Mixed martial arts is a sport in which two men enter a locked arena, and fight until one man naps, taps, or snaps. Or wins or loses a decision, but that doesn’t rhyme.
Naturally fans can be remarkably intense. Some fighters play the heel, and generate intense negative reactions. Chael Sonnen riled up a nation to point there were reportedly death threats.
Other fans, like UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon have earned universal respect. That respect deepens when you get to his home state of Massachusetts. When you get to the South Shore it is honed to something like adoration.
But when you know Joe, when you train with him, the intensity of fandom can defy gravity.
At UFC 136, Lauzon faced Melvin Guillard. “The Young Assassin” had torn through the UFC lightweight division, winning five fights in a row in under 18 months.
Guillard was a -355 favorite – to win $100 on Guillard, you had to risk.
And then Joe Lauzon destroyed Melvin Guillard in 47 seconds of the first round. And his friends back home went super nova.
Don’t miss the guy at lower right, too 😉
Joe Lauzon is an 18-time UFC veteran and leads the UFC for all-time Performance Bonus awards. He has been awarded Submission of the Night six times, Fight of the Night six times, and although he know as a grappling expert, he rounds out the world-leading awards with a lucky 13 Knockout of the Night. His fight with Jim Miller was the 2012 Fight of the Year with Jim Miller.
Joe also has a bachelors degree in Computer Science, eats like a fat kid, and makes little kids cry playing Call of Duty on the Xbox One.
