Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon became the youngest fighter ever to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 64 when he debuted for the organization at the age of 18 years, seven months, and 14 days old.
Lauzon got the call on short notice after bulding up an impressive 4-0 record on the regional circuit. However, the youngster suffered the first loss of his career following a first round TKO to Spencer Fisher.
Since the loss to Fisher, Lauzon has gone 8-1. Thanks to a seven-fight win streak, Lauzon was signed late last year to a lucrative contract by Affliction MMA and tapped to make his debut for the promotion during its “Day of Reckoning” event that it co-promoted in January with M-1 Global.
Scheduled to face Chris Horodecki, Lauzon fought Bobby Green instead after Horodecki was denied licensure from the state of California due to a neck injury. In spite of being on the receiving end of groin shots on three separate occasions, Lauzon still tapped Green out at 4:55 of round 1.
During a recent interview with M-1Global.com Contributing Editor Michael Mazur, Lauzon discussed his fight with Green, his time in the UFC, and more.
Michael Mazur: You are one of the most well-known up-and-coming fighters in MMA. How does it feel?
Dan Lauzon: There’s a lot of pressure. Having a brother like Joe (Lauzon) that’s done so much already can be a lot to live up too. Joe had about 20 fights before his UFC debut and was 22-years old. In my UFC debut, I had fights and was only 18-years old. I think people expect me to have the same experience as Joe. People forget that I’m still young. I’m still only 20 years old.
Michael Mazur: You were the youngest fighter to debut in the UFC. How much pressure was on you? And was that too soon for you now that you can look back at things?
Dan Lauzon: When I fought in the UFC, there was no pressure, I was 18-years old. I only had four fights. It was a win-win situation for me. I got to fight in the UFC. It opened a lot of opportunities for me. The experience was unreal, unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life. I don’t regret any of it, not for a second. I think it might have been a little soon. But, it’s made me a better fighter today.
Michael Mazur: How was your overall Affliction experience?
Dan Lauzon: It’s been pretty good. They treat the fighters well, although I think they’re taking care of (Chris) Horodecki and talking about him like he’s there golden child. The video of the weigh-ins for my last fight, they cut me and (Bobby) Green right off of it on the Affliction website. That upsets me a little bit. Horodecki hasn’t even fought for them yet (but) he already has a t-shirt for sale. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about the t-shirt but I can tell they are expecting Horodecki to walk through me and that’s not going to be the case when we fight.
Michael Mazur: Obviously, your whole training camp was dedicated to preparing you for Chris Horodecki. Did you know anything about Bobby Green?
Dan Lauzon: I didn’t know anything about Bobby Green. I didn’t know whether he wanted to take the fight to the ground or if he wanted to stand with me. The last minute change was difficult. Plus, it’s tough to look good against a guy coming in on short notice with nothing to lose. They just got to go balls to the wall for as long as they can and hope for the best. His unorthodox standup threw me off as well, which is why I pulled guard at one point.
Michael Mazur: Your last fight lasted less than a round. Although you won, it turned out to be a pretty long night for you. How bad were you hurt by those groin strikes from Green?
Dan Lauzon: The first kick is what set everything off for me. My balls were in my stomach. The second knee just added insult to injury to my already crushed balls. The third kick that got my in the nuts and I threw up my hands like, “Whoa man, come on, three times really?” I was thinking in my head. How many times am I going to get cracked in the nuts and they don’t penalize this guy. Then they took away two points.
Michael Mazur: Did you think of resuming the fight no mater what or stopping it to get win by DQ?
Dan Lauzon: No way I was going to take a DQ win. They asked me if I wanted a DQ win and I told them “No, I can fight, but can this dude stop hitting me in the balls?”
Michael Mazur: What was your background in martial arts?
Dan Lauzon: I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when I was 14, I had a great (amateur) record in the streets until I was 18. Then had my first pro fight the day after my 18th birthday.
Michael Mazur: Why did you choose to pursue an MMA career?
Dan Lauzon: I was always a rough kid growing up. I was a great football player. I was a fullback and linebacker because my coaches knew I just wanted to run into people full speed and crush them. I always wanted to wrestle or throw boxing gloves on and swing wild. I was just always into tough physical sports. I loved getting in fights growing up. When I started training at 14, I knew that day that I was going to make a career as a professional fighter.
Michael Mazur: How significant was your brother’s influence on you? Did his example help you make this decision?
Dan Lauzon: No, realistically I was fighting before him.
Michael Mazur: What team/gym do you train at? Who are your training partners? How does your training regimen look like?
Dan Lauzon: I train at Lauzon MMA. My training partners consist of my brother, John Howard, Chuck O’Neil, John Clarke, and a bunch of guys with not much of a name but just tough guys that want to make a name for themselves so they’re constantly pushing the pace.
Michael Mazur: What are your future plans?
Dan Lauzon: I’m just taking it fight by fight right now. Staying focused and letting everything fall into place, my time to shine will come soon enough.
Michael Mazur: Do you know the date of your next fight? Maybe the name of your opponent?
Dan Lauzon: Not sure on a date. But it looks like I’ll be fighting Chris Horodecki at the next Affliction.
Michael Mazur: Any words of wisdom or advice for aspiring young athletes considering the move to professional MMA career?
Dan Lauzon: Stay focused, take your time, dont rush it.
Michael Mazur: Do you want to say anything to your fans or thank a sponsor?
Dan Lauzon: Thanks to Sacred Addition Tattoo, Deathwish Inc., Slayingangels.com, Boston Brawler, Sprawl, and all my training partners and coaches.
M-1Global.com writer Igor Karaev contributed to this interview.
