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FLD Exclusive with Joe Lauzon: “If Joe Silva doesn't put me on that card, I will be flying to his house and we will settle our issues like men..."
Written by Stephanie Pittman   
Tuesday, 08 December 2009 16:04
Much to the excitement of our community, Stephanie Pittman has managed to snag some time from yet another mixed martial arts star. Today, her victim is UFC Lightweight, Joe Lauzon. "J-Lau" burst into the UFC with his upset knockout victory over Jens Pulver at UFC 63, then went on to compete on the Ultimate Fighter 5 where not only his fighting skills, but his personality, managed captured the favor of MMA fans. In this interview, Joe discusses his long road back to the octagon, the recent legalization of MMA in Massachusetts, and who would win in a fight between him and his brother, Dan. All this, and more, after the jump!



Stephanie Pittman (SP): First I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with Fightlockdown. We haven't seen you fight in a while so besides recovering, what have you been up to lately?

Joe Lauzon (JL): “I've been putting a lot of time into coaching the guys at my gym, and have been playing a lot of Xbox.”


(SP): How did such a long layoff effect you mentally? Were you really frustrated, or just eager to get back to training?

(JL): “I have been eager to get back into it for a while now. This is the longest lay-off I have had since I started fighting, so it's been tough to sit on the side and watch as everyone else has been preparing for fights. I'm focused though, and ready to get back in there.”


(SP): We know that you are a bit of a gamer, so we've gotta ask you the age old question X-box 360 or PS3? And which games do you find yourself playing the most, lately?

(JL): “Xbox... all day. I play a lot of Modern Warfare 2, but I like killing some Nazi Zombies in World at War too. We played a decent amount of Left 4 Dead, but haven't gotten into the second one, really. We will, but we have been far too consumed by MW2.”


(SP): One of our forum members wants to know who would win in a fight to the death, you or your brother? [laughs]

(JL): “The Fans! [laughs] Who knows? He is usually a lot bigger and stronger than me, so most likely him. I would hide until he got bored and then hit him with something from behind, gotta be smart."


(SP): [laughs] What can you tell us about the MMA Mega Cruise that you are a part of?

(JL): “It's a cruise in August that is going to be leaving out of Miami. I've never been on a cruise, but the idea is to offer MMA training on the way out to help pass the time. I am going to cover MMA specific stuff, but there will be guys teaching classes on grappling, boxing, kickboxing, running an MMA School, etc. You can find more info at MMAMegaCruise.com!”


(SP): With the help of a few others like Joe Cavallaro you've been working extensively for the past year or so to get MMA legalized in Massachusetts. How excited are you that this has finally been achieved?

(JL): “I am very excited that the UFC will be able to come to Massachusetts. I think there are going to be some growing pains within the state because we have run smoothly, but unsupervised for years. We have done a good job overall and kept things safe, but things are going to change in March. I really hope we get the right guy as the head of the commission so that things go smoothly.”


(SP): If the UFC comes to Boston this summer, like they've been alluding to, do you think you'll be fighting on the card as a Boston native?

(JL): “If Joe Silva (the UFC Matchmaker) doesn't put me on that card... I will be flying to his house and we will settle our issues like men...grappling.... and I will not succumb to the Silvatine!”


(SP): [laughs] You and your brother are both fighting at UFC 108. How has your preparation been going?

(JL): “Training camp has been great. It’s a lot easier to get into the freezing gym in the morning when someone else is there to go through it with you.”


(SP): Are you going to be training with B.J. Penn at all for your upcoming fight?

(JL): “I won't be training with B.J. for this fight, but I want to make it back out to Hilo before too long and do some training. I loved it out there.”


(SP): Speaking of UFC 108, you will be fighting a tough opponent, Sam Stout. What aspect of training have you been focusing on the most for this fight? Do you see any weaknesses in his game?

(JL): “I think everyone has weaknesses, but I'm not going to talk about what I think his are. I have been working on specific things for this fight though and hopefully I can show a few new tricks.”


(SP): Once again, thanks for taking the time to do this interview with us. Fightlockdown.com wishes you all the best in your upcoming fight. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans or shout-outs to your sponsors?

(JL): “Thanks to Sprawl, Tri-Coasta, and MMAWarehouse.com. Sponsors help out a lot and allow us to train and focus on things 100%. Check out my website JoeLauzon.com and follow me on Twitter! Thanks guys!”