Yahoo Sports UFC 202 Results: Lorenz Larkin Dismantles Neil Magny in Last Fight of UFC Deal
On the cusp of free agency, Lorenz Larkin put himself in a strong bargaining position with a win over Neil Magny at UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Larkin entered the UFC Fight Pass Prelims headliner on the last fight of his current UFC contract, having gone 3-1 in his four most recent fights. After his performance at the T-Mobile Arena, he upped that to 4-1… with an exclamation point.
Though Larkin was unranked and Magny was sitting in the Top 10 of the welterweight division coming into the fight, it was Larkin who was the superior fighter on Saturday.
Giving up a seven-and-a-half-inch reach advantage to Magny, Larkin quickly took the momentum in the fight, attacking Magny with devastating leg kicks and front kicks to the body that staggered Magny.
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Magny tried several times to find a takedown, but had no success. Larkin easily defended and forced Magny to stand, which was his no man’s land.
A couple minutes into the fight, Larkin had done so much damage to Magny’s left leg that he could hardly stand on it, frequently hopping backwards, trying not to put weight on it.
Out of sheer desperation, Magny shot again late in the first round, but Larkin wouldn’t go down. Instead, he unleashed some devastating elbows, forcing the referee to step in and put a stop to the punishment.
“A couple fights ago, my back was against the wall with (John) Howard. I started proving myself and see what happened,” Larkin said after the fight, noting his current 4-1 run, which followed a three-fight losing skid.
Prior to the fight, Larkin had talked about how he felt like the UFC hadn’t really given him much of a push, leaving many fans unaware of him. After defeating Magny in such impressive fashion, fans and pundits are likely to take notice, push or no push.
“I know a lot of you guys don’t know who I am, but I’m here. What’s up?” said Larkin.
Having finished out his current contract, dismantling the No. 7 ranked welterweight gives Larkin a sizable bargaining chip whether he decides to test free agency or simply negotiate a new deal to remain in the Octagon.
