Bellator 280: Lorenz Larkin Doesn’t Understand Why He’s a Ranked Middleweight

Most fighters are thrilled to have a number next to their name. For Bellator 280’s Lorenz Larkin, he not only doesn’t care about rankings, he questions why he’s even ranked in Bellator’s middleweight division in the first place.

“I’m not motivated at all about the rankings. I don’t care to go up or down in the rankings, to me they’re not official in the slightest bit,” Larkin told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s Bellator 280 media day.

Later, he would question how he landed at the number six spot in Bellator’s 185 pound weight class.

“My thing is just being active. As far as the rankings and how I feel about them, it’s just, it doesn’t make sense,” Larkin exclaimed. “I fought one time at middleweight. What am I ranked, five, or six, or seven? Six. How did I pass up the other four guys? Those four guys should be pissed the f*ck off. Because I only fought one guy, and I fought a guy who Bellator released. So he wasn’t even in the rankings at the time, so how did I even become in the rankings to begin with?”

Larkin may be selling himself short. Whether it be at welterweight or middleweight, he’s won five straight fights headed into Bellator 280 in Paris, France this Friday. There, Larkin is up against Kyle Stewart, a fellow UFC veteran, albeit one with just a couple of fights in their shared former home.

In a sense, it’s one of those high risk, low reward reward fights. Stewart is stepping in on short notice. But it’s nothing new to Larkin.

“I think I’ve had either four or three opponent changes on my last fight and this fight,” said Larkin. “It is dangerous for me, but it’s like, if I can’t fight somebody and I’ve been in camp and I’ve had a good camp, if I can’t fight somebody who is just a last minute replacement or just a change-up of opponent, what the f*ck am I doing here?”

“I’m a world class fighter, I’ve fought the best. As long as I’m in shape and my training is going good, why couldn’t I fight anybody, as a last minute replacement?”

Lorenz Larkin faces Kyle Stewart at Bellator 280 in Paris, France this Friday, May 6, 2022. Check out Larkin’s full media day appearance above. More coverage can be found below.