The MMA Daily

We have a couple of pioneers locking horns in the Lightweight division, as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone takes on Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon. Looking to halt a brutal 0-5-1 skid, Cerrone returns to the octagon for the first time in 2022 with his career potentially on the line. Fortunately for Cowboy, he’s not facing a contender, but a fellow veteran. Meanwhile, Lauzon returns to the octagon for the first time since defeating Jonathan Pearce via TKO in 2019. Having purposely opted out of fighting during the pandemic, Lauzon allowed himself to heal and comeback to a fight that makes sense at this stage of his career.

As for a prediction, I have Cerrone winning. While durability concerns weigh heavy for both men, as they each have been stopped nine times in their career, I favor Cerrone to get the job done. Obviously on a horrid losing streak, Cerrone has had his difficulties. However, during this losing streak, Cerrone has fought the likes of Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson. All guys whom were ranked in the top five of the division. Obviously being recently stopped by Alex Morono, which was the fourth time he’s been finished during the streak isn’t something to look positively back on. But, there is more to the origins of this losing streak is all. Anyways, I believe Cerrone has a clear edge on the feet. He’s dynamic, has solid cardio and is the more active of the two. Lauzon being a boxer, isn’t an overly defensive one. In fact, opponents are landing 5.39 significant strikes per minute on him. Where he excels is on the ground, where he’s won 17 fights alone via submission. The one problem on the ground, is I believe Cerrone has the abilities to hold his own and get the fight back to the feet. Having fought 54 times, with only one submission defeat back in 2010 to Benson Henderson, bodes a confidence that Cerrone can withstand Lauzon’s grappling. So with that said, I predict that Cerrone wins via TKO.