Lauzon On BKFC Future After Fenway Debut

Joe Lauzon has not decided whether his bare-knuckle boxing debut will be the start of something new or a one-off curiosity.

The former UFC lightweight makes his BKFC debut Saturday at Fenway Park in Boston against Braeden Kuykendall at BKFC 92. Lauzon, 42, last fought at UFC Austin in 2023, when a dislocated knee forced him to withdraw on fight day from a matchup with Donald Cerrone. Before that, his most recent cage appearance came at UFC Boston in 2019, where he stopped Jonathan Pearce in 93 seconds. Since then, he has coached and stayed mostly retired, waiting for something interesting enough to pull him back.

Lauzon Keeps Options Open After Saturday

Asked during the BKFC 92 press conference if he would fight again, Lauzon told reporters he never looks past the opponent in front of him. "Maybe I like it, maybe I don't," he said, per MMA Mania. "If they come back to Fenway and everything goes smoothly Saturday, 100 percent, I'm down to come back and do it again. But I might go, 'the hell with this, let's get out of here.' We'll see."

Lauzon built his UFC reputation on submissions, finishing 17 of his 28 career wins by tapout. This camp looked similar to his cage preparations, minus the grappling work. He told the outlet he always sparred with 16-ounce boxing gloves and rarely kicked, so the adjustment to bare-knuckle rules felt natural. Most of what he does in the clinch translates to BKFC, he said, adding that he will not look like a fish out of water.

Kuykendall enters 0-2 in BKFC but posted a 6-2 MMA record with all six wins by stoppage. BKFC 92 starts Saturday night at Fenway Park.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — BKFC 92’s Joe Lauzon unsure about bare-knuckle future — ‘Maybe I like it, maybe I don’t’