Larkin (14-3, 1 NC) scored his biggest victory in Strikeforce in 2012, when he defeated Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision. His UFC tenure, however, has featured more downs than ups, with three losses in his past four fights, including two in a row and a knockout loss to Costas Philippou in his last fight.
Brunson (11-3) is a fellow Strikeforce vet. The Wilmington, NC native is 2-1 in the UFC, but is coming off a third-round TKO loss to Yoel Romero in his last fight, which earned Fight of the Night honors on the Jan. 14 UFC Fight Night card.
This was one of two bouts announced Monday for UFC 176, which will be headlined by the Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes featherweight title rematch. The company tweeted that Walmir Lazaro (12-2) will meet James Vick (5-0) in a lightweight fight.
A middleweight fight with SoCal ties has been added to the UFC’s return to Los Angeles.
Larkin (14-3, 1 NC) scored his biggest victory in Strikeforce in 2012, when he defeated Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision. His UFC tenure, however, has featured more downs than ups, with three losses in his past four fights, including two in a row and a knockout loss to Costas Philippou in his last fight.
Brunson (11-3) is a fellow Strikeforce vet. The Wilmington, NC native is 2-1 in the UFC, but is coming off a third-round TKO loss to Yoel Romero in his last fight, which earned Fight of the Night honors on the Jan. 14 UFC Fight Night card.
This was one of two bouts announced Monday for UFC 176, which will be headlined by the Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes featherweight title rematch. The company tweeted that Walmir Lazaro (12-2) will meet James Vick (5-0) in a lightweight fight.
