Tag: Lorenz Larkin

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Who has most to lose at UFC 306: Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili, Alexa Grasso, or Valentina Shevchenko?

UFC 306 will be a high-pressure act for the four fighters in the headlining acts. We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

UFC 306 is closing in. The highly-anticipated event at the Sphere celebrating Mexican Independence is less than 48 hours away.

There’s plenty on the line as two UFC titles – in arguably the hottest divisions for men and women – will be up for grabs with [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] defending against [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag].

O’Malley is becoming the biggest star in the UFC; Dvalishvili has gone through murders’ row to get to a title fight; Grasso has an entire country on her back; and Shevchenko has an all-time great legacy to protect. So who has the most to lose at Noche UFC?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss and break down the two championship fights on the card, along with some other key matchups..

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/suYDv4qZZAk

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Video: Where does Bellator’s Usman Nurmagomedov rank among the best lightweights?

How good is Usman Nurmagomedov, and where does he rank among the best at 155? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is good, but how good is he?

The lightweight champion kept his undefeated record and belt Saturday when he successfully defended the title against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Bellator Champions Series: San Diego. Nurmagomedov (18-0) had a dominant showing, defeating Shabliy (24-4) 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 on the scorecards.

This result leaves the question: Where does Bellator’s Usman Nurmagomedov rank among the best lightweights in MMA?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss Nurmagomedov’s latest title defense, his standing in the sport, along with other results like [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]’s vicious KO win over Levan Chokheli.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/suYDv4qZZAk

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Sean Brady’s big win, Demetrious Johnson retires, UFC 306 preview, more

On the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique, we discuss Sean Brady’s win over Gilbert Burns, Demetrious Johnson’s retirement, UFC 306, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • A couple of fresh faces stepped into title contention, while a couple of veterans were set back. Saturday at UFC Fight Night 242, [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] picked up a big win, dominating [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] to win a unanimous decision in the main event. [autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag] also earned a win on the scorecards against former champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]. We discuss those two key wins, along with other highlights from the card.
  • UFC wasn’t the only brand in action. Bellator Champions Series: San Diego  saw [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] defend his lightweight title in the main event. Former UFC contender [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] picked up a big KO win over Levan Chokheli, cementing himself as a No. 1 contender. What’s next for Nurmagomedov? Can Larkin become champion at 38? We discuss.
  • A legend of the game decided to hang up the gloves. Former UFC and ONE flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] announced his retirement. Where does Johnson rank among the all-time greats? What legacy does he leave behind? We look back at the career of “Mighty Mouse” and his impact on MMA.
  • For our final segment, we look ahead to UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The card, which celebrates Mexican Independence Day weekend, features two title fights: [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Merab Dvlashvili[/autotag] in the main event, and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] 3 in the co-main. We analyze the pair of championship fights, along with other featured bouts on the card.

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Lorenz Larkin def. Levan Chokheli at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego: Best photos

Check out these photos from Lorenz Larkin’s victory over Levan Chokheli at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]’s TKO victory over Levan Chokheli at Bellator Champion Series: San Diego, which took place at Pechanga Arena. (Photos by Cooper Neill, Bellator MMA)

Bellator Champions Series video: Lorenz Larkin floors Levan Chokheli, swarms for Round 1 finish

Lorenz Larkin didn’t need much time to finish Levan Chokheli with punches in the first round at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Lorenz Larkin lived up to his nickname “Da Monsoon” by raining down a furious barrage of punches to pick up another highlight finish.

In the co-main event of Bellator Champions Series: San Diego, Larkin (27-8) faced Levan Chokheli in a bout for welterweight No. 1 contender status. Larkin needed only 1:53 to close the show by TKO in the opening round.

It all started with a glancing right hand that at first, didn’t appear to connect. However, the shot took Chokheli’s balance, and he fell to the canvas. Larkin quickly capitalized and swarmed with punches until referee Jason Herzog saw enough to call it.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

With the win, Larkin notches his second win of 2024, entering on the heels of another first-round finish of Alan Dominguez at 2024 PFL 6 in June. It’s been quite a run for Larkin, who has gone 9-1 in his last 10 fights.

Now, Larkin is the Bellator No. 1 contender, and has a shot at Ramazan Kuramagomedov’s welterweight title his his future.

On the other side, Chokheli suffers his first defeat since April 2022. He built a nice run of three consecutive victories, including a first-round stoppage of Sabah Homasi at Bellator 299, but couldn’t make it out of the opening round against Larkin here.

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Up-to-the-minute Bellator Champions Series: San Diego results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Lorenz Larkin not worried about future as last fight on Bellator contract approaches

Lorenz Larkin’s future is unclear, but he’s focused only on his Bellator Champions Series: San Diego fight with Levan Chokheli.

[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]’s return at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego will be his final fight with the promotion, at least under his current contract.

The welterweight veteran revealed to MMA Junkie that he has one bout remaining on his Bellator deal, and has yet to renegotiate, as he prepares to take on Levan Chokheli (13-2) on Sept. 7 at Pechanga Arena. Larkin (26-8), who’s been with Bellator since 2017, is unsure if the promotion will look to re-sign him, but he remains focused on the task at hand.

“This is the last fight on my contract,” Larkin said. “I don’t know. They haven’t talked to me about renegotiating, so I’m just going to go out, get this W, and we’ll see from there.”

Larkin remains one of the most seasoned fighters in MMA today, competing professionally since 2009. The UFC veteran has fought many notable names, including Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal, Derek Brunson, Neil Magny, and others.

On the verge of turning 38, Larkin said he’s still got a lot of fight left in him and has yet to feel himself slow down. No matter if he re-signs with Bellator or goes elsewhere, Larkin intends to keep on fighting.

“I’ve been feeling good, man,” Larkin said. “My body has been looking better. I don’t know, maybe I’m Benjamin Button. I’m feeling, as far as body type, I’m filling out my body more, especially in my last fight. How I looked in my last fight as far as physique and how I felt, I felt like I’m getting better. So I don’t know if I’m just training smarter or what. I don’t feel slow or feel like I’m in there two clicks behind these younger guys. … I don’t feel like I’m slow out there, and I still feel good.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Bellator adds Lorenz Larkin, Raufeon Stots to San Diego event

Bellator is set to hold its first domestic event of 2024, and some notable names are on the bill.

Bellator is headed back to San Diego this fall and is bringing some notable names with it.

The Bellator Champions Series event takes place Sept. 7 at Pechanga Arena with the main card on MAX after prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] battles rising Brazilian fighter [autotag]Marcos Breno[/autotag] in a bantamweight affair. Also on the card, former UFC standout [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (26-8) faces Georgian [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] (13-2).

Those two bouts were first reported by the OC Register and confirmed to MMA Junkie by a promotion official.

Stots bounced back from his first Bellator loss, a knockout against Patchy Mix, when he for the second time defeated rival Danny Sabtello by unanimous decision in November.

Breno also most recently competed against Sabatello. In April, Sabatello submitted him by rear-naked choke. The fight was his second in Bellator after a unanimous decision win over Josh Hill.

Larkin competed in June when he defeated Alan Dominguez by first-round knockout. The victory bounced him back into the win column after a split decision defeat to Andrey Koreshkov.

Chokheli has not competed since September 2023 when he extended his winning streak to three with a highlight reel kick knockout against Sabah Homasi.

With the additions, the Bellator Champions Series: San Diego lineup includes:

  • Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Alexander Shabliy
  • Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Levan Chokheli vs. Lorenz Larkin

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Lorenz Larkin def. Alan Dominguez at 2024 PFL 6: Best photos

Check out these photos from Lorenz Larkin vs. Alan Dominguez at 2024 PFL 6 in South Dakota.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]’s victory over Alan Dominguez at 2024 PFL 6, which took place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL)

 

Former UFC, Bellator standout Lorenz Larkin set for PFL debut

Lorenz Larkin has wins in UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce, and now tries to add PFL to the list.

After wins in UFC and Bellator, [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] is batting for MMA’s triple crown.

Larkin (25-8) will make his PFL debut June 28 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., the promotion announced Wednesday. At 2024 PFL 6, Larkin will face [autotag]Alan Dominguez[/autotag] (11-6) in a three-round welterweight showcase bout.

Despite sparse bookings since his UFC departure in 2016, Larkin has largely found consistent results in recent years. Larkin, 37, is 7-1 with one no contest across his most recent nine fights. He most recently competed in July when he lost for the first time in nearly six years when he dropped a split decision to former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov.

Dominguez, 27, may not hold an eye-popping win-loss record, but he’s found great success in recent years. He enters PFL as the Lux Fight League welterweight champion on a three-fight winning streak. Dominguez is 5-1 in his most recent six.

With the addition, the 2024 PFL 6 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+)

  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Justin Gonzales
  • Logan Storley vs. Laureano Staropoli
  • Magomed Umalatov vs. Brennan Ward
  • Gabriel Braga vs. Bubba Jenkins

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Murad Ramazanov vs. Shamil Musaev
  • Timur Khizriev vs. Enrique Barzola
  • Goiti Yamauchi vs. Andrey Koreshkov
  • Kai Kamaka vs. Pedro Carvalho
  • Don Madge vs. Neiman Gracie
  • Adam Borics vs. Brett Johns
  • Zach Juusola vs. Luca Poclit
  • Jordan Oliver vs. Isaiah Hokit