Lorenz Larkin got a particularly nasty monkey off his back Friday night, and now, he wants his rematch with Paul Daley.
After leaving the UFC last year, Lorenz Larkin was one of Bellator MMA’s big free agent signings. Along with names like Michael McDonald, Roy Nelson, Ryan Bader, and Valerie Letourneau, Larkin was expected to make a splash. Unlike his fellow UFC compatriots, however, Larkin struggled out of the gate. His career path became similar to that of Benson Henderson, unable to get on the right side of the win column in Bellator. An immediate title shot against Douglas Lima didn’t pan out, with a unanimous decision loss. Subsequent to that, Larkin was knocked out by Paul Daley.
At Bellator 193 on Friday, Larkin was in desperate need of a win. Against Fernando Gonzalez, he got not only a win, but a wildly entertaining one. Gonzalez’s durability and superhuman chin helped elevate the war the pair put on, with Larkin later joking his opponent had an Adamantium skeleton. Now back on track, Larkin (19–7 (1)) spoke to the media following Friday’s bout in Temecula, CA about getting things back on track, and the tragedy that struck his family prior to the fight.
He also commented on the jeers from fans following his big win. “I don’t think it’s ever happened. It was pretty funny” he said. Despite hailing from Riverside, just 45 minutes away, Fernando Gonzalez lives even closer to Temecula, and his fans were out in full force Friday. Larkin, however, isn’t bothered by any of it, and is happy to “just get back to where I need to be. And this is not saying that this is where I need to be, but this is the start of it.”
“That’s one thing about me, I fight through” he said of the hardships he has faced. “There’s a lot of people that quit, or either don’t take it as serious after losses like, you know that I’ve had, but I’ve always took them serious, and moved on, and kept training, and always come back better. It’s just one of those things where, I know what’s happened in the past, and just keep training. I take losses hard, but once I’m back in camp and back training, I forget about it and move on to the next one.”
The losses, in this case, were far more than his recent struggles in the cage. Larkin suffered through the murder of his nephew earlier this month. “My nephew died. I had to go to his wake” he said of what was effecting him leading into the bout. “He was on my banner. He passed away from a shooting” he told the media, adding “He was a big part of this fight. It’s a tragic thing, but it’s life.”
“I know my sister’s going through it. He’s in all of our hearts. A big part of this fight was for him” Larkin said of Patrick, who was just 22 years old when his life was cut short. The good news is, arrests have been made in the case.
Back in the MMA world, what’s next for Lorenz Larkin? “It’s on and up from here, and keep showing Bellator why they picked me.”
As for an opponent, Larkin has been adamant about a rematch with Paul Daley. No other name will do. Despite Daley asking for his release from Bellator earlier this week, Larkin is sticking to his guns. If Daley’s release becomes official, he’ll consider another opponent, but “until then, no Plan B.”
