Joe Lauzon is a 26-fight UFC veteran and ranked #3 all-time for Performance Bonuses. His brother Dany The Upgrade is a UFC, WSOF, and Affliction MMA vet, and the second-youngest fighter ever signed by the world’s dominant MMA league. Both are born fighters, raised in a small town on the south shore of Massachusetts. And long before glory in the UFC Octagon, and before the birth of social media, they fought for something far more important: family pride.

In this clip, which first surfaced in a highlight video of Joe’s early amateur and professional fights, the two brothers are seen fighting in Ouana gloves and Sprawl shorts – with headbutts – on the front lawn of a suburban home. In fact, with friends, coaches, teammates, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces cheering enthusiastically, the two had TWO short but eventful fights for the South Shore Pig Roast Fighting Championship of the world. In this newly released video, Joe talks about his most infamous fight:

15 years later, the Pig Roast fight video has been much discussed on the Underground, and periodically popped up across social media outlets. To finally get to the truth of what really happened, and why, I went to the source and talked to the man himself.

Chris: First off, why in the world are people so intrigued about this video twenty years later? Did it really take place at a pig roast?

Joe: My family did a pig roast for like 10 years in a row… and this was the first year. I think people love it for a few reasons. First, who doesn’t have a brother they have wanted to punch in the face at some point? We all have those moments… and fortunately for everyone else, my brother and I got to act it out for everyone and we filmed it. Second, there is always talk about what would happen if a UFC fighter got into a street fight and what would happen… so this gives a glimpse of that. 

Chris: The video obviously doesn’t show everything that led to this fight happening, how did it all happen?

Joe: My brother was getting mouthy to his friends so they threatened to get me to come over and keep him in line. He decided to challenge me to a fight. I said no at first, but then my dad came over and whispered kick his ass in my ear… and you just have to listen to your parents. 

Chris: It’s evident that some rules were in place like no biting or eye gouging, etc, I think. What was the actual ruleset?

Joe: I think it was Mass rules which meant Massachusetts Pro MMA rules. Basically the same rules as the UFC but no elbows. Punches, kicks, knees, etc were all good. 

Chris: Was the strategy all along to take the fight to the ground?

Joe: Dan has better boxing and stand up than me… so I definitely didn’t want to be on the feet longer than I had to. That being said, I had just fought the week before and I was in really good shape. I knew Dan was not in the same shape, so I really just wanted to push the pace and I knew he would tire and slow down pretty quickly. 

Chris: It appears you were pretty nonchalant about the outcome, but your brother not so much. Any truth to the rumor he got a rematch?

Joe: Before we started, I said we were only doing this one time. I know how it goes when someone loses and wants to go again. After I beat him the first time, he of course wanted to go again. I told him no, but then my dad came over and once again encouraged me to do it again. So I did. 

Chris: Feel free to tell the truth…or not. Who did you think your Mom was cheering for more?

Joe: Mom was definitely pulling for Danny. She’s always had a soft spot for him ***laughs***. 

Chris: Ok, last question. If I throw a pig roast in the near future, will you consider a rematch?

Joe: When you’re good at something, don’t do it for free. No chance!

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of one of my favorite viral fight clips in mixed martial arts history, I thought it only appropriate to roast a pig. Although I don’t own a commercial smoker needed to roast a full-size hog, my Traeger Timberline 1300 will get the job done on this smaller suckling pig. Plus, I’m not sure what I would do with hundreds of pounds of delectably palatable pulled pork in our current social distanced world.

I’ve only ever roasted a pig in a roasting La Caja roasting box given to me as a gift, so roasting it in a pellet grill was going to be a new experience. With my limited knowledge, but ability to google, I set off on my quarantine adventure.

Coincidentally, a friend’s Uncle owns a butcher shop so I knew exactly where to get a pig. Obtaining a fresh suckling pig requires a couple of days’ notice, so after measuring my grill width (an astounding 54), I placed an order for a 30 – 40lb pig, the biggest size I estimated I could fit fully intact into the Traeger. I could have gone bigger, but who wants a braggy Instagram pic of a roasted pig with no head and hind legs? 

Three short days later, I picked up my thirty-five pound suckling pig from the butcher. Luckily, she came in a big plastic bag, which made the preperation process fairly easy. I was able to toss her up on my bar, spread her out, coat her in mustard and cover her in Traeger’s Pork and Poultry rub. Since she was too big to fit in my fridge, into my 100 quart cooler she went overnight.

Here is where things got easy. 

The Traeger App for my iPhone let me create a custom cook schedule. So armed with the knowledge of the size of my pig and some instructions from the Traeger Kitchen, I set my pig to super smoke for the first ninety minutes, roasted low and slow for six hours (225 degrees), and then finally finished for two hours at a high temperature (350 degrees). Since the grill has a built-in meat probe, I knew it was done when the probe I’d put in the shoulder and hams both showed 200 degrees. There isn’t a consensus on the perfect temperature, but over 190 degrees is safe and after that I went with my gut. After a salivating eight hours spent productively smoking several cigars and drinking more Summer Shandys than I should have, my masterpiece was complete:

Recipe

1 35-40 lb. suckling pig

4 cups yellow mustard

2 cups Traeger Pork & Poultry Rub

Instructions

-Coat pig completely in yellow mustard. Generously coat pig in spice rub. For added flavor, mix mustard and spice rub together and inject under the skin and into the meat.

-Wrap pig in cling wrap and let rest overnight refrigerated.

-Place pig, belly down in your pellet grill.

-‘Super smoke’ pig for 90 minutes (if available) and then roast at 225 degrees for 5-6 hrs (or until the pig reaches 180 degrees in the shoulder and ham).

-Turn heat up to 325 degrees and roast an additional 2-3 hrs (or until pig reaches 200-205 degrees).

-Remove pig from grill (note from experience: BBQ gloves highly recommended) and let rest a half hour or cut immediately. Resting isn’t as necessary when slow cooking.

-Pull or roughly chop meat, adding more spice rub to finished meat.

-Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce (I have been partial to Lillie Q’s Gold right now), rolls (I love Kings Hawaiian rolls for pulled pork), and pickled onions and/or slaw. Other great options for sides are smoked mashed potatoes or a good mac and cheese.

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