Previously rumored to take place on Super Bowl weekend, Pettis and Lauzon will fight each other at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan at UFC 144.
Dana White confirmed on Tuesday that Lauzon and Pettis will square off in the middle of the octagon in Japan. White stated, “Verbal agreements are in for a match between two of the most exciting lightweights in the sport as Joe ‘J-Lau’ Lauzon will face Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis February 26th in Saitama, Japan”. The news was announced on MMAFighting, and was later confirmed by UFC.com.
Both men are coming off impressive victories at UFC 136 where Joe Lauzon submitted Melvin Guillard in under a minute, and Anthony Pettis defeated Jeremy Stephens by a close decision. Following the event, Lauzon called out Anthony Pettis on his Twitter.
@JoeLauzon: “GSP vs Nick Diaz Super Bowl Weekend. @DanaWhite, just [so] you know… @ShowtimePettis and I will step up and co-main”
Even though it’s not going to be the co-main event on Super Bowl weekend, a bout in the Saitama Super Arena isn’t too shabby. Also on the card will be Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields and Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson for the UFC Lightweight Title.
