TEMECULA, Calif. – If you wrote off Lorenz Larkin after he dropped his first two fights in Bellator, you did so too soon.
Larkin had a grueling, tight battle with former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov in the main event of Bellator 229 on Friday night, a back-and-forth battle which could have gone either way.
In the end, Larkin got the better end of two out of three 29-28 scores as he earned his third consecutive victory.
Business picked up fast in the opening round, as Larkin found himself on the wrong end of a spinning back kick which dropped him to the mat. While it looked like the end, Larkin somehow managed to keep his composure, work his way back to his feet, and get back into the bout.
The second round appeared close, right until Larkin found another level. Larkin ducked a spinning back elbows, landed a body kick, and dropped his foe with a nasty knee. Larkin poured it on relentlessly for the remainder of the round, bu Koreshkov lasted until the bell.
In the third, the pace slowed for a bit. Koreshkov landed a takedown, but Larkin, cinched in a guillotine. Koreshkov escaped the submission attempt and got into a dominant position, which he held for most of the rest of the fight, but wasn’t able to do anything with his advantage.
This bout was originally scheduled for March, but Larkin had to withdraw due to injury, and altogether had been out a year since his last fight. He’s 7-3 in his last 10 fights. Koreshkov has now dropped two of three and three of six.
Bellator 229 takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main event welterweight bout aired on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Andrey Koreshkov (22-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) vs. Lorenz Larkin (20-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA)
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 229 results:
- Lorenz Larkin def. Andrey Koreshkov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Goiti Yamauchi def. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) — R1, 1:40
- Keri Melendez def. Mandy Polk via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tony Johnson def. Joe Schilling via KO (punch) — Round 3, 2:07
- Salim Mukhidinov def. Adel Altamimi via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
- Anatoly Tokov def. Hracho Darpinyan via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 4:38
