SAITAMA, Japan – Lorenz Larkin’s performance Saturday night may have been his best since joining the promotion in March 2017.
On the Bellator 237 main card, Larkin (22-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) put on a high-level striking clinic against fellow former UFC fighter Keita Nakamura (35-11-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). As a result of his efforts, Larkin walked away with an unanimous decision victory.
While Larkin won handily, he faced some controversy the morning prior to fight day. The California native missed the mark on the scales Friday, weighing in 173.5 pounds.
“The thing is, I did the same weight cut I always do,” Larkin told MMA Junkie, post-fight “I think I might have came in a little too heavy. It’s funny because I look at all the little comments and stuff on the internet. (I’ve) got 30-plus fights, and this isn’t including my amateur fights. I’ve never missed weight. Never came close to missing weight. Always have been on point.”
“This time, it is what it is. It happens. The first hour that I was in the tub, I dropped 3.4 (pounds). The next hour, it went from 3.4 to 0.4. So, that’s it. I’m not stupid when it comes to all of this. I listen to my body. … It’s not like I’m known for this.”
So what’s next for Larkin? The welterweight contender wouldn’t commit to a name and said he’s leaving his options open. However, there is one British fighter in particular Larkin refuses to rematch at this point in time.
“I don’t know,” Larkin said. “They always give me a name, but Leonardo – I’m not fighting his ass until he fights (Andrey) Koreshkov. And by Leonardo, I mean Paul Daley. (Expletive) Ninja Turtle looking – so, anyways. That’s what it is.
“Anybody else, we can set it up and I’ll talk to Scott. But for the turtle out there, you can’t fight me until you fight Koreshkov. Stop ducking.”
Bellator 237, the promotion’s debut in Japan, took place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out Larkin’s full Bellator 237 post-fight media scrum in the video above.
Bellator 237 winner Lorenz Larkin sends message to 'turtle' Paul Daley