Former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5, Joe Lauzon (15-3), will fight undefeated UFC newcomer Jason Reinhardt (18-0) at UFC 78 on November 17 at the Prudential Arena in Newark, N.J.
Reinhardt announced the lightweight match up on an Underground forum post, which the FightNetwork.com later confirmed in an independent report.
In fact, Lauzon and Reinhardt met during the casting for TUF 5.
Here's a snip from Lauzon:
"He [Reinhardt] had a good record, though it had no real names. Then he told us he beat up some guy in a ‘Steak and Shake' and got banned for life from the entire chain. I thought, ‘This guy might get on the show'.... [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva is probably sick of Jason emailing him, and it's my job to shut him up. That's how I got the fight with Jens, and that's how Jason is getting in now. He is praying for lightning to strike twice, but it's not gonna happen."
Of course, Reinhardt did not make the cut and Lauzon went on to reach the semifinals of the show, losing to Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision.
Lauzon is coming off of a nice submission win (triangle choke) over Brandon Melendez at the TUF 5 Finale in June. Since that time, he has had surgery to repair an ailing knee and has relocated to Hawaii to train with his TUF 5 coach and UFC veteran, BJ Penn.
Reinhardt has made a name for himself in the King of the Cage, Courage Fighting Championships and other smaller promotions throughout the Midwest, compiling and impressive record that includes a significant amount of submission wins (more than 75 percent).
For the latest UFC 78 fight card click here.
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