A few years ago the best of the best from the world of collegiate wrestling had basically one option to keep their career going. It was the Olympics or bust.
Now that path leads more and more towards mixed martial arts
The 2003 NCAA national champion at 149 pounds, Eric Larkin, made his professional debut last weekend in South Dakota, winning by rear naked choke in the first round.
The most decorated wrestler to ever come out of Arizona State, the four time All-American had a great team around him in college and after school they helped him get ready for his MMA debut. Funny thing about Eric Larkin though… he never intended on becoming a fighter in the first place.
After leaving Arizona State, Larkin coached at the school alongside current UFC middleweight Aaron Simpson, while he trained and competed for a spot on the Olympic wrestling team. Unfortunately, Larkin never quite attained that goal, but the competitive itch still drove him to do something else.
“I started coaching over at the Lion’s Den. It was hard for me to get out of it altogether, the competition, so I started doing that and that’s kind of how I got into it,” said Larkin in an interview with MMAWeekly.com “I kept telling the guys I wasn’t going to fight, but they kept asking me when I was going to do it and here I am.”
Working with UFC fighters like Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway, Jesse Forbes, and of course, his friend and fellow coach Aaron Simpson, Larkin started to get ready for his professional debut. Training at the Lion’s Den in Scottsdale, Az., Larkin polished his stand-up with Dan Brandt, and before he knew it, the first fight was drawing near.
“When I got in there, I was nervous before just cause it was my first fight. I never was really a fighter growing up or anything, so I was a little nervous,” Larkin admitted. “As soon as I literally got in the cage, I wasn’t even nervous anymore. I just wanted to fight. Then it ended so quickly, I really wanted to keep fighting.”
The urge to continue fighting will keep Larkin busy over the next few months as he’s already scheduled to fight again in South Dakota on May 15, and again in June. He says his plan will follow his teammates where he hopes to get a few wins under his belt and then make the move to one of the major organizations.
While Larkin wrestled in college at 149 pounds, and internationally at 145 pounds, his first pro fight took place in the lightweight division at 155 pounds. He says that ultimately because he only walks around at 162 pounds at his highest, his eventual plans are to fight at 145 pounds in the featherweight division.
“That’s the plan, just as long as I stay healthy and everything’s going well,” Larkin said about making his way to the WEC or another top promotion.
Working with fighters like Bader, Dollaway, and Simpson won’t just help Larkin make it to the big time, they can also help him mature in the sport and learn from the lessons they’ve already endured. He says it’s already paying off.
“It’s just surrounding yourself with good people and training correctly,” Larkin said “A lot of fighters, especially starting out, don’t know really how to train correctly, and I think that makes a big difference.”
The training will continue in Arizona as Eric Larkin looks to become the next NCAA champion to make MMA his new home.
Thursday, April 08, 2010 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Tags: Aaron, Arizona, Baderm C.B., Brandt, Dan, Dollaway, Eric, Forbes, four-time All-American, Jesse, Larkin, Lion's Den, MMA, NCAA, NCAA Champion, Olympic, Ryan, Simpson, State, wrestling team