https://www.mmanews.com/news/ufc/ufc-veteran-joe-lauzon-limbo-status-contract/
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Joe Lauzon recently opened up about the lingering uncertainty surrounding his UFC career.
Lauzon is a name that might not resonate with newer MMA fans, but he was once celebrated as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC lightweight division of his era, holding the third-highest number of post-fight bonuses in the companyās history.
āJ-Lauā has been absent from the Octagon since delivering a first-round TKO victory over Jonathan Pearce in October 2019, a win that ended his three-fight losing streak. In August 2023, Lauzon lobbied for a spot at UFC 292 in Boston, but the promotion declined, signaling that his services were no longer required. Even UFC CEO Dana White publicly urged him to hang up his gloves for good.
The 40-year-old Massachusetts native has considered himself semi-retired during his five-year hiatus, admitting that heād only return to active competition if a truly compelling matchup came his way. However, with no such opportunity on the horizon, Lauzon now finds himself at a crossroadsā¦
Lauzon Still Training While Not Actively Seeking A Fight
During a recent interview with MMAFightingonSBN, Lauzon opened up about his time away from the Octagon. The seasoned UFC lightweight admitted heās unsure about the future of his career, yet he remains committed to training regularly despite not actively pursuing any fight opportunities.
āIāve been focused more on my gym than I have on training,ā Lauzon said. āEveryoneās always asking, like, āOh, are you going to fight again? Are you not going to fight again?ā and my answer is always kind of ambiguousāI donāt really know. I wanted to fight Chase Hooper last summer when they were going to come to Boston, but that didnāt work out; they didnāt want to do that. So, I donāt know. If they came to me with a fight and a matchup that I likedā¦ Iām still training all the time, but Iām not pressing the issue.ā
āJ-Lauā also revealed that, despite his inactivity, heās still under contract with the UFC. However, he admitted that heās unclear on how to exit the agreement, especially since heās not actively pursuing a fight.
āI donāt exactly know a valid way to get out of the contractānot that Iām trying toābut I think that thereās a bunch of reasons it can kind of freeze or get prolonged, right? So I think itās if you turn down a fight, if you are injured, or if you retireāyou know, those things all prolong and extend it, right? So, from my perspective, Iām not really trying to fight anywhere else, so I donāt really care. Iām still in the USADA pool, which is not even annoying, but a little bit annoying.ā
āI still have USADAāor not USADA, but Drug Free Sportāshow up, and they test me every once in a while. But otherwise, I mean, I think itās just extended perpetually, like until whenever. Iām in a weird spot where I donāt really care about actively fighting.
Lauzon stands as the longest-serving fighter on the current UFC roster. Since his promotional debut at UFC 63 back in 2006, he has stepped into the Octagon 27 times.
āJ-Lauā has faced numerous hurdles in securing fights over the years. He was set to clash with Donald Cerrone on three separate occasions, but the bout was postponed once and canceled twice, all before āCowboyā eventually called it a career.
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Always loved Joe, then again, who here doesnāt?
Itās a weird spot, because he probably should retire, but itās not really for the UFC to tell him that.
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āHis services were not requiredā??? In regards to the Boston card last year against Chase Hooper??
Dana urging him to hang them up? Weird.
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what happened to Dany Lau ?
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Ah yes.
At this point heās like a Brian Cammozi in a way?
That other brother.
Dany Lau more hespected.
Where in time?
Where is Valantijn Overeem ?!?!
Win over Coutureā¦
He got beat up by his older brother at a family gathering on social media and was never the same again?
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Lol yea they use to go chute boxe style on eachother eh?
That sibling thing drove them to just smash eachother if I recall now?
They banged behind the barn like the Hughes bros
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Part of it
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Sponsored him for a good while. Great dude.
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Itās been nearly five years since Joe Lauzon last competed in the UFC, and thereās a good chance his win over Jonathan Pearce will stand as the final fight of his career.
But heās still not retiring.
Truth be told, Lauzon hasnāt been interested in staying active with his fighting career since he turned more of his focus on raising a family and building his gym in New England. He was actually booked to fight three separate times in 2022 against Donald Cerrone, but a myriad of injuries and illnesses ultimately forced UFC to scrap the matchup.
Lauzon eventually suggested a fight against Chase Hooper, but UFC passed and heās remained on the sidelines ever since. That might make it sound like Lauzon really wants to fight and the UFC isnāt interested, but that couldnāt be further from the truth.
āI understand them not wanting the Chase Hooper thing because that would be a pretty good matchup for me and that may be the last fight Iād want to do,ā Lauzon told MMA Fighting. āIt would kind of be the same. Iād have that fight, whether I win good or not, I would kind of be in the same position Iām in now. Maybe Iāll fight again if something makes sense and maybe Iām done.
āIt doesnāt make a lot of sense for them to go and give me a matchup thatās favorable to me, and Iām not going to take a matchup thatās not favorable for me. So Iām just kind of stuck, I guess. Iām totally fine with it. The UFCās been great to me. Iām not upset. I donāt feel like Iām stuck, like Iām locked or anything.ā
Lauzon celebrated his 40th birthday this past May, but age has never been a defining factor when it comes to whether or not he fights again. Rather, it comes down to timing and opportunity, and if those two factors donāt line up, then Lauzon has no problem hanging out in limbo.
As time passes and his inactivity grows, Lauzon admits thereās a good chance heās already fought in the UFC for the final time, but he refuses to put that final nail in the coffin of his fight career.
āItās probably likely that I wonāt fight again, but I hate when people say they go and retire,ā Lauzon said. āBecause how many times do people retire, they say theyāre retired, and the next thing you know, theyāre announced on a card six months or a year later, or whatever itās going to be.
āIām still training all the time. Iām still helping guys get ready for fights. Iām still running my gym. If they came and offered me something with ample time, I know I could get back in good shape really quick and Iād be good to go.ā
Make no mistake, Lauzon loves fighting, but his priorities have changed and a thriving business outside UFC has kept him plenty busy these past few years. With plans to expand and open more gyms down the road, Lauzon proudly touts strong numbers at his flagship location, with 400 members currently taking various classes from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to kickboxing and even no-gi grappling.
Lauzon opening his gym several years ago was part of his long-term plan to always give himself options once fighting was over. Unlike many athletes who depend on UFC to provide a steady income, Lauzon preferred to use fighting as a means to maintain financial security while building a business that didnāt rely on him setting foot in a cage.
āFrom the very beginning, I had my first fight in the UFC and I thought that could have been it,ā Lauzon said. āWhen I fought Jens Pulver, that could have been a one and done and weāre just over. Iāve been very fortunate that was never chasing the next fight to pay my bills. I have a computer science degree, so I was working at my co-op when I was getting ready for Jens Pulver for my first fight, and then I basically took a week off of work and I went and I fought, and I went back to work on Monday and I continued to work.
āThen I went on The Ultimate Fighter and I took a leave of absence for like two months and then I went back to work. So I always kind of had a little bit of a nest egg, an overflow a little bit of covering expenses, things like that. As I had all my different fights, I was kind of doing the same thing. I was always just building a reserve, keeping that reserve up, and then time goes on and it gets a little smaller, but then you fight again and it gets it back up.ā
While Lauzon doesnāt have all the answers, the 43-fight veteran acknowledges that more athletes need to think about long-term planning, because competing in the UFC canāt last forever. He recognized that before his first fight in the UFC and Lauzon has been prepared for the inevitable end of his career ever since.
āI think a lot of fighters, they donāt start from that stronger position so they have to take this fight next month because they need to pay their bills,ā Lauzon said. āThey need to pay their expenses, theyāve got to pay stuff.
āIāve always been ahead of the game a little bit, so I think just because I started in a better position, I was able to keep that going.ā
He was a very active poster on the OG in the early days.
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Him vs little eagle was epic
Joe is awesome. Always looked forward to any of his fights, remember being very fucking bummed after the loss to Michael Johnson (who looked great that fight, very fast).
Heās a local, probably would be at his gym if he was a bit closer to me.
Joes gym is awesome, has a great rep. Considering how Joe fought, I always thought people from his gym fought in a very well coached way. Coaching is really his job now, isnāt it? Think he has always been an incredible coachā¦
I miss the days of seeing him fight at a shitty club up in East Boston somewhereā¦ Lido baby! Man, one of those fights was awesome, the triangle, he was elevated in it, about to be slammed, then cranked the shit out of triangle and got the mid air sub pre-slam. Great early stuff.
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I thought the UFC was obligated to offer you or pay you for 3 fights a year, what is the contract for?