Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC Phoenix Results: Joe Lauzon Wins Baffling Decision Over Held

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:54 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tony Fagnano/FanSided via Cage Pages

Joe Lauzon took home a very controversial decision over Marcin Held at UFC Phoenix, one that even Lauzon himself did not agree with.

Joe Lauzon is coming off a Fight of the Night back at UFC Vancouver. A loss to Jim Miller in a rematch of their Fight of the Year candidate in 2012 and a controversial one at that. Lauzon is no stranger to performance bonuses having cashed 14 in his UFC career. Making a name for himself on arguably the best season of The Ultimate Fighter: Season Five, he never fails to put on a show.

Marcin Held, a former Bellator standout, lost in his debut versus Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 Finale. He now faces his second tough test in another UFC veteran. Held’s nickname is fitting for this fight card as he goes by “The Polish Prodigy.” He started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at just 9 years old and had his first MMA fight at 16. he earned his black belt at 21. Now 24, he came into this fight looking for another UFC win.

Both men sizing each other up in the first. Held shoots for a takedown up against the fence and Lauzon punishes him with heavy elbows dropping him. It looked like Held was in serious trouble but he recovers. Lauzon gets him in a body lock that Held quickly reverses and then trips Lauzon and lands up on top of him. Lauzon uses the fence to flip over and get back to his feet.

Held lands a heavy knee from the clinch they break and come back to the center of the Octagon. Lauzon clinches and is reversed again. Held whiffs on a spinning elbow, falls on his butt, and the bell rings as Lauzon pounces on him.

Held goes for a wild spinning kick at the beginning of the second round but this time is not punished. He takes Lauzon down with another double leg. Lauzon gives up his back to try to stand up does which he does successfully. Held shoots for the double leg and lands it while Lauzon tries to counter with a guillotine. Lauzon gets a hold of an arm and has the submission specialist in a tight spot for a second there working on an armbar. Held escapes and the round ends with him in top control.

The third opens with some rare stand-up but as soon as Lauzon connects with a right Held clinches and drags Lauzon to the mat. Happy with scoring the takedown he lets Lauzon back up and is immediately punished with a hard right. Lauzon briefly takes Held down with a bodylock. Lauzon pressures forward, lands a right and held counters with yet another double leg takedown the fight ends with held sitting on Lauzon’s face.

In the end, the takedowns should have given Held his first win even though Lauzon out struck him. You never know when you leave it up to the judges though and the scorecards read a split decision victory for Lauzon. Joe Lauzon disagrees with the decision that he won! Saying he felt he was robbed in his last fight and says this fight was 100-percent Held’s not his. That might be a first in the UFC a fighter denying he won and crediting his opponent. Lauzon is nothing but class.