UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman - Predictions and Picks

#4 Joe Lauzon vs. Jonathan Pearce

Joe Lauzon has been in the UFC for 13 long years

It’s hard to believe that we’re now 13 years removed from the day when fresh-faced youngster Joe Lauzon exploded onto the UFC scene with a huge upset knockout of former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, but time flies I guess.

Since then, Lauzon has put on a crazy 26 UFC fights, and has picked up a total of 15 post-fight bonus cheques, with a record 6 ‘Submission of the Night’ awards. Unfortunately, time stands still for no man and the Boston native is currently on a 3-fight losing streak. Realistically, he hasn’t won a fight clearly since his 2016 victory over Diego Sanchez, and more disturbingly, his durability now seems to be thoroughly shot.

This is his chance to right the ship; he’s been away from action since April 2018 in a much-needed break, and he’s faced with a man who has far less experience than he does, UFC debutant Jonathan Pearce. ‘JSP’ has just 10 fights to his name, and while he’s 7-3 and on a four-fight win streak, nothing stands out to suggest he’s ready for the top level just yet.

Footage on Pearce shows an aggressive fighter; he’s a clean striker who clearly hits hard, as evidenced by the 5 KO’s/TKO’s on his record. Pearce doesn’t have any submission wins on his ledger but he doesn’t appear to be a terrible grappler per se, although it’s hard to imagine him being on the same level as Lauzon.

This should, theoretically, be a winnable fight for ‘J-Lau’ as Pearce has so little experience in comparison and Lauzon will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd in Boston. But with that said, rewind to 2006 and the Lauzon/Pulver fight sounded like a winnable one for ‘Lil Evil’ due to Lauzon’s lack of experience at the top level – and we all remember what happened there.

I’ve always been a fan of Lauzon but I just think he’d be better off retired at this point; Chris Gruetzemacher and Clay Guida aren’t known for their knockout power but they were both able to abuse Lauzon with strikes and ended up winning by stoppage, and while Lauzon could definitely submit Pearce if he can get him to the ground, his chin is so deteriorated that it’s hard not to imagine Pearce landing on him at some point.

It’d be a fairytale for Lauzon if he could submit Pearce here, but MMA rarely ends in fairytale fashion and I just can’t trust a guy who’s so past his prime now, sorry.

The Pick: Pearce via first-round KO