Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweights Joe Lauzon and Al Iaquinta will scrap this Saturday night (Jan. 31, 2015) at UFC 183 inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After a pretty dreadful loss to Michael Johnson, Lauzon has been working his way back up to the top of the division. He's currently riding a two fight win streak, including a cut stoppage of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Michael Chiesa.
Iaquinta may have a way of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but he's usually beating the tar out of his opponent prior to doing that. Having won five of his last six, while largely dominating each victory, Iaquinta has proven himself ready for a step up.
Let's take a look at the keys to victory for each man.
Joe Lauzon
Record: 24-9
Key Wins: Michael Chiesa (UFC Fight Night 50), Jamie Varner (UFC on FOX 4), Melvin Guillard (UFC 136)
Key Losses: Michael Johnson (UFC Fight Night 26), Jim Miller (UFC 155), Anthony Pettis (UFC 144)
Keys to Victory: Despite just recently turning 30 years old, Lauzon is a longtime UFC veteran. He's been with the organization since 2006 and has a history of securing post-fight victories.
Usually, that's either because Lauzon locked up one of his 18 career submissions or because he brawled with his opponent in a wild bout.
In this case, Lauzon really can't afford to brawl with his young foe. If this fight takes place in the center of the Octagon, Lauzon is likely to take some serious damage at the thudding hands of "Raging Al."
Instead, Lauzon needs to continue his grinding -- and effective -- clinch heavy style. Iaquinta's movement and takedown defense are pretty strong, but Lauzon could use a shot simply to transition into the clinch.
From that position, Lauzon performed very well against Chiesa, eventually finishing the fight with a knee strike. In addition, he mixed his takedowns in very well and was striking on the exit when they failed.
Against Iaquinta, that's exactly what Lauzon needs to do. If he can get the New Yorker to the mat, Lauzon should wait for Iaquinta to try to stand up or scramble. When that happens, Lauzon will see any openings that exist, and Boston-based fighter is an expert at capitalizing on such situations.
Al Iaquinta
Record: 10-3-1
Key Wins: Ross Pearson (UFC Fight Night 55), Piotr Hallmann (UFC Fight Night 30), Rodrigo Damm (UFC Fight Night 50)
Key Losses: Michael Chiesa (TUF 15 Finale), Mitch Clarke (UFC 173)
Keys to Victory: Iaquinta is an excellent lightweight prospect who's quickly rising through the ranks. After his first three wins came via decision -- Iaquinta was hurting his opponent without finding finishes -- "Raging Al" has since secured two straight knockout wins.
Due to his habit of clobbering his opponent with crisp boxing, many of Iaquinta's recent opponents have been intent on taking him down. The lone exception is Ross Pearson, and the English boxer was put to sleep in the second stanza for that choice.
With that in mind, Iaquinta's usual method of fighting should work quite well when Lauzon tries to close the distance with punches and takedowns. The New Yorker moves very well, making him difficult to corner.
Plus, he's constantly ready to either counter his opponent's distance-closing strikes or simply take a small step forward and club him with a hook. Overall, Iaquinta does an excellent job mixing his ability to stay elusive while delivering heavy punches.
Against Lauzon -- who showed difficulty with the movement of another smooth young power striker in Michael Johnson -- this should work quite well. However, Iaquinta cannot afford his usual mishap in the middle of the fight, as Lauzon will latch onto a limb and torque it badly if given even the slightest opportunity.
Bottom Line: When has a Joe Lauzon or Al Iaquinta fight ever really been boring? This should be a highly-entertaining contest, in which either a new contender emerges or a gritty veteran reasserts himself as a top fighter.
Since his debut loss to Chiesa, Iaquinta's upward mobility has been pretty impressive. In just a couple years, Iaquinta has proven himself a very dangerous boxer and wrestler. With a win here, he undoubtedly proves himself worthy of a ranked opponent.
However, a loss -- particularly a submission loss -- would show that Iaquinta is still too raw in some aspects of his game to compete with the division's best. That's not the worst thing in the world, it just means the 27 year old needs another year to develop before trying again.
There were a few questions as to whether Lauzon still had it in him after getting thoroughly beaten by Michael Johnson. He's won two fights since then, but a victory over Iaquinta would undoubtedly silence those voices, and likely get him a high-profile fight.
Should Lauzon lose this bout, it likely puts the stamp on any chance of him ever making it back to the top 10. Obviously, every fighter would like to earn that accomplishment and move even higher in the division, but it's not a truly terrible result for Lauzon. He's still a must-watch action fighter with a habit of earning post-fight bonuses, something he can still do outside of the top 15.
At UFC 183, Joe Lauzon and Al Iaquinta will go to war in what's likely to be an electric match up. Which man will walk away with the victory?