Bellator president Scott Coker likes the idea of a potential fight between [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag].
Both Page and Larkin most recently fought this past December at Bellator 237, where Page picked up a second round finish over Shinsho Anzai, and Larkin outstruck Keita Nakamura for a decision win.
Page (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) has been campaigning for a rematch with welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who handed him his first loss in Bellator’s welterweight tournament semifinals. Since that loss, he has picked up three finishes in the span of four months.
And while Coker praised Page for his effort against Lima, he thinks a matchup with Larkin next would make sense for him.
“The guy is super talented,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “People underestimate how talented this guy is, and whenever we’re talking to him, he’s – in his mind, he’s like, ‘Give me another title shot. I’m ready – I want to fight Lima again. I feel like I had him.’ He felt like he hit him, and I watched the tape and he did. He’s one of the few guys that really I think kind of stumbled Lima a little bit, and it’s because he’s so awkward and he’s so fast and so explosive, fights like a karate guy, sideways, that Lima had a little bit of a – it clicked to really figure this guy out.
“If you ask ‘MVP,’ he’s going to want a title shot next week, next month – he’s ready to go. But I like the Larkin fight. I like Larkin vs. MVP, I think those guys should get it on.”
Winner of his past four, Larkin (22-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) also wants to run things back with Lima, looking to avenge the loss in his promotional debut.
Although Coker initially favored Larkin over Page for the next welterweight title shot, Lima is attempting to move up in weight to capture two titles simultaneously, making a fight between Larkin and Page the possible next move.