Lauzon was expected to face Terry Etim on August 4, 2012 at UFC on Fox 4. However, Etim was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Jamie Varner. In a back-and-forth fight that saw both men rocked, Lauzon secured the victory after locking in a triangle choke on Varner at 2:44 of the third round. His performance earned him the "Fight of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" honors and a "Fight of the Year" nomination at the World MMA Awards.