UFC Fight Night 103's Joe Lauzon plans to retire when he no longer wants to train

There was a time UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon ducked out of his cubicle at his day job to do MMA interviews. Lying about the injuries he sustained in fights was another fun distraction.

Everybody knows what he does now. One of the most experienced competitors in the UFC’s octagon, he is also the record-holder for most fight-night bonuses.

Lauzon (26-12 MMA, 13-9 UFC), 32, will next face Marcin Held (22-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Jan. 15 at UFC Fight Night 103 and pick up his 23rd fight in the process. After 10 years in the UFC, most of his early colleagues have joined the retirement ranks, and his recent career has been bumpy with alternating wins and losses in his past six outings.

There are times when Lauzon thinks about hanging up his gloves. But more often than not, he doesn’t feel the need.

“It depends on the day,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “Most days, I feel awesome. Every once and a while, especially during fight camp, I’ll wake up and be like, ‘Oh my god, what is going on?’ I feel like I’ve been in a car accident or something. Nothing major, but just sore stuff. Sore hands, sore knees, sore hands, sore neck. But most days I feel great.”

UFC Fight Night 103 takes place at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Lauzon vs. Held serves as the co-headliner of the FS1 main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

“I really don’t feel any worse than when I started,” Lauzon said. “I think if anything, I do a lot better job of taking care of my body. I limp around a lot less than I used to. I tackle situations a lot sooner.”

Avoiding the more damaging parts of MMA training is the thing he ventures has kept him going so long. While other fighters spar continuously, he prefers to limit his encounters to fight camps, whether they’re his or teammates.

“I’m not interested in getting hit in the head whatsoever,” he said. “I’m not just sparring for the sake of sparring. There’s no need.”

Thankfully, his next opponent is not known for his concussive power. Held, a Bellator veteran, made his name with an impressive submission game that often forces opponents to tap before they get a chance to throw a knockout punch. Over the years, some of his luster was lost by those who figured out to expose his weaknesses in grappling exchanges, so it’s no surprise Lauzon is aiming to find the same spots.

Held is known for his leglocks, which are only effective if the applicant can evade damage from an overhead opponent. Lauzon is no slouch in that department, but he generally opts not to rely on the technique in fights.

“I think it’s not the smartest thing in a fight, because you’re on bottom and you get punched in the head,” Lauzon said. “The reward is not usually worth the risk. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to take advantage of that. He’s going to go for leglocks, we’re going to defend them, and then I’m going to punch him. I think that’s going to add up.

“The smart plan is to stay away from the leglock stuff. Don’t play with fire more than you need to. Defend the leg locks and get away. But if we find ourself in a perfect situation, I think it would pretty awesome to submit this guy.”

Whether Lauzon performs or winds up getting caught in a submission, he said he won’t make any final decisions about his career in the cage. The time for that is between fights, when he has free time to do other things.

“I think it’s going to come down to, when am I not interested in going to the gym anymore – not interesting in training anymore,” he said. “But right now, I love getting into the gym.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.

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