Former Bellator lightweight contender Marcin Held will have his second Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout this Sunday night (Jan. 15) inside the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. His opponent will be 38-fight veteran Joe Lauzon.
Held had a disappointing UFC debut against Diego Sanchez back in November. He kept searching for leg locks, but couldn’t get them and as a result, Sanchez remained in control on the ground. Held told MMAJunkie.com that he knows what went wrong in the fight:
“I was disappointed (with my UFC debut). I felt that I’m better than him but I lost it. I think it was my own wish. I (didn’t have) enough cardio because of the high altitude, but that’s only one reason. I think even with this problem I would have won if I fought differently. Take him down, stay on top, stay on the ground. I should have fought stand-up more. I should have done it different, but this time I’m not going to (make) this mistake again. It’s a good lesson for me.”
Held knows he’s in for a tough scrap with Lauzon. The 170-pounder is shooting for a finish.
“I think he will try to take me down, but if not I will fight standing. I know that I will try to finish him for sure. Every one of my fights, I try to do this – and I hope I will be able to do this. But I know he’s very good on the ground so it may be hard. I don’t know how the fight will go, but I believe and I hope I will win it.”
The main event of the upcoming UFC Fight Night card will feature a featherweight clash between the returning UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn and Yair Rodriguez. Held vs. Lauzon will be the co-main event.
