Watch UFC Fight Night 103 co-headliner Joe Lauzon decimate Diego Sanchez at UFC 200

Joe Lauzon was in a bonus funk heading into UFC 200. There’s no other way to put it.

The veteran lightweight had gone three straight bouts without taking home a fight-night bonus, and that’s something he just wasn’t accustomed to.

Lauzon started his UFC career with back-to-back bonuses. He took a fight off, then won seven bonuses in his next eight fights – including a near-unfathomable six straight. From 2009-2012, he won nine bonuses in nine fights, missing out on an extra check only once, but making up for it the next time out with a double-dip for “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” in a win over Jamie Varner at UFC on FOX 4.

But then came a rut of sorts, and he won just one bonus in his five fights heading into a UFC 200 preliminary card fight against fellow veteran fan favorite Diego Sanchez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Against Sanchez, Lauzon found a brilliant way to snap out of it – and became the first to finish Sanchez by punches. Only B.J. Penn had beaten Sanchez by not going to the judges, and it was because he got a doctor’s stoppage TKO for a cut at UFC 107.

In a week, Lauzon (26-12 MMA, 13-9 UFC) returns to action when he meets former Bellator submission standout Marcin Held (22-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 103 co-main event. UFC Fight Night 103 takes place next Sunday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. The main card airs on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Ahead of that fight, which will have Lauzon looking to extend his UFC bonus record with a 16th and third straight, check out how he took out Sanchez this past July at UFC 200.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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