UFC Fight Night 35’s Lorenz Larkin on Brad Tavares: ‘Everybody has a button’

While Brad Tavares has yet to be knocked out in 12 professional MMA fights, his UFC Fight Night 35 opponent Lorenz Larkin feels he could put an end to that run.

“I feel confident in my striking and all the other parts of my game that I’ve been working on,” Larkin told MMAjunkie Radio. “I feel like Tavares has a good chin, but everybody has a button.”

Larkin (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Tavares (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) are both known for their striking abilities, which is why fans salivated when the Jan. 15 matchup from Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga., was announced.

The event airs live on FOX Sports 1 with preliminary card action expected to stream on the UFC’s soon-to-launch digital network.

While Tavares’ experience in the octagon is far greater than that of Larkin, the former Strikeforce standout isn’t concerned by any of that.

Larkin may lack cage time in the world’s premier MMA organization, but he makes up for it with three of his past four fights coming against opponent who are, or were at the time of the fight, ranked in the top 10 of a weight class.

That experience alone brings the fighter a strong level of self-belief.

“The more I fight, the more confident I get in the UFC,” Larkin said. “I’m starting to feel good. I’m starting to feel comfortable, starting to kind of come into my own.”

With comfort and confidence comes the ability for a fighter to perform at the highest level possible. Larkin feels that is what the Tavares matchup will bring out of him, and while he won’t outright predict a knockout win, he feels more than capable of being the first to stop the Hawaiian with strikes.

“I never come in trying to knock somebody out, I just let it happen if it happens,” Larkin said. “When you try to, it never happens. It’s just me chasing around somebody.”

Despite losing a controversial and debatable decision to Francis Carmont in his UFC debut earlier this year, Larkin still believes he’s one of the best 185-pound fighters in the world today.

He may still be very young in terms of age and experience, but like every fighter, “The Monsoon” has championship aspirations for the future, and all those aspirations lead through Tavares.

Larkin realizes that no matter the nature of a potential defeat, his record would show more UFC losses than victories, and that doesn’t sit well with the 27-year-old.

The Californian is in no rush to compete for UFC gold, but he’s certainly not underplaying the fact he eventually wants to wear the belt and believes anyone who doesn’t feel the same way is not being sincere.

“If anybody ever says [winning the belt] is not the goal, then they’re lying,” Larkin said. “Everyone wants to be in the UFC, then fight for the title and win the title, so that’s a goal, but I’m just taking it one fight at a time.”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 35, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured:Lorenz Larkin)