Being the new guy isn’t always the most comfortable situation. You roll into a new job, a new school or maybe even a new bar and all eyes are immediately cast upon you.
The folks that have been there for a while size you up. They want to know what you’re all about. In some extreme cases, they may even decide to physically test you in some way to see if you truly belong.
That’s the situation Lorenz Larkin finds himself in heading into Saturday night.
Larkin’s been in the fight game since 2009 and has compiled a record of 13-0-0-1. He’ll make his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 7, facing the surging Tristar MMA fighter Francis Carmont.
Larkin’s been on the shelf since his last bout took place in July 2012. Larkin beat the odds in that one, defeating veteran competitor Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision in a three-round battle. Larkin looked very impressive in that bout, forcing Lawler to fight on his terms. The win was supposed to earn Larkin a shot at Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, and it did.
Sort of.
Larkin and Rockhold were scheduled to meet on two separate occasions, but each time Rockhold was forced to withdraw due to injury, a fact that did not sit well with Larkin.
With that debacle behind him, Larkin moves from a title shot on Strikeforce to a preliminary card bout in the UFC. Hear what Larkin has to say as he makes his move to the big stage.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com