UFC Fight Pass may be considered the "future" of the UFC, but welterweight Lorenz Larkin doesn't want it anywhere near his immediate future.
Recently interviewed by the Three Amigos Podcast in advance of his bout with Neil Magny at UFC 202, Lorenz Larkin did not hold back his anger or frustration about his bout getting moved to the UFC Fight Pass portion of the card. Larkin described the move as "the stupidest thing I've seen in a while" and said he did not understand the decision.
"I get that from a business aspect, they want to sell more subscriptions, but as a fighter, it makes no sense to put that type of fight on the early prelims," said Larkin.
Larkin criticized the placement of not only his bout, but also that of Cub Swanson, who fought on the Fight Pass portion of the card on last weekend's UFC Fight Night event. Swanson currently is the fifth ranked featherweight contender on the latest set of UFC rankings. Magny, Larkin's opponent, currently is the No. 7 ranked welterweight.
"This fight, Cub Swanson's fight, those are main card material," Larkin said. "Come on, these aren't Fight Pass fights.
"I do understand they're trying to sell subscriptions, but from a fighter's point of view, I have to wonder what it does for me. How does this benefit me?," Larkin asked. "This card is potentially going to be the biggest card of the year. It's probably going to beat UFC 200, but that exposure won't really be there for me. My fight will be over early and I'll be in the stands waiting on everybody else to get in the building."
Larkin (17-5-1 NC) has won three of his four most recent bouts, bouncing back nicely after getting off to a 1-4 start inside the Octagon after coming over to the UFC following the closure abd subsequent sale of Strikeforce.
Larkin has gone the distance in his past two fights, most recently beating Jorge Masvidal by split decision on May 29 at UFC Fight Night 88.
UFC 202 is headlined by the rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz and takes place next Saturday, August 20, from Las Vegas.
