Bellator 290 was an event full of memorable moments. While the main highlight was the retirement ceremony of Fedor Emelienanko, surrounded by his fellow legends. There were other notable moments that took place at the show.
Lorenz Larkin’s finish of Mukhamed Berkhamov was one of them, as it could be an early contender for the knockout of the year.
The former welterweight title contender competed against Berkhamov for the second time. Their previous outing at Bellator 283 was a no-contest. This is because Larkin landed an elbow to the back of Berkhamov’s head, rendering him unable to continue.
Larkin used an elbow to finish their second outing as well. However, it was to the side of Berkhamov’s head while the two were clinching. Berkhamov was knocked out cold and fell face-first onto the floor.
Larkin turns Berkhamov and as Berkhamov plants his right leg to balance and steady himself, Larkin uses that and drives his elbow directly into the way Berkhamov balanced. pic.twitter.com/APtoODdBWC
— Luke Thomas🏋️♀️ (@lthomasnews) February 5, 2023
Like their previous contest took Larkin less than two minutes to drop Berkhamov. He then stood by his face-planted opponent and acted like it was no big deal.
The slow motion footage of the incident is riveting.
Fans are loving the way Berkhamov fell after the blow, comparing it to Ric Flair’s iconic flops in pro wrestling.
After, Larkin talked about how hard he had prepped for the matchup.
“I wish there was f*cking cameras in the back of me warming up. These are the things I work on. I’m more happy in this moment just to show off the hard work that me and my team put in. That’s where it’s at for me.”
Larkin is a UFC veteran with wins over competitors such as Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal, and Neil Magny. He joined the Bellator back in 2016 and lost two high-profile matches to Douglas Lima and Paul Daley.
But he would turn everything around and rack up a seven win streak. He is currently ranked 8th in the Bellator middleweight rankings.
Larkin has now wished to compete at Bellator 293, but said that he doesn’t “have a name in mind”.