UFC 114 Preview: The Prelims

Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

A proper training camp free from distractions and focused entirely on the task at hand is an absolute necessity in modern MMA. That’s what makes the implosion of Lauzon’s training camp such a blow to his chances against Escudero.

The story goes that Lauzon’s trainers walked out on him because of his alleged lack of commitment to training like a professional. Regardless of the veracity of that claim, the fact remains that Lauzon’s two primary trainers as well as his own brother, fellow UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon, have publicly cut ties with him.

Setting aside the daytime soap opera vibe of this fight, it’s not like anyone was lining up to put the mortgage payment on Lauzon. Stylistically this is just a bad matchup for him, as he tends to run into trouble when he can’t score takedowns and starts relying on his technically deficient boxing. While neither fighter is a particularly astute wrestler, Escudero has quick feet and a solid base, which combined with his brute physicality far outweigh Lauzon’s telegraphed leg attacks.

The real difference in ability comes into play on the feet, though, where Lauzon attacks in a very rehearsed, predictable fashion because of his over-reliance on the overhand left. A cursory glance at Escudero’s striking suggests a similar approach, but he actually changes levels with his attacks and uses head movement to stay elusive in spite of his stalking style. Having the ability to stay accurate with power punches while constantly moving forward is an underrated facet of Escudero’s game and one that Lauzon is poorly equipped to handle.

Pulling guard may be a viable escape route, but Lauzon often makes the mistake of trying to play an open guard without an actual plan of attack. Staying aggressive with submission attempts is one thing, but more often than not Lauzon ends up handing his opponents easy guard-passing opportunities before he can even frame up a hold. While Escudero isn’t a top-flight guard-passer, he won’t let those chances pass him by, and once he gets past guard his grappling skills take on a whole new life.

Inside the guard Escudero plays it conservative. Give him something as simple as half-guard and suddenly he’s advancing position like he spent his entire training camp watching Mario Sperry DVDs. In these situations Lauzon is prone to initiating scrambles, which only further plays to Escudero’s strengths, as he’s the more fluid grappler of the two. Getting into scrambles worthy of UWFi did get Escudero tapped out against Evan Dunham, but Lauzon doesn’t have the same awareness on the mat as Dunham nor does he have the wrestling skill that allowed Dunham to secure a dominant position in the first place.

That fact will haunt Lauzon for however long this fight lasts, as Escudero has shown an innate ability to perceive and capitalize on any advantages he has on the feet. In his fight with Cole Miller, Escudero even balked at Miller’s attempts to pull guard because he knew he had the advantage standing. The same holds true here, and the result won’t be any different.