Joe Lauzon discusses career uncertainty after Donald Cerrone cancellation: “I don’t know if I will fight again”

UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon isn’t sure if he’ll fight in the Octagon again.

The bonus king hasn’t fought since 2019, a knockout win over Jonathan Pearce. Lauzon then decided to take a self-imposed layoff for a few years. Mainly due to the fact that he didn’t want to fight during the COVID-19 pandemic with no crowd.

Finally, after nearly three years, the fan-favorite was set to return against Donald Cerrone at UFC 274. The two made weight and were set to open the pay-per-view in a fight that guaranteed fireworks. Instead, fans were left disappointed once the show started.

‘Cowboy’ apparently had a bad case of food poisoning, and was forced to withdraw. The pullout was one that made Lauzon emotional, as he’d worked so hard for this moment, only to be taken away on fight day. On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the 37-year-old discussed how he’s not sure if he’ll actually compete again.

“I literally had two and a half years where I didn’t fight because I was worried the fight was going to be canceled last minute, and then my biggest fear came true. That’s the entire thing. I have so much anxiety going forward now. I don’t know [if I will fight again], I have no idea. How s*itty is it to go out like that?” (h/t MMAFighting)

Joe Lauzon continued, “I’ve kind of neglected [my gym] the last couple months, and that’s the other thing. The gym is the long-term thing that’s going to drive my life, my career. Am I going to go and neglect that for another three months, four months? Am I going to miss seven, eight months over there? I may need to prioritize that a little bit. So I don’t know. I’ve got a lot of questions. Too many questions. That’s why it would have been nice if the fight [had happened], regardless of how the fight went. Win or lose, I would have way more information on what’s going on. I just don’t know now.”

What do you think about Joe Lauzon’s comments?