Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout Planned For UFC 108

With the cards for UFC 106 and 107 still far from being completed, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is busy adding fights to events scheduled even further in the future.  According to a a report from MMA Mania, a lightweight clash between Joe Lauzon and Sam Stout will be added to UFC 108, currently rumored to take place on January 2nd in Las Vegas:

Joe Lauzon is set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon much sooner than expected when he collides with Sam Stout in a lightweight showdown planned for UFC 108 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, 2010.

Sources out of Las Vegas tell MMAmania.com that bout agreements have been distributed, but are unsigned at this time.

Lauzon (18-4, 5-1 UFC) is looking to expedite his recovery from a torn meniscus that required major surgery back in March of last year, after he submitted Jeremy Stephens in February at UFN 17.  The Massachusetts native was hoping to get on-board for a potential Boston-area UFC event in early 2010, but with that location taken out of consideration for the near future, "J-Lau" will instead fight on what will likely be a stacked end-of-the-year card in Las Vegas.  As one of the brightest prospects to come out of the talent-filled fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Lauzon saw his steady progress up the lightweight ladder momentarily derailed by a TKO loss to Kenny Florian in April '08, but subsequent stoppages of Stephens and Kyle Bradley have him right back on track, provided that his knee will be back to fighting shape by January.

Sam Stout (14-5-1, 3-4 UFC) has some of the most technical striking skills in the UFC lightweight division, mainly thanks to his long relationship with the much sought-after striking coach, Shawn Tompkins.  Despite his refined style, Stout has struggled to finish opponents while also dealing with a losing UFC record.  Most recently, the Canadian was the victim of an extremely last-minute fight cancellation, when his scheduled opponent for UFN 19, Phillipe Nover, suffered a seizure in the locker room just hours before the fight, forcing the bout to be called off.  Looking to build on an already grueling training camp for a fight that never materialized, Stout will now have to prepare for the very dangerous submission skills of Lauzon, who can also hold his own in the stand-up department.