Lorenz Larkin on Calling Out Fighters: “It’s Just Not Me”

Lorenz Larkin spoke with MMAjunkie about his win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night 88. Some highlights are below:

On the eye poke in the fight: “He kicked my leg out. He was coming in, and I just went like this, thinking ‘Maybe if I can get a hand on him.’ But unfortunately I got him in the eye. Even in the fights, my hands are pretty relaxed, but I always close them when I’m striking. It just sucked. That’s why I kept apologizing, even in the fight. Once he looked over, and I was like, ‘Dude, my bad.’ And once I was touching gloves, and I was like, ‘Dude, my bad, dude.’”

On winning at welterweight: “At the previous weight classes, when we weighed in everything was great. I felt that me and my opponent were pretty much the same size. But then the day of the fight, the guys would pack on a lot. And I wasn’t packing on a lot. At this weight class, I feel like I’m either average or the big guy. It feels good. I felt great coming into this camp. I just started doing strength and conditioning, and it paid off.”

On not calling people out : “I understand the game, and I understand that calling out can get you big fights. But at the end of the day, I’m me. And I’ve never changed for anybody. It’s hard to watch when I see some fighters that aren’t used to doing it talk mess and try to pump up a fight. I’m just like, ‘I get what you’re trying to do, but it’s bad.’ I get it. It’s just not me. I’m just the guy who gets the name, shows up and fights.”