Woonsocket’s Lugo submits Taylor again
Undefeated flyweight earns win month before daughter undergoes surgery
LINCOLN — It took Woonsocket flyweight Jose Lugo 30 seconds of his rematch with Michael Taylor at CES MMA 50 Friday night to realize that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Lugo said going into the match that he was going to tweak the approach he used in his first-period victory over Taylor last November, but Lugo learned early in the fight that staying on his feet and trading punches with the taller, longer Taylor was a recipe for a drawn-out, three-period battle.
Taylor landed the first punch and dropped Lugo to the mat, but the 26-year-old grappler eventually took the match to the mat and exposed Taylor’s flaw – grappling. Lugo nearly ended the match in the first period with a series of elbows that eventually led to a rear-naked choke. After being saved by the bell in the first round, Taylor eventually submitted to a rear-naked choke just 1:31 into the second period at the Twin River Events Center.
“Once I got him against the cage, it felt like deja vu – he felt the same as the first time,” said Lugo, who pushed his professional record to 3-0. “He’s very long and he knows how to use his distance in the cage, so I knew I needed to close the distance to win the fight. I was really trying to get the TKO, but he kept turning around to his back. I wanted to teach him a lesson.
“Once he turned, it kind of clicked to grab the neck. Once you get the neck, there’s no way out.”
Friday’s victory marked the latest milestone in a physically and emotionally taxing time in “El Salvage’s” personal and professional life.
After a victory over Carlos Rodrigues Jr. in April, Lugo was scheduled to get into the octagon with undefeated New York prospect Joshua Ricci Friday night, but Ricci broke his foot and Lugo found out a week ago he would be facing Taylor at a catchweight of 130 pounds.
At the same time, Lugo’s 1-year-old daughter, Yializ, was battling an even tougher opponent. Just like her father, Yializ was born with a condition known as tracheomalacia. While most children are born with rigid tracheas, the Lugos were born with soft cartilage in their trachea, which can lead to suffocation.
Because Yializ, who will turn 2 in August, could stop breathing at any time, Lugo and his long-time girlfriend, Vivian Alicia, had to remain awake at all hours of the day.
“I just kept my mind on the task and I really wanted to win, man, especially knowing my daughter’s going into surgery soon,” Lugo said. “It’s very tough on us because we went a long time not sleeping and staying awake, just restless nights. We had to stay awake because at any time she could just stop breathing and we were sleeping and she would just die.”
While Lugo grew out of the condition as an infant, Yializ, is still dealing with the condition and will have throat surgery at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence on July 27.
Lugo, who was born in Fajardo on the east coast of Puerto Rico, said he plans on return- ing to the octagon – and the 125-pound flyweight division – in September or October after his daughter recovers from surgery.
“This is just life and I manage my time really well,” Lugo said. “I want to make every hour of my life, so I work a full-time job in construction with Lobisser & Ferreira – I would never leave those guys because they support my fighting and give me days off.”
If Ricci’s broken foot heals in time, he could be a potential opponent, but no matter who Lugo faces, he knows he still has work to do after solid victory over Taylor, who dropped to 1-2 after his latest defeat.
Taylor, who hails from Syracuse, N.Y., was smart enough to keep the bout off the mat for the first minute of the fight, as the 5-foot, 10-inch flyweight hit Lugo with a punch that brought him to his knees. Taylor immediately jumped on Lugo, but the Woonsocket grappler reversed Taylor before the two returned to their feet.
Lugo dominated the final three minutes of the period and alternated between elbows to the face and rear-naked chokes before the bell saved Taylor. Lugo immediately went for a takedown in the second period and quickly turned Taylor and forced a tap out just 1:31 into the period.
“I tried to use my long punches and level changes just to get in close enough to clinch with him,” Lugo said. “I knew once I clinched with him, he didn’t have the power to keep up with me.
Lugo added, “I need to spar a little more and go to different gyms and get different views on everything I do – the ground game, the striking. I just want to be more diverse and versatile.”