Veteran welterweight Lorenz Larkin will return to the cage for the first time in over a year at Bellator 258 next month. When he does so, he’ll be fighting at 185lbs.
On Tuesday, ESPN was first to report Larkin’s return date, in a fight with Costello van Steenis that is expected to be a big part of an already stacked card. Headlining the event, on May 7, is a bantamweight title fight between champ Juan Archuleta and Sergio Pettis. In the co-main event, Anthony Johnson will face Yoel Romero in the final quarterfinal bout of the light heavyweight grand prix. Michael “Venom” Page and Patricky Pitbull also feature on the card.
Larkin (22-7, 1NC) last competed in December 2019, earning a unanimous decision win over Keita Nakamura at the Bellator/RIZIN co-promoted show that was Bellator Japan (Bellator 237). That marked Larkin’s fourth straight victory inside Bellator’s 170lb division. Since a title fight loss to Douglas Lima in 2017, and a subsequent knockout at the hands of Paul Daley, Larkin has bounced back nicely — and a win next month could land him in an interesting spot in the middleweight division, should he choose to stick around.
Costello van Steenis (13-2), who trains alongside middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi, has just one loss in his Bellator career, to top contender John Salter. Last time out, he defeated a top prospect in Fabian Edwards, brother of UFC standout Leon.
