy at UFC 183.

What we will remember most about Iaquinta are his scrappy technique and finishing instinct. At one point in the fight he threw seven straight left hands. In the sequence that led to the end of the fight, before Iaquinta put Lauzon away standing up, he had him on the ground and was firing off brutal hammerfists.

As Lauzon got to his feet, Iaquinta was already preparing for another attempt at finishing the fight. He immediately recognized when Lauzon was hurt and continued his onslaught until he did enough to put his opponent away.

The onslaught from Iaquinta at end of the fight was most memorable. Iaquinta saw that he had Lauzon hurt and pursued the victory until the very end.

What We Learned About Iaquinta

He can finish durable opponents. He showed us against Ross Pearson that he can outstrike a talented striker, and in this fight he proved he can emphatically end a fight. He chased Lauzon around the cage like he was haunting his dreams, and he essentially was, as Lauzon was barely riding the edge of consciousness toward the end of the fight.

We knew he had power and technique, and Saturday night he showed us his relentless finishing instinct in his victory over Lauzon. He passed his latest test with flying colors, but the tests only get tougher from here.

What We Learned About Lauzon

Lauzon will not go quietly into that good night. He rages against the dying of the light. Referee Mark Goddard had to step in after several unanswered shots from Iaquinta had Lauzon dazed and wandering around the cage. Lauzon seemed completely content with the stoppage, knowing that it would have only gotten worse before it got better.

We also learned that Lauzon fades a bit as the fight goes on. Iaquinta seemed determined to break Lauzon on the feet, and after a good first round, he pulled ahead and landed the shots that led to the end of the fight.

What’s Next for Iaquinta?

He stopped an extremely durable fighter Saturday night. He was relentless in pursuing the finish and forced the referee to call off the fight, despite the toughness and heart of Lauzon. He has proved that his striking is a threat to anyone in the weight class, and he should meet a Top 15 welterweight in his next bout.

What’s Next for Lauzon?

This was his chance to show he might be putting it together enough to warrant fights with top-ranked competition. He needed to beat Iaquinta to justify the big fights we all wanted to see him in. The first round was close, and Lauzon was competitive.

He brings it every time he fights, and that much won’t be ending any time soon. Lauzon may not be at the top of the division, but there are still plenty of sharks in the water that he can contend with at 155 pounds.