Preview: Bellator 237 ‘Fedor vs. Rampage’

Welterweight

Lorenz Larkin (21-7) vs. Keita Nakamura (35-10-2)

With wins over Robbie Lawler, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal, Larkin was considered a prized free-agent acquisition when he joined Bellator. He suffered back-to-back defeats in his first two appearances in the promotion but has since pieced together a three-fight winning streak that includes a split decision over former welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov.

Larkin is a vaunted muay Thai practitioner who is light on his feet and easily bounces in and out of range to attack. Though he can be a bit of a slow starter, he can be lethal once he finds his comfort zone. The Millenia MMA product has quick, accurate hands, with his right hand being his best strike. He mixes in kicks with his punches well, and his low kicks and teeps are trusted weapons for him. Larkin has underrated power, as he has delivered 11 of his 21 victories by knockout or technical knockout, eight of them in the first round. “The Monsoon” does not threaten much with his grappling, and his defensive wrestling remains something of an Achilles heel. However, his footwork makes it difficult to trap him near the fence.

A 48-fight veteran, Nakamura is a southpaw who, like Larkin, has earned a reputation as a slow starter. He is a rudimentary striker who throws single strikes at a time, with his straight left being his best weapon in standup exchanges. He lacks power because he oftentimes fails to sit down on his punches, through he did manage to knock out Marcos Yoshio Souza just 75 seconds into his Rizin debut in October. The 35-year-old Nakamura’s strength has always been his grappling. He can get takedowns with his single-leg entries and by luring opponents into the clinch, where he hunts trips and judo throws. Nakamura is a serious submission threat, as evidenced by the fact that nearly half of his professional victories have resulted in tapouts.

In a true striker-versus-grappler showdown, both fighters have avenues to victory. Larkin appears to be coming into his own and has returned to form since he suffered consecutive defeats to Douglas Lima and Paul Daley. Look for “The Monsoon” to land on Nakamura across their 15-minute clash before earning a unanimous decision.

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