Joe Lauzon opens up on MMA future amidst long UFC hiatus: “I don’t exactly know a valid way to get out of the contract”

UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon isn’t entirely sure what his MMA future holds.

‘J-Lau’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since the UFC took a trip to Boston in October 2019. That night saw Joe Lauzon hand Jonathan Pearce a first-round knockout loss. In the process, the longtime lightweight snapped a three-fight losing streak and had the opportunity to end his career on a high note.

However, Joe Lauzon later booked a return opposite Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone for April 2022. That bout didn’t come to fruition due to injury, and it was then re-booked not once, but twice. The two were last booked for UFC Austin that summer, but Lauzon was forced out on fight day due to a knee dislocation.

Since then, the lightweight has gone unbooked. Joe Lauzon publically called for a retirement fight in his hometown of Boston for UFC 292. He even named rising prospect Chase Hooper as a potential opponent. However, his wish wasn’t granted. According to Dana White, Lauzon’s request came after the entire card had been already booked.

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Joe Lauzon opens up on potential UFC comeback five years after last victory

Dana White added last year when asked, that he would like Joe Lauzon to retire. Well, it seems that ‘J-Lau’ isn’t entirely on board with the idea. Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Lauzon admitted that he would fight if the right opportunity arose. However, it seems that the UFC isn’t interested in having him compete, and the 40-year-old isn’t exactly interested in fighting elsewhere.

“Everyone’s always asking, like, ‘Oh, are you going to fight again? Are you not going to fight again?’ and my answer is always kind of ambiguous—I don’t really know.” Joe Lauzon stated in the interview with MMA Fighting. “I wanted to fight Chase Hooper last summer when they were going to come to Boston, but that didn’t work out; they didn’t want to do that. So, I don’t know. If they came to me with a fight and a matchup that I liked… I’m still training all the time, but I’m not pressing the issue.” (h/t MMA News)

He continued, “I don’t exactly know a valid way to get out of the contract—not that I’m trying to—but I think that there’s a bunch of reasons it can kind of freeze or get prolonged, right? So I think it’s if you turn down a fight, if you are injured, or if you retire—you know, those things all prolong and extend it, right? So, from my perspective, I’m not really trying to fight anywhere else, so I don’t really care.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC lightweight? Do you want to see Joe Lauzon fight again?