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Bellator MMA

In one of the final preliminary bouts of Saturday night's Bellator 290 card, Lorenz Larkin faced Mukhamed Berkhamov in a rematch of their July 2022 bout. The first fight ended in a no contest due to an illegal elbow. Larkin once again went to the elbow in the rematch, but this time he did not miss the mark. Larkin knocked out Berkhamov with the strike in the first round.

The fight started on the feet with both men trying to establish an early advantage. As the fighters came together, they briefly clinched but Larkin stepped back and landed a right elbow directly to Berkhamov's temple. Berkhamov took a step backward before his legs gave out, sending him crashing face-first to the canvas.

Larkin left the UFC in 2016 after winning back-to-back fights against Jorge Masvidal and Neil Magny. While he dropped his first two fights in the Bellator cage, he has now won seven straight. The fights with Berkhamov marked Larkin's return to the welterweight division, where he has quickly put himself into contention for a future title shot.

The loss was the first in Berkhamov's professional career. He entered the bout 14-0 with one win in the Bellator cage.

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