Budding UFC standout Efrain Escudero has had quite the run.

The Mexican born lightweight rode his impressive wrestling pedigree and ever-improving jiu-jitsu and stand up game to an undefeated Mixed Martial Arts record of 13-0 and a TUF 8 championship.

In January however, the 24-year-old wrestling All-American dropped his first professional loss, a submission defeat at the hands of fellow undefeated young gun, Evan Dunham.

In the following exclusive interview, Escudero talks about the loss and how he plans to bounce back, gives his thoughts on upcoming opponent and good friend Dan Lauzon, and has some choice words for training partner and WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson.

FiveKnuckles.com: You suffered your first career loss back in January via armbar against fellow undefeated up-and-comer Evan Dunham. First off, how's the arm?

Efrain Escudero: "Yeah, it was pretty bad. But I went in, did some rehab, and I'm back in the Octagon. It was kind of my tendons and a ligament that I had torn, but other than that I was good to go. For me, I knew I was better than Evan Dunham on the ground, and more than anything I was thinking in my head, 'I can't believe this guy is actually going to submit me.' When we were in that scramble and he got my arm I was thinking about getting that first loss and I really didn't want to get that first loss. It's more of a pride thing. If you are going to beat me, you really have to beat me. I'm not just going to give you an easy win.

FiveKnuckles.com: Being an undefeated fighter is such a rare thing in MMA. Even the greats like Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St. Pierre, and Anderson Silva have losses on their record. How have you been able to deal with your first professional loss?

Efrain Escudero: "What I've done already is put it on the side. The fight already happened and Dunham came in and beat me fair and square. I need to stick to my game plan and listen to my coaches. The game plan was to hurt him, take him down and beat him up a little bit, control the pace. Once I dropped him in the first round, my game plan went out the window, and all I wanted to do was knock him out which came back and hurt me in the end. I saw blood and bottom line didn't stick to my game plan. I don't taking nothing away from him in that loss. He was ready to fight and beat me. More than anything, I gained from that loss because it lit a fire under me and made me want to train even harder. I'm going to go in there and forget about my old fights, and know the past is the past.

FiveKnuckles.com: Alright, let's discuss the future. Your facing Dan Lauzon at UFC 114. What are your thoughts on the match up?

Efrain Escudero: "The guys in the gym are pushing me really hard and Danny better be ready to fight for 15 minutes. When we step into that Octagon, he better be ready to scrap. I don't think he's any danger to me, or has skills more superior, in any area, than mine. I know he is a well-talented guy, we've trained together, and are very good friends with each other, but it doesn't mean we're going to take it light on each other. If he's not well-prepared or well-trained, it's not...

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 114 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!