Lorenz Larkin Finds Freedom in Fighting

Entering the final fight on his Bellator MMA contract, Lorenz Larkin faces an opponent who seems to suit him perfectly.

The 38-year-old Californian will return to the cage after a one-off appearance in the Professional Fighters League when he takes on Levan Chokheli in a Bellator Champions Series 4 welterweight title eliminator on Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. As he grows with age and continues to improve his skills, Larkin admits he got into the sport because of the authenticity involved with being a martial artist—an authenticity he believes MMA now lacks in a lot of ways.

“I feel like a lot of people get into this sport because they think it’s cool and it’s flashy,” he told Sherdog.com. “I didn’t look at it that way. I look at it as this is my release. This is the only time I get to go full bore and fight. I can’t do it in training. No matter how hard the training is, I’m not going to get that feeling until I’m locked in a cage and I literally try to inflict as much pain into this person [as possible]. That’s why I got into it, but nowadays, people get into it for the glitz, the fame and stuff like that.”

Larkin credits his focus on conditioning and health for much of the success he has enjoyed. He also works hard to approach training with common sense and humility.

“For me, I’ve always been natural. That’s first and foremost,” Larkin said. “I’ve always just trained smart. There’s never an ego behind my training. If my body doesn’t feel up for it, there’s no point in training. It’s just going to lead to injuries that take a long time to come back from. I think a lot of fighters are hard-headed when it comes to that stuff. Just training smart, taking care of myself and being natural has played a big effect.”

In Chokheli, Larkin faces a 27-year-old on the rise. The Georgian has rattled off three straight wins, highlighted by a front kick knockout of Sabah Homasi at Bellator 299 almost a year ago.

“He’s a tough opponent,” Larkin said. “He cracks hard, and he comes to fight. He’s a young dude, and he’s going to bring it. These are the fights I want. Don’t be trying to match me up with the old-timers. It’s like, ‘What am I doing it for?’ I’m always about I want the young one coming up. He’s going to get there anyways, especially if he’s good. I might as well get him now.”

Larkin expects it to be business as usual once the cage door closes.

“Like every other time, if I’m there, I’m going to come in there ready,” he said. “I’m going to put on a great fight. It’s going to be a great fight. I hope it’s a great fight. I hope he’s had a great camp and he’s going to come out 110% because I’m feeling great.”