Age: 22
MMA Record: 13 – 3

At 22 years old, Joe may be one of the youngest competitors on The Ultimate Fighter 5 , but he boasts one of the more impressive resumes in the house given his defeat of Season 5 coach Jens Pulver at UFC 63 in 2006. This came only a few short months after Joe completed his degree in computer science at Wentworth College and took a job as a network administrator. 

Nicknamed “J-Lau” by his friends at East Bridgewater High School, he has balanced his MMA training with academics since he took up jiu-jitsu as a sixteen year old – a mandate from his parents who ensured education was the first priority for him and his younger brother Dan. Fortunately, his job has given him a leave of absence to pursue his dream in Las Vegas. Despite his victory over Pulver, Joe insists he still has much to learn, both from the coaches and his housemates. While in the house, he will miss his family, TV shows like Heroes and The Shield , and the sounds of Outkast, Linkin Park, and Incubus on his iPod. Most of all, this self professed tech nerd will miss an internet connection.