"I would like to do another Challenger's card, hopefully headlining again, maybe in the beginning of the year. I know they are booked for the November one and they have one in December, but I want to get one more Challenger's in and then see where we go from there...I feel as long as I take my time, then when I am ready, there will be no doubt in my mind or no doubt in anybody's mind that I am ready...As long as I'm healthy, I would like to stay active. As far as goals, I feel like my accomplishments this year have already set my goals for next year...I just want to let everybody know that Nick Rossborough tested positive for steroids after our fight. I wanted to put that out there. I know they say if you ain't cheating, you aren't trying, but it is still cheating," stated undefeated Strikeforce light heavyweight Lorenz Larkin, who talked about his win over Nick Rossborough, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the win over Nick Rossborough. How did you deal with the opponent change and all of that stuff my man?
LL: It sucked having a last-minute replacement, and especially with a guy that was so tall. It sucked a lot, but it's a part of the game and something you have to deal with, you know?
PC: Definitely. It didn't seem to make you miss a beat. I thought it was a very solid performance and you dominated the fight. What were some of the adjustments you had to make going into that fight?
LL: It was mainly just the reach. My opponent I was supposed to fight was like 6'1" or 6'2" and this guy was 6'5", so the biggest thing to adjust to was just the reach.
PC: How do you grade your performance in that fight?
LL: I felt good. I felt like we did a lot of work off of the cage and his game plan was to press me and push me against the cage and try to inflict his little damage, but I was comfortable against the cage and I was able to shuck him off. I didn't get nervous when I was up against the cage; I actually felt good about it. I think I did pretty good, especially since he was 232 pounds when we fought.
PC: I think you going the distance in your last 2 fights are a great experience tool for you. Is that how you are looking at these 3-round fights right now?
LL: Yeah, you know, I think that just shows people that if it does go 3 rounds, I'm more than ready and that I have the conditioning for it, you know? So they shouldn't think that I'm just going to gas out in the 1st round trying to knock your block off, you know (laughing)?
PC: Yeah, and that's the thing because when you're throwing some of the stuff that you like to throw, the spinning back kicks and knees and things like that, the average fighter would gas out and I think your last couple of fights showed that you can stand in there even while throwing those things.
LL: No, you're right, and I think I have kind of put that to rest; hopefully I have because I train very hard.
PC: What would you like to do next? Have you heard anything?
LL: I would like to do another Challenger's card, hopefully headlining again, maybe in the beginning of the year. I know they are booked for the November one and they have one in December, but I want to get one more Challenger's in and then see where we go from there.
PC: The last time we spoke, you made it clear that you were not going to rush your career no matter the hype, and I think that's a great thing. You saying you want another Challenger's Series solidify that step-by-step process that you outlined in our last conversation.
LL: Yeah, I feel as long as I take my time, then when I am ready, there will be no doubt in my mind or no doubt in anybody's mind that I am ready, you know?
PC: Definitely. How do you just stay busy in the gym and take care of business while avoiding all of the UFC and Strikeforce talks?
LL: I try not to pay attention to it. There are so many rumors and other things that are out there. I just try not to pay attention to it. I feel like as long as I keep fighting and keep winning and put on good shows, then I will always have a spot somewhere. I just let my career kind of be in their hands and hopefully they make the right decision when the time comes.
PC: You said you wanted to fight at the beginning of the year if possible. Are you in the gym doing some maintenance work right now or are you just taking it easy and not training right now?
LL: No, I still train all of the time. The intensity might not be there because I don't have anything lined up, but I'm still in there learning and doing the things that I'm supposed to be doing.
PC: You came on the scene out of nowhere, man. Who are some of the guys you work with my man?
LL: My coaches, Sam Mason and Arnold DeWitt, my training partner, Tony Gianopoulos, and all of the guys at Millennia MMA. They help me out tremendously with my ground game and stuff like that. I have a whole crew of people that are responsible for helping me out.
PC: Any particular goals for 2012?
LL: As long as I'm healthy, I would like to stay active. As far as goals, I feel like my accomplishments this year have already set my goals for next year. My goal for 2011 was to make it to 10 fights and be ready for the big show, and that's where I ended up at the end of 2011, so I'm not even going to set any goals because a lot of my goals happened this year, so I don't even know (laughing).
PC: I think the sky is definitely the limit for you. You have endless potential. Is there anything else you want to say before I let you go; anyone you want to thank?
LL: I just want to let everybody know that Nick Rossborough tested positive for steroids after our fight. I wanted to put that out there. I know they say if you ain't cheating, you aren't trying, but it is still cheating (laughing). And other than that, I want to shout out my sponsors: Hostility Clothing, Ion-Me, Splat Hair Dye, Extreme Autoworks and Cali Life!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]