Joe Lauzon had to battle an instinct that most fighters possess.
After a lackluster performance in a unanimous-decision loss to Sam Stout at UFC 108 on Jan. 2, Lauzon was tempted to rush back into action to make amends. Instead, Lauzon practiced patience. Nearly nine months later, he thinks he made the right decision.
“One of the things I always say is you’re only as good as your last fight,” Lauzon said. “It doesn’t matter. You could win 100 fights, but if you lose your last one, that’s all anyone is going to talk about. I was definitely trying to fight that urge and be smart about things. I didn’t want to rush into something and make it worse and put myself in a deeper hole.”
Lauzon wasn’t as sharp as usual in the Stout fight, something he attributes to rushing back from a torn ACL in his right knee. Lauzon faced Stout 10 months after undergoing surgery to repair the ACL. While the knee was healthy, Lauzon wasn’t in peak physical condition.
As he prepares to face Gabe Ruediger at UFC 118 on Saturday at the Garden, Lauzon believes he’s in a much better place.
“The layoff has been good,” the East Bridgewater native said. “My last fight camp kind of got me into normal shape and this fight camp is really elevating me to being fight-ready. Right after the fight I really didn’t take any time off. . . . I’m definitely ready. I’ve had more than enough time.”
Lauzon took advantage of his extra time off, going to Hawaii in late January to train with BJ Penn, who will fight for the lightweight title on Saturday. The two have trained together a number of times since Lauzon was on Penn’s team during the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show.
Lauzon also has stepped up his strength and conditioning and jiu-jitsu training. But most importantly, his knee is no longer a hindrance.
“I fought 10 months after I had surgery so I was thinking about it a little bit,” Lauzon said. “Now it’s in the back of my head but it’s not stopping me from doing anything.”
Lauzon (17-5) also had more motivation during this layoff than he did last year.
“When I had my layoff before, I was coming off of a win (over Jeremy Stephens). I don’t want to say I was taking it easy, but I didn’t really have a reason to push as hard,” Lauzon said. “I was kind of using my knee as a crutch. I could say, ‘Oh, I have to take it easy because of my knee.’ But now, I’m coming off of a loss. All I’ve been doing is thinking about it every single day.”
Those thoughts fueled an extended training camp that has Lauzon ready to return to top form.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been confident like this,” Lauzon said. “It’s really been since two fights ago, which is a year and a half ago now. The Stout fight I was pretty confident, but it’s always in the back of my head about my knee. This has been a way better camp.”
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