Coming on the heels of a tremendous fight between Mike Swick and DaMarques Johnson, Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner still refused to relent in their quest for fight of the night. This bout simply delivered.
Working at a frenetic pace, both Varner and Lauzon connected with their share of big strikes and demonstrated effective offense on the ground. Lauzon, however, seemed to be better conditioned, and that gave him opportunities to deliver some significant offense.
Varner relied on his wrestling early in the third round, connecting successfully with two takedown attempts. But Lauzon refused to cede the fight to his opponent, and he successfully worked his way out of the precarious position. After the first takedown, Lauzon quickly returned to his feet, avoiding any significant damage.
After the second takedown, Lauzon quickly reversed the action to take top position. It appeared Varner was successful with his own reversal, but Lauzon slapped on a triangle choke that ultimately resulted in a submission.
Official Result: Joe Lauzon b. Jamie Varner via submission (triangle) at 2:43 of Round Three