Lorenz Larkin discusses ‘stupid’ decision to put his fight with Neil Magny on Fight Pass

This past weekend saw yet another excellent, ranked contender’s bout featured on the Fight Pass prelims portion of the UFC Salt Lake City card. Cub Swanson and Tatsuya Kawajiri put on a classic performance that many felt should have won Fight of the Night honors, and would have been a much better fit for the main event, but the promotional brass determined otherwise on both counts.

A new trend has started with the booking of top tier contenders for Fight Pass prelims, and both fans and fighters are not exactly jumping for joy at the prospect. At a time when fight arenas are veritable ghost towns with more tumbleweeds than fans in the building, it seems a shame to waste your bigger names on those early curtain-jerkers. These fights also tend to suffer in the bonus department, as the $50K checks seem to go to the athletes higher up on the card, closer to the forefront of memory.

UFC 202 will see yet another prime bout relegated to the UFC’s online platform when Number 7 ranked Neil Magny faces the crowd pleasing Lorenz Larkin in a fight that will see one of the two start making a definitive climb up the title ladder. Larkin is not at all pleased with the odd placement of the contest on the card. In an interview with the Three Amigos Podcast, he voiced his displeasure at the prospect, and also weighed in on a few other topics.

“It’s the stupidest thing I’ve seen in a while and I don’t understand it whatsoever. 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. Man…I don’t even know what to say. It’s just stupid.

You know, that’s a good question, and I would say yes, but look where I’m at. I’m fighting …

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