Scott Coker Tabs Lorenz Larkin as Potential No. 1 Contender for New Champ Douglas Lima

It appears as though Lorenz Larkin will be the No. 1 contender in waiting for newly-crowned Bellator champion Douglas Lima – as long as he doesn’t slip up in the Far East at the end of the year.

Speaking to media after Bellator 232, promotion president Scott Coker confirmed that Larkin is the frontrunner to become the next Bellator welterweight title challenger. First, Larkin will be part of the Bellator vs. Rizin show set for Dec. 29.

“We’re going to be taking Larkin in Japan to fight on the 29th to fight on our show,” Coker said. “We’re still working out the opponent, but he will be fighting and representing Bellator against Rizin, so he will be busy there.

“I think Douglas Lima would probably want to take a couple of months off, and then we’ll figure it out. But I think that Larkin, unless he loses in Japan, he’s probably the No. 1 guy in the slot.”

A former UFC and Strikeforce competitor, Larkin is currently on a three-bout winning streak that includes a split-verdict over ex-champ Andrey Koreshkov in his most recent outing at Bellator 229. “Monsoon” previously lost a five-round decision to Lima in a welterweight title bout at Bellator 180 in June 2017.

Meanwhile, Coker seems open to the possibility of a trilogy between Lima and MacDonald, but not in the immediate future. Lima outpointed MacDonald on Saturday night in the Bellator 232 main event after losing a decision to “The Red King” in their first meeting at Bellator 192.

“I haven’t really thought about that, but you know what, I wouldn’t mind seeing it,” Coker said. “Maybe further down the line. We’ll see what happens.”