Fighting in front of his home crowd in Boston, 35-year-old lightweight veteran Joe Lauzon earned an emotional win over his opponent, UFC newcomer Jonathan Pearce.
Lauzon earned a quick finish, connecting with a powerful right hand that left Pearce with rubber legs. Lauzon scored a takedown and while on the mat, locked up Pearce's arm. Rather than go for a submission, Lauzon kept Pearce's arm pinned behind his head and unleashed a series of punishing strikes. Unable to defend himself, Pearce ate a good number of fists before referee Herb Dean stepped in and called it off.
The win snapped a three-fight losing streak for Lauzon who soaked up the moment in what could very well be his final fight in the UFC. “Super emotional,” Lauzon said. “My last fight was a year and a half ago. Maybe it’s the last one, maybe it’s not. I have no idea. I’m going to go home and be really happy and just play with my kids.”
While Lauzon was non-commital about retirement, UFC president Dana White told the media afterward that he will be forcing him to retire.
“Me and Joe Lauzon had a deal that he would retire after this fight, win, lose, or draw. And he didn’t do it,” White told reporters during the post-fight scrum. “What better way to go out than tonight? And he beat a real guy tonight. He beat a tough guy that I bet a lot of people didn’t think he was gonna beat. And he made it look easy."
“And this is one of those things when you’re talking to a guy who loves to fight like Joe Lauzon loves to fight, and the Chuck Liddells, and many, many more in the past that I’ve dealt with,” White continued. “‘It’s so hard to walk away. I looked great tonight.’ And then if they lose, ‘I can’t go out like this. Getting beat in my hometown, in front of my…’ It’s just, you know…”
If this was Lauzon's last fight in the UFC, he ends with a record of 28-16.