No gentlemen's agreement when Lorenz Larkin fights Constantinos Philippou at UFN 40

Even if his opponent agreed to keep the bout where he excels, Lorenz Larkin isn’t going to make any promises about how he’s going to fight.

Larkin (14-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) is a muay Thai specialist and would stand to benefit from a kickboxing match with his next opponent, Constantinos Philippou (12-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC). But he welcomes the freedom to take the fight to the ground if he can’t win on his feet.

“My thing is, I never think that whoever I’m fighting is going to do one thing,” Larkin today told MMAjunkie Radio. “It’s not like we’re in a boxing match. I would think that if he had the opportunity to take me down or expose something, he would do it, because I know I would.”

Like Philippou, Larkin is trying to get back in the win column after a disappointment in his most recent UFC outing. The former Strikeforce fighter admits he wasn’t able to pull the trigger when he faced “The Ultimate Fighter 11? veteran Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 35. He said he needs to take the initiative this time around.

“I was just waiting too long to do something; I was waiting for him to mess up instead of taking advantage of it, instead of me making a shot,” Larkin said.

On the same card Larkin was outpointed, Philippou served as a headliner and was dominated by former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold. The 34-year-old faces three straight losses if he can’t come out ahead against Larkin at UFC Fight Night 40, which takes place Saturday at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. The fight co-headlines the FOX Sports 1-televised main card following prelims on FOX Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass.

Larkin said he’ll look to use the footwork and angles of a good kickboxer to thwart Phillipou’s aggressive brand of punch-heavy standup.

“[Philippou is] a powerhouse,” he said. “That’s one of the big things. He’s heavy-handed, and he definitely has knockout power, so those are a lot of things that we’re looking out for.”

Thus far in the UFC, Larkin hasn’t put many of his grappling skills on display. He was dominated on the mat in a fight against Francis Carmont, though many MMA observers thought he was robbed on the judges’ scorecards.

Larkin joked that if he does shoot for a takedown against Philippou, he would “love Carmont’s judges.” But whatever way he can win, he’ll take it.

“I’m coming to win the fight,” Larkin said. “If I’m getting out-struck or bested standing up, then I’m going to take him down and work my game that way. The whole plan of fighting is to win, not to have a peeing contest.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 40, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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