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.”

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Bellator 193 lightweight Saad Awad was successful in his co-main event scrap against J.J. Amrbose Friday night. The bout went the distance at the card in Temecula, California. With the win, Awad has won three straight, improving his record to 22–9. Following the bout, Awad addressed the media, with Cageside Press in attendence, to discuss his performance, and what comes next.

Awad, who was icing his left hand backstage, said that “I like to have fun, in the gym I always have fun. When I fight, I take it real serious, usually.” In the cage Friday, having hurt his hand in the first round, he was forced back to that gym mentality. “I hurt my hand in the first round, so I said ‘you know, I’ve gotta be versatile, and do what I do in the gym and have fun’ and once I started having fun, things started flowing.”

That flow helped win him the fight, but Ambrose was too tough to put away. “I always go for the knockout” he said, and pointed out that his opponent was a veteran on the MMA circuit. “When I first started fighting, he already had a name.” With Ambrose being a wily veteran, “I knew if I didn’t put him away early, I knew he was going to come shoot, he was going to grapple, he was going to strike, he was going to kickbox, it was going to be a full MMA fight.”

That’s exactly what it turned out to be. Awad admitted that “I faded a little bit in the third,” adding “and I told myself I was going to cruise a little bit, just so I don’t get caught in anything stupid, because I was kind of fighting handicapped a little bit. I could have did better, I thought I was better prepared, but he brought it.” Of course, hurting the hand early, given his game plan was to “stand behind my jab,” didn’t help.

Awad was vocal before the fight about being overlooked, and not getting promoted. When it comes to who is next, “I’ve been a little bit vocal but at the end of the day, they’re going to give me who they want.” The fighter, who had the sold-out venue behind him Friday, is more interested in where. “Israel — I would love to go visit Palestine and fight out there.
I would love to go over there and fight, make some friends out there and show them that we can fight and still be friends after.” Awad, who is of Palestinian descent, has never had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land, and that’s something he’d like to change.

For more coverage of Bellator MMA, check here.

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Bellator 193 touched down in Temecula, CA on Friday night. Airing live on Paramount Network (previously Spike TV), the card was topped by a 180lb catchweight bout between ex-welterweight title challenger Lorenz Larkin, and the tough Fernando Gonzalez.

Larkin was looking to bounce back from a rough start to his Bellator MMA career. After winning his last two UFC bouts against Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal, Larkin had dropped a title shot to Douglas Lima, and was later finished by Paul Daley. Gonzalez, meanwhile, had won his last two — but again struggled to make weight, coming in just over 180lbs.

The pair got to work early in the main event Friday. Gonzalez went to the body with kicks; Larkin went to the thighs. A straight right by Larkin connected, and he continued to attack the legs. In the final minute of the first, the pair opened up. Fernando Gonzalez pressed forward, swinging. Larkin was briefly forced to retreat, but regrouped, and fired off a few strikes of his own.

Lorenz Larkin opened round two with a leg kick, and the pair circled, looking for an opening. Larkin went upstairs with a kick that was blocked; Gonzalez moved in, but Larkin escaped out of range. Larkin unleashed a few teep kicks throughout the bout, and added another just around the three minute mark. He got his jab firing, but Gonzalez answered back with a heavy punch of his own. The left hand was there for Fernando Gonzalez, but ‘The Menifee Maniac’ was hesitant to pull the trigger.

Gonzalez changed stances fluidly between southpaw and orthodox early in the third. Larkin seemed like he was looking to launch a jumping attack but pulled up. He was, however, slowly starting to pull away. A knee from Larkin connected, though Gonzalez would try to grab it. Larkin then landed a punch to the side of the head. He consistently managed to get around the defenses of his opponent. Another knee for Larkin landed, Gonzalez then went to the body, backing Larkin up. The back and forth battle heated up as they reached the final minute. Fighting right to the bell, Larkin hurt Gonzalez with a left, and a standing elbow followed by a barrage of punches to put a punctuation mark on the affair! In the end, it was Larkin with his hand raised, snapping a two-fight losing streak.

Lorenz Larkin def. Fernando Gonzalez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

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Bellator MMA returned to action Friday with Bellator 193, live from Temecula, CA. In the co-main event of the evening, Saad Awad took on J.J. Ambrose. Awad had felt the fight perhaps wasn’t pushed the way it should have been leading into the event, and planned on putting on a show.

Award opened with a leg kick, then another before letting his hands go. Within the first minute no fewer than four leg kicks had landed for Awad, with Ambrose looking pained from each and every one. Just prior to the halfway point of the round, Awad also got his left hook going. Ambrose had little in the way of an answer; Saad Awad more often than not wasn’t there the the counters came. Late in the round Ambrose would land a few left hands, and managed to take Awad to the ground late, but Awad was able to scramble free.

Ambrose’s leg looked reminiscent of Rory MacDonald’s a week earlier after the first round, though not quite to the same extent.

In the second, Awad worked in a little Stockton Slap early. He later took the back of Ambroke, and while he’d lose the position, he had his opponent in a head lock and transitioned to the back again. Awad was still in control by the midway mark, and though Ambrose was still standing, it wasn’t for long. Awad took him down and took the back, locking in the body triangle. With over two minutes remaining, he had plenty of time to work. Ambrose, however, proved to have adequate defense and escaped back to his feet. With Awad dragging him down once more, however, it was not a good round for Ambrose, who ate knees to the body along the fence as the clock wound down. A late standing guillotine and later D’arce attempt didn’t improve his fortunes much.

Saad Awad launched a high kick early in the third, while J.J. Ambrose shot for a takedown early and landed it. Awad, however, was able to power back up, but had to be aware of Ambrose’s front choke attempts. Along the fence, Ambrose was able to take the back, and peppered his opponent with some short punches. It was Awad, however, scoring a takedown next, and moving to side control. The late change in momentum made the frame a difficult one to score, and Awad finished the fight in top position. Going to the judges, however, it was unanimous.

Saad Awad def. J.J. Ambrose by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Bellator 193 touched down in Temecula, CA on Friday, airing live on the Paramount Network. The second fight in on the evening’s main card saw Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove taking on A.J. Matthews. Grove had spoken candidly about losing his father and other personal losses prior to the bout. However, a secondary story line of Grove and Matthews being friends and occasional training partners also made their middleweight bout one to keep an eye on.

Matthews looked to work his way inside early on the much taller A.J. Matthews. However it was Grove landing a significant strike first, catching Matthews on the side of the head, though a slip made it look worse than it was. Matthews landed a leg kick, then went to the body moments later with another kick. Matthews continued to chop at Grove’s lead leg, utilizing both inside and outside leg kicks that landed with a crack. Grove was going to need to start checking some of those, and was already showing damage to the leg. Then it was time for Grove to fire off some offense, grabbing a Muay Thai clinch and firing off a knee.

Matthews, however, got the better of his opponent in round one. He pressed the action, controlled the cage, landed the greater volume of strikes, and his leg kicks were extremely effective. Round two saw more of the same. Matthews continued to find his way inside, avoiding the jab and counters of Grove. He continued to work in kicks, though with slightly less volume than in the first. Another problem for Grove, he spent a large chunk of the round backpedaling, allowing Matthews to be the aggressor.

Round three opened with one big question: was Matthews up two rounds, or was it a round a piece? While Grove had retreated through much of round two, Matthews’ output had dropped. In the third, however, an early exchange saw Matthews hurt Grove. Kendall would later have an opportunity to attack off an A.J. Matthews kick, but couldn’t capitalize. In the end, it went to the scorecard, and Grove was simply on his heels too much. A.J. Matthews picked up the split decision victory.

A.J Matthews def. Kendall Grove by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

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Jake Smith was making his Bellator debut Friday night at Bellator 193 in Temecula, CA. Smith, who trains with Chael Sonnen, faced Steve Kozola Friday at lightweight to open the card at the Pechanga Resort and Casino. Kozola, who went 8-0 to start his career, entered the night off his first loss as a pro, having dropped a decision to Carrington Banks at Bellator 184.

Smith, for his part, came into Bellator 193 off a split decision win against Scotty Hao under the King of the Cage banner.

This one was over in the blink of an eye.

The newcomer Smith was backed up against the fence early in the bout, but answered back with his power! A hard overhand right connected clean on Steven Kozola, buckling his legs. Smith connected with another right, and launched a left, as Kozola was on his way down. He followed that initial volley with a number of hammer fists as referee Frank Trigg moved in for the save. As quickly as it had begun, it was over, and Jake Smith had his first win under the Bellator banner, in his promotional debut!

Jake Smith def. Steve Kozola by knockout, Round 1, 0:57

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Bellator MMA returns to action Friday night with Bellator 193: Larkin vs. Gonzalez. The card goes down at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA. In the main event, Lorenz Larkin, one of Bellator’s big free agent pickups, looks to snap the two-fight losing streak he’s run up since debuting in Bellator. Fernando Gonzalez, meanwhile, will look to score the upset with the cloud of another blown weight cutting hovering over him.

Prior to the main card kicking off at 9PM on the Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV), the preliminary bouts will stream live online. You can catch them here on Cageside Press, courtesy of Bellator MMA.

In preliminary action, the Fortune brothers will both look to build on 3-0 records, as Tyrell returns to to the Bellator cage for the fourth time, and Tyree makes his promotional debut.

The brothers spoke to the media ahead of their Bellator 193 appearances; you can check that out here.

The Bellator 193 prelims kick off at 7:55PM EST — check back for the live stream!

Bellator 193 — Larkin vs. Gonzalez Preliminary Card Results:

Tyrell Fortune def. Joe Hernandez by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Tyree Fortune def. Michael Quintero unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Tim Riscen vs. Mark Vorgeas
Ben Beebe vs. Everett Cummings
Mike Andaya vs. Julio Aguilera
Andrew Natividad vs. Justin Lawrence
DeMarcus Brown vs. Joshua Jones
Moses Murrietta vs. Chris Herrera

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Lorenz Larkin has had a rough start to his Bellator MMA career. On Friday, he’ll be hoping the third time’s the charm. After going 0-2 to start his tenure with the promotion, Larkin faces Fernando Gonzalez in the main event at Bellator 193. With both fighters from the area, it’s a fight right in Larkin’s back yard — or it would be, if Gonzalez didn’t live even closer to the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA.

Gonzalez, who missed weight once again for the 180lb catchweight main event, is on a 2-0 win streak heading into the fight. He’s a tough out for anyone, but Larkin has been in tough spots before. He spoke to Cageside Press ahead of tomorrow’s bout about his recent struggles, and Gonzalez accusing him of playing games at Thursday’s weigh-ins.

The accusation of game playing from his Bellator 193 opponent confused Larkin as much as everybody else. “That’s the thing with these fighters. I don’t understand… you can’t lead the people on a string. You’ve got to explain to these people what you mean” Larkin said. “Because nobody knows your innuendos. I don’t even know what the hell he’s talking about. I came, I’m here, I showed up, I made weight. I don’t what other games I can play. I don’t know. I don’t know just like you don’t know. That’s why I was sitting there like ‘please explain to everybody what the hell you mean.'”

The pair will settle it in the cage Friday, of course, and that’s Larkin’s chance to get things back on track. With so many people questioning his recent performances, he kept his message simple. “Just watch. Imma come and perform” he stated. “That’s all I gotta say. I’m gonna get back where I need to be, I’ve been in bad spots before, and this is no different.”

What is different, perhaps, is his next goal. While many would expect Larkin, still a big fish in Bellator’s welterweight division, to be looking to rebuild and go after new champ Rory MacDonald, Larkin has another target in mind: Paul Daley. Daley defeated him last year at Bellator 183 in September. ‘Da Monsoon’ wants to run it back, however, and says Daley offered him the chance.

“He gave me his word that we could run it back. I’m going to do the right thing to run it back” he said, noting that he just needs a win to get there. “I’m gonna deserve it. I’ll fight one time, get that W, and we can get that rematch. Like he said. If he’s a man of his word, I respect the hell of him.”

The only problem is, Daley is currently at odds with the promotion, and claimed this week that he’d requested for and been granted his release from the company. Bellator officials later denied Daley had been released, but the bottom line is, Daley is unhappy. Much of that stems from the difficulty booking him with Michael ‘Venom’ Page.

In the meantime, it’s Larkin’s show on Friday. After that, time will tell.

Bellator 193 takes place Friday, January 26 in Temecula, CA. The card airs free on the Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) starting at 9PM.

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It’s rare you see siblings in MMA, though it happens on occasion. Shogun and Ninja Rua. Alistair Overeem’s brother Valentijn is also a fighter, Sage Northcutt’s sister Colbey is just starting out her own career. Fedor Emelianenko’s troubled estranged brother Alexander, recently released from prison for rape, just resumed his MMA career. And of course there’s the Shamrock brothers, Frank and Ken, who are brothers by way of adoption.

What’s extremely rare, however, is MMA fighters who are twins. The Nogueira brothers are really the only set of twins in MMA to have hit the highest levels — but Tyree and Tyrell Fortune would no doubt like to change that. Both heavyweights, both with 3-0 records as professionals, and both very early in their MMA careers, the fraternal twins have the potential to be something special for Bellator.

It’s a curious path for siblings to take, and even more interesting is that they’ve been training separately (Tyree has opted to stay in the pair’s hometown of Portland, due to his girlfriend being there). Yet they’re reunited for Bellator 193 on Friday, another addition to the promotion’s deep crop of young talent.

Tyree will be facing Michael “The Brown Tiger” Quintero at the event. Tyrell, meanwhile, meets Joe Hernandez. It’s Tyrell’s fourth fight under the Bellator banner, while Tyree is making his promotional debut.

As kids, however, the pair had different opponents: each other. And they fought “A lot.”

“Since I can remember we was fighting each other” Tyree said as the pair faced the media on Wednesday ahead of Bellator 193. “We weren’t allowed to practice with each other growing up, wrestling, because it would turn into a fight.”

So who got the upper hand? “Come on, it wasn’t him” Tyree responded. “Me, every time” Tyrell quipped.

It doesn’t take long to realize that they have that banter twins often do, finishing each other’s sentences and ribbing each other. If the pair continue to find success in the cage, they could be future stars. Certainly, being twins will draw some curious onlookers.

“It’s nice to be able to have someone that you grew up with there every day” Tyrell said of the experience of sharing the card. Tyree added that “I wanted to go to all three of his first fights, but I didn’t have the finances, and I was training for my own fights coming up at the time.” Being on the same card, that’s not an issue here. And the nerves are at a minimum. “It’s a job, we’re here to do a job” Tyrell said.

As for Tyree, “I don’t break under pressure. I relish it.”

The pair have both wrestled under Chael Sonnen coming up. “We’ve been in the same wrestling club since we were in third grade, with Chael.” Tyree is also a training partner of Sonnen.

Check out the Fortune brothers facing the media above. The pair will appear on the preliminary card of Bellator 193, Friday in Temecula, California.

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Bellator 193’s Saad Awad said after his win at Bellator 186 that he was looking for respect. Awad, amidst a lengthy career in the promotion (along with appearances in KOTC and Strikeforce), has been a mainstay in Bellator the past several years. Yet once again at Bellator 193, he’s paired up with an opponent not exactly known to casual fans. This, despite being in the co-main event.

Awad spoke to the media Wednesday about his opponent, improving his game, and the keys to success — which he feels involves avoiding the scorecards.

“As long as I stay away from going to decisions, don’t get robbed by the judges, I think I’m good” the lightweight said. And he’d like to avoid the judges more frequently, if possible. ‘If it was up to me I’d fight five times a year.”

Awad’s opponent, J.J. Ambrose, is just 1-2 in Bellator, and hasn’t fought for the promotion in years. Aside from a single fight under the Affliction banner, he’s mostly appeared at regional shows. “He definitely wasn’t on my radar” Awad told the media Wednesday. “I knew who he was, we fought on the California circuit for a long time, he’s a local guy.”

“At the end of the day, they could bring up any random name,” he continued, “and I don’t really think about too many guys in the division. I’m just looking to fight, and whoever they give me, I don’t gotta really think about it. I never really think about the guy until I sign the contract.”

Having done that, “I’ve been training really hard, so I’m not afraid to throw as hard as I can for fifteen minutes” Awad promised. “Before, I was afraid to throw my power because I was afraid I was going to get tired. I’ve been putting in a lot of time with my strength and conditioning coach, so I can throw as hard as I want for fifteen minutes. And if I have to, it can be twenty-five minutes.”

When the question of respect was posed to him, something he brought up following his last fight at Bellator 186, Awad answered “have you seen them promote this fight yet?”

“That said, I am the co-main event,” he concluded, “and I’m going to make noise this fight. I’m going to go out there and be exiting. It’s one of those things, you’re not going to be able to look away.”

Saad Awad faces J.J. Ambrose at Bellator 193 on Friday in Temecula, California. The main card airs free on the Paramount Network starting at 9PM EST.

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