Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon
Photo Courtesy of BestofBJJ.com
John Heinis: This is a travesty if this is actually the first bout on the main card—this fight is way better than that.
Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon is fresh off of a massive upset victory over Melvin Guillard at UFC 136, immediately pushing "The Young Assassin" to the back of the line at 155 pounds and allowing Lauzon to leap frog several other contenders.
On the other hand, Anthony "Showtime" Pettis is coming off of a narrow split decision win over Jeremy Stephens, which also happened to take place at UFC 136.
Pettis, the last WEC lightweight champion, looked to be fast tracked to a meeting with UFC lightweight title holder Frankie Edgar—that is until Gray Maynard fought "The Answer" to a draw at UFC 125.
That forced Showtime into a keep busy fight with Clay Guida in June of last year, which he lost decisively, despite nearly coming up with a few submissions from his guard.
While both men have a purple belt in BJJ, Pettis should look to keep this fight standing. In 21 career wins, Lauzon has an astonishing 17 by submission, five of which have earned him "Submission of the Night" honors in the UFC.
Neither guy is much of a wrestler and Pettis is certainly the more dynamic striker, so as much as I'd like to pick the perennial underdog in Lauzon, I can't see him pulling off two big upsets in a row.
Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (29-28)
Dwight Wakabayashi: This fight has heavy lightweight contender implications, as both of these young men are in a prime position to jump up in status with a solid win.
Lauzon is working on a two-fight win streak with his last one a stunning submission victory over Melvin Guillard in October at UFC 136. Pettis fought on that same card and got a solid victory over Jeremy Stephens.
These men fight very differently and whomever is able to set and maintain the pace of this fight is going to win.
If Pettis can use his fast-paced, diverse game on Lauzon and keep him on his heels all night, Joe will not get in his comfort zone and be able to slow the pace with grappling. If Lauzon gets a hold of Pettis early, it could make for a long night for the former WEC champ.
Pettis has a pace that is going to be the end of Lauzon. Pettis will score and move all night, and Lauzon will not be able to impose his jiu-jitsu game on him.
Pettis is just a bit too dynamic for Lauzon, and I always wonder which Joe is going to show.
Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision
Dale De Souza: Anthony "Showtime" Pettis is a Roufusport product who is famous for his unorthodox striking, but if there was any question about his wrestling, he was able to prove that fact against one Jeremy Stephens, who likely expected to get the same Anthony Pettis that was just so damn hard to submit in the WEC.
The fact that Pettis has dealt with serious BJJ black belts and seemingly studied the art of Joseph Benavidez's "Joe-Jitsu" before each of those aforementioned fights is something that almost makes one question if Joe Lauzon can actually submit Pettis in Japan.
For all of the obvious improvements in Lauzon's striking game and his ability to catch some fighters off-guard, his BJJ is what makes his entire game plan.
Both men are finishers, and both really do not like going to decisions, as is evident by Lauzon's 0-1 record in fights that have gone the distance—with the only time of Lauzon ever going to decision being the night that Sam Stout won a unanimous decision over the Bridgewater, MA, native.
Pettis should throw Lauzon off-guard with his striking and really neutralize Lauzon's BJJ before he even thinks about trying to beat Lauzon at his own game.
Meanwhile, Lauzon will look to pick his shots and drop Pettis whenever possible, but will either man elect to follow these game plans, or will they deliver on something that we haven't talked about yet?
Either way, the smart money might be to expect something new from Pettis, and if it does hit the ground, expect Pettis to successfully work his submission defense before he does what few believe he can do and submits Lauzon late into this fight.
Anthony Pettis by round 3 submission (Triangle Choke)
Jeffrey McKinney: Former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will be returning to action as he takes on submission expert Joe Lauzon.
Both Pettis and Lauzon are capable of finishing their opponents in different ways.
Each of Lauzon’s wins have come by submission or knockout, but Pettis has never been stopped.
It’s hard to pick against either of these fighters. Lauzon may be one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, while Pettis has only lost in close decision fights.
This should be a good back and forth fight with the potential of being fight of the night.
My pick goes to Pettis, who with another win or two could find himself taking on the winner of the night’s main event in the future.
Anthony Pettis by decision