Joe Lauzon put on a brilliant showing Saturday night in front of his hometown fans in Boston, absolutely destroying Gabe Ruediger and winning by first-round submission at UFC 118.

"I'm so glad I could fight here in Boston," Lauzon said afterward. "This is a dream come true."

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Lauzon landed a nice right hand early in the fight and then a beautiful takedown to get Ruediger on his back, and from there he just went to town on Ruediger, landing punches and elbows on the ground, taking Ruediger's back, and finally winning the fight with an arm bar at the 2:01 mark of the first round.

Lauzon improved to 19-5, and won what was probably his best performance inside the Octagon. Lauzon, who missed most of 2009 with a knee injury and lost his only previous fight in 2010, is finally back in the W column for the first time in a year and a half. Ruediger, a former Ultimate Fighter washout, falls to 17-6 and probably won't be back in the UFC.