Credit: Boston Globe

UFC pioneer Joe Lauzon’s former promotion attempted to persuade him not to make his triumphant return to fighting last weekend in Boston.

After seven years away from combat sports, UFC legend Joe Lauzon returned to fighting last weekend at Bare Knuckle FC’s first outdoor event at Fenway Park in Boston. Lauzon, a native Massachusettsan, knocked out Stash Kuykendall in the second round in front of a raucous crowd.

Lauzon’s triumphant BKFC debut came several years after multiple failed attempts to book his UFC finale against UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone. The two were last booked to square off at a June 2022 UFC Fight Night event before Lauzon was forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury after the official weigh-in.

Four years after the bizarre withdrawal, the 42-year-old Lauzon treated fans to another highlight-reel finish in Boston at the historic event. But just hours before he was scheduled to walk to the ring, UFC matchmaker Hunter Campbell attempted to talk Lauzon out of fighting.

Joe Lauzon says Hunter Campbell tried to persuade him not to fight at BKFC Boston

In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Lauzon revealed details surrounding pre-BKFC Boston dialogue with the UFC.

“Hunter [Campbell] called me and said, ‘Why are you doing this? This is the stupidest thing ever. You shouldn’t be doing this’,” Lauzon said.

“‘If it’s a money thing, we’ll help you out. We’ll put you on grappling [cards]; we’ll do something with you. Don’t want to see you taking punches because you need money. We want to look out for you’… It was an outdoor show and so many variables that could’ve not worked at all, but I wanted to do it and try to make a go of it. I was terrified there was going to be lightning, all of that when I was training for three months, especially when the [Donald Cerrone] didn’t happen twice.

“Talked to Hunter, hopped on the phone with him, and he said, ‘If this is what you want to do – I’m not telling you that you can’t do this. We’ll release you, whatever you want’,” Lauzon continued. “I still get the drug testing texts every once in a while, but haven’t been getting tested, and I don’t mind it.”

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