UFC FN 59: John Howard’s Excited to Face Lorenz Larkin, “I’ll Stand and Bang With Anyone”
By FCF Staff
John Howard is set to face Lorenz Larkin at UFC Fight Night 59 this weekend, and the welterweight is clearly excited to face another, well documented striker.
Howard (22-10) is coming off decision losses to Ryan LaFlare and Brian Ebersole, after scoring four straight victories, which included wins over stand-up artists in Uriah Hall and Siyar Bahadurzada.
While speaking to UFC.com recently about this Sunday’s fight with Larkin, Howard had this to say about the upcoming match-up.
“I’m excited because Lorenz doesn’t back off – he stands in the pocket and bangs and that’s the type of style I like,” Howard said. “When I fought Uriah Hall, everyone was asking if I was scared to trade with him and I was like, ‘No – I love the fact that he’s a striker and a heavy hitter.’ I traded with him and I won that trade off. No disrespect to Uriah Hall, but he’s the one that went for the first takedown. My whole strategy was no takedowns; if you think you’re a striker, let’s test it.
“If he thinks he’s going to trade with me and have a good night, I’m going to be right in the middle, throwing as hard as I can and we’ll see what happens,” he adds. “I’ve never been knocked out my whole career. He’s been knocked out and he has to know that trading with me, I’ll stand and bang with anyone.”
Larkin (14-4), meanwhile, is also in need of a win, as the former middleweight is coming off consecutive losses to Brad Tavares, Costas Philippou, and Derek Brunson.
UFC FN 59 will be hosted by Boston’s TD Garden Arena, and in the main event, Dennis Siver will face fellow featherweight contender, Conor McGregor.