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By Alvin Benjamin Carter III, MMA Torch Specialist
I caught up with Joe Lauzon at a local Massachusetts mixed martial arts event, AFO's Summer Brawl, on June 25 of this year quickly in between bouts. He gave his take on fighting in his home state for the UFC, how he feels going in to this fight compared to his previous bout where he lost to Sam Stout, and how his training camp did not have the same issues that Dan Lauzon's did. He also gave us the heads up on some of the Team Aggression fighters to lookout for on the professional stage.
Alvin Carter: Alvin Carter here with MMATorch. How do you feel about your fight coming up in Boston?
Joe Lauzon: You know, I am pumped to be fighting in Boston, in the UFC. I have had over thirty fights, and I am just pumped. It's been like four years since I fought in Massachusetts. So I am thrilled that the UFC is finally coming.
Carter: I know that there have been some situations with your brother and things, but have you been able to stay focused in your training camp coming up for UFC 118?
Lauzon: There were some issues with Dan's training camp, but my training camp has been great. It's been driven. I am over two months out from my fight, and I am already in way better shape today than I was for last my fight on fight day on fight week. I think it was just a case of me pushing to hard to fast, and I was at a disadvantage with the knee. I was really eager to get back, and I think I just let my eagerness get ahead of me. But, I feel so much better today.
Carter: Do you have any guys here on the card tonight at AFO?
Lauzon: Yea, I have three guys tonight. My boy Joe Proctor is in the main event. He still has to fight but we are expecting good things from him. My other two guys, Evan Scott and Anthony Ellison (Tony Ellison), they both fought tonight. They both won in the first round by submission. So we are happy with that.
Carter: Are there any fighters in your camp that might be showing up pro soon?
Lauzon: I've hot two fighters that are doing real real well on he local scene, and I think they will be hitting the national scene pretty soon. I've got Josh Leaerge who is a 155-er. He's had a couple of fights in Bellator; he's done very very well. I think it will be one or two more fighters and then he will be in the WEC or something like that. Another guy who is a little bit further back, but he will be there too is Chuck O'Neil. He's a 170 pounder and I think he will be doing big things too.
Carter: Thank you very much for taking the time. I look forward to seeing you at UFC 118 in Boston.
Lauzon: No problem, I hope to see you there.
I want to take Joe Lauzon for taking the time during this event to talk to MMATorch.com.
Joe Lauzon will be facing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former WEC lightweight champion Gabe Ruediger on Saturday, August 28 at the TD Bank Garden in Boston, MA. Ruediger is stepping in for Terry Etim. Both Lauzon and Ruediger made their UFC debut at UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn. Lauzon beat Jens Puliver by knockout, and Ruediger lost to Melvin Guillard by knockout. Both fighters were also cast members of The Ultimate Fighter 5 where Lauzon made it to the semi-finals and Ruediger was asked to leave because of antics centered around his weight (not making weight, eating ice cream, and getting a colonic to shed pounds). A lot of time has passed, and these two are on another card headlined by BJ Penn, but I am not expecting a knockout seeing how both of these guys will most likely be looking to lock up a submission.
It will be interesting to see how this one pans out since Joe Lauzon is looking to rebound from his recent loss, and Gabe Ruediger is looking to rebound from his whole prior UFC affiliated career.
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Follow Alvin on Twitter: @AwwwSnap
Alvin Benjamin Carter III is an MMATorch Specialist columnist focusing on the business and statistic side of the sport of MMA. He trains in SanDa / Shan Shou (Chinese Kickboxing) and MMA at Redline Fight Sports. He also has a business background in music production, management, and clothing. He has launched two companies which cater to niche markets, giving him experience in examining trends and attitudes that can affect a particular business model, which he applies in his weekly column for MMATorch to the sport of MMA.
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