Lorenz Larkin's other foe at UFC on FOX 7? Lack of sleep

When he steps into the cage, Lorenz Larkin isn’t just fighting the butterflies of competing in front of people, or to ignore the bumps and bruises of a long fight camp.

He’s fighting a serious lack of sleep.

“I’m all jacked up on fight day,” Larkin (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

The deprivation starts the day of weigh-ins for the 26-year-old fighter, who on Saturday makes his octagon debut against Francis Carmont (20-7 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC on FOX 7.

“I don’t go to sleep until about 4 o’clock in the morning, and wake up about 8 or 9,” Larkin said.

His fight serves on the FX-televised preliminary card of the event, which takes place at San Jose, Calif.’s HP Pavilion.

Larkin’s habits haven’t gone unnoticed. In his January 2012 debut for the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion, he said commentator Pat Miletich spotted him in a hotel lobby at 3 in the morning and immediately approached.

“He was like, ‘Dude, what the hell are you doing?’” Larkin recalled. “‘Go get some sleep. This is your debut, man.’ I was like, ‘No, this is what I do.’”

By the results of the fight, you might say Miletich was right. Larkin lost badly to former ex-champ Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the second round, though the result was later changed to a no-contest when Lawal tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone (Lawal denied using banned substances).

But six months later, Larkin rebounded in a big way with a decision win over respected veteran and current UFC welterweight Robbie Lawler.

So for the man nicknamed “The Monsoon,” sleep might not be the performance-enhancer it is for others.

“By the time fight time comes, I’m so ready,” Larkin said. “I’m one of those late-night owls.”

Now 13-0, he hopes to keep his undefeated record intact against the heavily hyped Carmont, who’s won four straight in the octagon with two finishes.

A team member of welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, Carmont not only has shown off crisp striking, but also a solid wrestling game to hold down opponents. That could be dangerous for Larkin, who favors the striking game.

But the UFC newcomer is confident that he can defend Carmont’s ground attack, bleary-eyed or not.

“On my off-time, that’s what I’m working on,” Larkin said. “I don’t just spend my whole camp punching mitts all day. I’d be stupid to think this is just going to be a striking match. I’m ready to be Carlos Condit, working every position.”

For more on UFC on FOX 7, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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