Four-time collegiate All-American wrestler
Eric Larkin will make his Bellator Fighting Championships debut against
Marcus Andrusia on Sept. 9 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans. The promotion on Friday unveiled its main card lineup for the event.
Larkin entered mixed martial arts following a decorated career as an amateur wrestler. A four-time Pac-10 Conference champion at Arizona State University, he won a national title at the Div. I level (149 pounds) in 2003. He finished 34-0 as a senior that year, earning the Dan Hodge Trophy -- amateur wrestling’s equivalent to the Heisman. The 30-year-old ranks sixth on the Arizona State all-time list with 123 wins. Unbeaten in two professional MMA appearances, Larkin debuted with a first-round rear-naked choke submission against
Bob Tuttle five months ago in South Dakota. He last appeared in May, when he stopped
Bruce Johnson on first-round punches under the Optimum Fighting Championships banner. Larkin trains with 2010 Bellator welterweight tournament winner
Ben Askren at the Lions Den Scottsdale camp.
Andrusia made his professional debut in June, as he submitted
Aaron Williams under the Atlas Fights banner in Biloxi, Miss. The 25-year-old Louisianan carved out a 7-3 mark as an amateur.
Bellator 28 will also feature a lightweight tilt pairing UFC veteran
Rich Clementi with
Carey Vanier, a middleweight duel pitting former International Fight League champion
Matt Horwich against World Extreme Cagefighting veteran
Eric Schambari and a featherweight matchup between
Georgi Karakhanyan and
Anthony Leone.
Printer Friendly
