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John Howard Gets Hometown Fight Against Lorenz Larkin at UFC Boston
The UFC Fight Night 59 fight card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver is filling up fast.
On Monday, UFC officials announced the John “Doomsay” Howard would get the hometown advantage in his next fight, facing Lorenz Larkin on Jan. 18 at the TD Garden in Howard’s backyard of Boston. The two have verbally agreed to the bout.
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Howard (22-10) needs to make full use of the advantage, as he’s lost his last two fights to Brian Ebersole and Ryan LaFlare. The dreaded trifecta of losses is typically a death knell in the Octagon, and it is a situation the Howard has faced before.
After exiting the UFC following three consecutive losses during his first tenure, Howard amassed a 6-1 record to earn a trip back to the Octagon, where he won his first two return bouts. He desperately needs the win over Larkin to maintain a hold on his roster spot.
Larkin (14-4, 1 NC) is in an even more precarious position, having already lost three straight in the Octagon. He probably had a little longer leash than most because he was undefeated at 13-0 with 1 no contest when the UFC enlisted Larkin’s services via its Strikeforce acquisition.
He has since gone 1-4, however, and is coming off of a loss to Derek Brunson as he heads into the Boston bout, so Larkin needs this victory more so than any other fight of his career.
UFC officials also announced on Monday that Matt Van Buren and Sean O'Connell had also verbally agreed to meet in a light heavyweight match-up at UFC Fight Night 59: McGregor vs. Siver.
