Bridgewater’s Joe Lauzon jumped at chance to be on Saturday night’s Bare Knuckle Fighting card at Fenway – The Boston Globe
Lauzon had hoped for one more fight in the UFC and went through an extended camp in 2022, but his scheduled fight with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was canceled twice.
It’s been a long layoff, but the ring rust may not be as bad considering Lauzon has remained active as the owner and instructor for a pair of martial arts academies, Lauzon MMA, in Raynham and Canton.
His welterweight (165 pounds) clash with fellow MMA veteran Stash Kuykendall is listed as the featured matchup, just before the women’s bantamweight matchup between Christine Ferea and Sofia Landi, which serves as the penultimate fight of the night and the co-main event. The featherweight championship match between title-holder Kai Stewart and Haverhill native Harry Gigliotti is the ticket topper.
After appearing in 43 mixed martial arts contests, including the last 28 in the UFC, Lauzon will have to make a few adjustments as he moves over to the bare knuckle game. MMA fights are scheduled for three rounds at five minutes each (unless it’s the main event, which are five rounds). BKFC fights are scheduled for five two-minute rounds, and only punching is allowed.
“There’s a bigger chance of getting cut from a punch in this, but I’m not going to get kneed. I’m not going to get elbowed. I’m not going to get kicked,” said Lauzon. “I think there’s a lot more cuts in this, but I think a lot more broken hands. But if a broken hand is the worst thing, I don’t think that’s really the end of the world.”
Cuts are indeed more common in BKFC, where fighters are permitted to wrap and tape only their wrists, thumbs, and mid-hand. No gauze or tape can be within an inch of the knuckles. According to BKFC president and founder Dave Feldman, the organization has two plastic surgeons on staff, both of whom will be on hand Saturday night to handle cuts after each fight.
Lauzon believes combatants have to be a little more calculated fighting bare knuckle.
“If I have gloves on, I’m just biting on my mouthpiece and I’m swinging as hard as I can,” said Lauzon. “Here, you’ve got to be a little bit more precise with your punches. You’ve got to aim a little bit better. You’ve got to really ensure you don’t punch the top of someone’s head or punch an elbow or things like that.”
Peter Barrett, who works and trains with Lauzon, is also on the card and will face Elijah Harris. The Abington native already made the transition from the UFC, winning his first two fights while competing as a lightweight (155 pounds). He points to his conditioning, and his Muay Thai clinch that he developed in 15 years in MMA, as keys to success in those fights.
“You’re really effective with short, straight punches,” said Barrett, who turned 40 this month. “As long as you’re holding on and you’re striking, they’ll let you fight. If the striking slows down, they’ll break the clinch. But everything with my Muay Thai clinch is translating beautifully for bare knuckle boxing.”
Other New England fighters on the card include another former UFC competitor, Peabody native Charles Rosa; Rico DiSciullo, Somerville; Pat Casey, Springfield; Robinson Perez, Southbridge; James Murrin, South Boston; Jake Pilla, Billerica; and David Burke, Somersworth, N.H.
Doors open at 5 p.m., with the preliminary fights starting at 6. The main card begins at 7.
Tickets for BKFC 92 can be purchased at redsox.com/BKFC.
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.