Ahead of Bellator debut, Lorenz Larkin says all pressure is on 'more predictable' champ Douglas Lima

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Welterweight Lorenz Larkin was not expecting to get an immediate title shot when, after months of negotiations, he picked Bellator as his new home.

But he was, of course, more than happy to say yes when it was offered to him.  Now, set to face welterweight champion Douglas Lima (28-6 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) at June 24’s “Bellator: NYC” pay-per-view event, Larkin (18-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) celebrates a moment that differs wildly from what he experienced not that long ago.

“I can’t even describe how validating it is,” Larkin told MMAjunkie. “Because it goes from you not feeling that you’re an asset like that, to a company saying ‘This is our biggest – they only threw one other pay-per-view, but this is the biggest pay-per-view they’ve done, at the biggest venue they’ve done. This is a monumental thing for Bellator.

“This is like the biggest thing in history for Bellator as far as my eyes go. So, it’s just crazy to think that they would want me for that event. It just shows what standard they have me at. I’m pumped, and I want to bring it that much harder, just to show that they made a good decision.”

Regarded as one of Bellator’s most relevant signings to date, Larkin will certainly will have a lot of eyeballs on him moving forward. But the way he sees it, the current champion is the one with the most to prove coming into Bellator’s mega Madison Square Garden debut.

“I feel like (Lima) has all the pressure on him, more than me,” Larkin said. “He has the belt, and he has to defend it against this new guy coming into his schoolyard. In that aspect, I don’t feel any pressure, I’ve just got to go in there and do what I always do and fight. There’s no big pressure on my back. I just got surprised with a title shot.”

Currently ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, Larkin makes his promotional debut on the heels of an impressive TKO over Neil Magny at last August’s UFC 202. Before that, he bounced back from a split call to Albert Tumenov with a decision win over Jorge Masvidal.

The No. 13 ranked Lima brings a pair of back-to-back wins of his own, including the Bellator 164 knockout over Andrey Koreshkov that had him taking back the 170-pound belt he’d already held.

Even throughout his UFC tenure, Larkin made sure to keep an eye on fellow welterweights of various promotions. The list includes, of course, Lima. And as someone who’s spent a long time among middleweights – not to mention a 205-pound stint – Larkin doesn’t seem particularly intimidated by his rangy opponent.

“I feel like (Lima’s) got an all-around good game,” Larkin said. “And his striking is pretty good, too. I feel like he’s going to have more of a problem dealing with me than I’m going to have a problem dealing with him. Because with him, he’s real traditional. There’s nothing I’ve seen that I was like, ‘Oh, where did that come from?’ And with me, I kind of don’t give a (expletive) sometimes, I’ll just try something just to try it.

“I know I’m a lot more unpredictable than he is. He’s more predictable. I’ve seen guys like him. He’s a big welterweight, but I fought big guys. I fought 205-ers, I fought heavyweights. That’s not a big disadvantage for me. I think he has a lot more to deal with on June 24 than I do.”

To hear more from Larkin, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 180 and “Bellator: NYC”, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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