NEW YORK – Bellator’s welterweight grand prix hasn’t even finished yet, but promotion president Scott Coker already has a name in mind to face the winner of the tournament finals.

Whether champion Rory MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 BMMA) or challenger Douglas Lima (31-7 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) walks away with the title at Bellator 232 on Saturday night, Coker believes Lorenz Larkin (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) deserves the next title shot.

“I mean, that’s an easy one,” Coker said at a news conference held Wednesday afternoon. “I think Lorenz Larkin is a clear choice after beating (Andrey) Koreshkov the way he did. That was an amazing fight. So much fun to watch.

“I think that that’s the fight at some point in the future, because who knows when these two guys are going to fight? If Lorenz keeps winning, I think he’s next to have a clear shot to a title.”

Just five fights into his Bellator tenure, Larkin has already faced his fair share of ups and downs. One of the hottest free agent signings of early 2017, Larkin struggled in his early Bellator days.

After losing a five-round battle to then-champion Lima in his promotional debut in June 2017, “Da Monsoon” was knocked out by Paul Daley in September 2017.

In January 2018, Larkin turned his luck around with a three-round main event unanimous decision nod over Fernando Gonzalez. The Riverside, Calif. native followed up his first Bellator win with another unanimous decision victory over Ion Pascu in October 2018.

Most recently, Larkin engaged in a highly exciting back-and-forth matchup against former Bellator 170-pound king Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 229 on Oct. 4. When the judges’ decision was read, Larkin was awarded the victory by split decision.

Bellator 232 takes place Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

To hear from Coker on Larkin, watch the video above. And for MMA Junkie’s full interview with Coker, watch below.