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Terry Etim ready to fight Lauzon in his back garden

Terry Etim would love to fight Joe Lauzon © Getty Images

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England's Terry Etim is ready to make up for lost time in the UFC lightweight division, and that means earning a rescheduled battle with Joe Lauzon.

Etim has not fought in over a year since he was defeated by Edson Barboza in Rio de Janeiro. He was scheduled to meet Lauzon in August 2012 but a snapped shoulder - later compounded by a staph infection - sidelined the Brit for the entire year.

That August cancellation was the second time Etim has had to pull out of meetings with Lauzon, and he admits he would be questioning Lauzon's motives if the boot was on the other foot.

"If I was supposed to fight somebody, and they pulled out twice, I'd be thinking this guy doesn't want to fight me. But believe me, I'd fight him at the drop of a hat," Etim told ESPN.

At his best, Etim is one of the most electric fighters in the 155lb division, and if he overcomes Renee Forte at UFC London on February 16 he may get fast-tracked back among the sharks of the lightweight division. And that scenario is exactly what he wants.

"Both times I've been set to fight Joe Lauzon, I've had really serious injuries to stop me. I would love to fight Joe Lauzon.

"Why would I be scared of fighting Joe Lauzon? Don't get me wrong, he's a great fighter, but if the UFC are still thinking of that fight I would say, 'Please, let me fight him'.

"I'd fight him in my back garden. He's a very good fighter with a big heart, but he gets hurt. If that fight comes around again, I'd snap it up.

"But I'm not looking past Forte. He's part of the Nogueira team, which is a good camp that I respect, but I'll be 100 per cent and super, super fit for that fight."

For tickets to UFC London, book via Ticketmaster.co.uk

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