By the Numbers: Joe Lauzon vs. Jonathan Pearce

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After a 17-month layoff, Joe Lauzon will return to action on Oct. 18. The veteran of 26 Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts will face a debuting Jonathan Pearce. While “J-Lau” bowed to his last three opponents, Tennessee’s Pearce stopped his last four. Does he have what it takes to take out someone as experienced and crafty as the Massachusetts native? Ahead of their bout at UFC on ESPN 6, here are some numbers that define their respective careers.

Pro experience

Lauzon’s and Pearce’s respective professional debuts happened 10 years apart. The more experienced Lauzon is a respected veteran of 42 professional fights who has been a pro for 15 years now. He debuted on Feb. 21, 2004, at an event called Mass Destruction 15, of which he would later go on to be the lightweight champion. He also became the lightweight champion for Combat Zone and World Fighting League. Among the notables he faced before making his way to the UFC are Jorge Masvidal, Raphael Assuncao, Mike Brown and Ivan Menjivar.

Pearce debuted professionally on Nov. 8, 2014, at an event called Evolution Combat Sports Series 2. He went 3-3 before Bellator took notice and signed him up. With two stoppages, Pearce impressed during his time in Bellator and eventually made his way to Dana White’s Contender Series.

Octagon appearances

While Pearce will be making his promotional debut, Lauzon will be appearing in the Octagon for the 27th time. J-Lau shocked the world in his promotional debut, stopping former lightweight champion Jens Pulver in under a minute. His well-rounded skillset has afforded him 14 UFC wins and 15 post-fight bonuses. He’s also shared the cage with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Diego Sanchez, Takanori Gomi, Kenny Florian and Anthony Pettis.

Longest winning streak

Lauzon started his career promisingly, with eight consecutive victories before suffering his first loss to Jorge Masvidal. That long winning run stretched to a year, from Feb. 21, 2004, at MD 15 to Feb. 26, 2005, at MD 19. During that time, he fought exclusively in his home state of Massachusetts.

On the other end, Pearce is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, which is the longest in his career so far. It started in Bellator with a rear-naked choke finish of Damir Ferhatbegovic, which he has followed up with TKO wins over Omar Johnson, Nick Baker and Jacob Rosales.

Career losses

After 10 professional fights, Pearce tallied three defeats. He bowed to Peter Petties at Shogun Fights and to Quinten Culpepper and Lance Lawrence at Valor Fights. In contrast, Lauzon has been through a number of wars throughout his career. He has fought the best and recorded a total of 27 wins and 15 defeats. In the UFC, he has been defeated by Kenny Florian, Sam Stout, George Sotiropoulos, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller (twice), Michael Johnson, Al Iaquinta, Evan Dunham, Steven Ray, Clay Guida and Chris Gruetzemacher.