Joe Lauzon was on the wrong end of another bloody war at UFC 223, this time against Chris Gruetzemacher.
Fan favorite and perennial bonus machine Joe Lauzon returned to action at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday night. Bumped up to the PPV card thanks to the chaos surrounding the event, Lauzon was taking on Chris Gruetzemacher to open the main card. On a two fight losing streak and having won just one in his last four, Lauzon was looking for a change of fortune.
Lauzon brought the action early, going right at Chris Gruetzemacher and throwing leather. He then scored a heavy standing elbow and shot low, only for Gruetzemacher to sprawl. Gruetzemacher wound up on top, but had to deal with Lauzon’s butterfly guard. Lauzon soon rolled into a knee bar position, but Gruetzemacher pulled back, and they returned to the feet. Lauzon utilized elbows over the top, but Gruetzemacher began firing back as Joe slowed towards the end of the round. Gruetzemacher was soon tagging Lauzon with uppercuts and elbows, softening him up at round’s end.
Lauzon found himself eating more strikes early in round two, which led to a takedown attempt. He stayed on it, but Gruetzemacher was able to pull free. Gruetzemacher then fired a knee to the body, then another. Lauzon was bloodied, while Gruetzemacher mixed up body strikes, knees, and combos upstairs. Another knee by Gruetzemacher was followed by elbows over the top. The standing elbows were a weapon for both men, but Lauzon was slowed and bloodied, while Gruetzemacher still looked fresh. Lauzon pressed forward with a combination, getting the crowd going, but couldn’t sustain the attack. Another cut opened up on Lauzon’s scalp, worsening his vision. He continued to throw elbows, but was taking more than he was giving.
After the second, Lauzon’s corner had seen enough. With both his eyes nearly swollen shut, they called it a night, giving Chris Gruetzemacher the TKO win.
Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 2, 5:00
