San Diego – He may not have been aware that his fight with Levan Chokheli was a title eliminator until after it was announced, but Bellator San Diego’s Lorenz Larkin is very aware he now has a title shot lined up.
Welterweight Larkin (27-8, 2NC) scored a knockout finish of the Georgian inside of a round at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Saturday, with Cageside Press and other media outlets in attendance. The 38-year old veteran, a former UFC and Strikeforce standout, has fought for gold before, landing in a title shot in his Bellator debut in 2017 after signing as a free agent.
Before he gets to his next shot at gold, however, he’ll have to come to terms on a new contract with the promotion, now owned by the PFL. Larkin fought out his current deal in Saturday’s win.
“I know eventually we’re going to sit down with Bellator and the PFL and talk business. Hopefully we come to some type of agreement,” Larkin said following the fight, noting that he plans to take a bit of time off, including some time on his boat. “I like the promotion, obviously, I’ve been here for years, and I feel like we have a good relationship. So this is just something that when it comes down to business, we just have to sit down and talk, talk it out, see and go from there.”
As for the success he’s found at age 38, when many fighters find themselves in decline, Larkin explained that “I look at it like, I’ve seen so many fighters that have done really, really good and as they’ve got older they’re just totally different, totally different fighters. And I’m just blessed to to be improving. Every fight, I’m improving. I’m getting older but I’m still fast out there, my reactions are still good and I’m still putting on great shows and great performances. I just feel good, man.”
Watch the full Bellator San Diego post-fight press scrum above.
