Fighter of the Month: Kenny Florian
Posted by Chad Edward on May 1st, 2008Is there a fighter who accomplished more than Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) last month? He opened April dominating a UFC lightweight contender and closed the month as the color commentator at UFC 83. Now, he’s awaiting confirmation from the UFC on the only fight he wants, versus fellow top contender “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1). Kenny spoke to Fighters.com from Boston Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s not signed yet,” Florian said of a match-up pitting him against Sports Illustrated cover boy Huerta, “but, I’m confident it’s going to happen. The UFC is finishing up the contracts right now.”
Florian issued a challenge to Huerta after his second-round TKO of “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (16-4) in Denver at the beginning of April.
Florian had entered that fight with two bulging discs and a herniated disc in his lumbar spine, as if anyone - least of all Lauzon - could tell.
“I felt like the old lady in the commercial where you’ve fallen and you can’t get up,” Florian told the Boston Herald. “It was a nightmare. I couldn’t get up; I couldn’t get to a phone.”
Florian admits, “I was having fun. There were a lot of guys in camp preparing for [UFC 83] and I was taking advantage of the sparring.”
Too much advantage!
“A lot of the guys were middleweights, so they’re walking around at 200-pounds,” Kenny explained. “[My team] won’t let me do that anymore. They’re holding me back.”
After a dominating finish of Lauzon, he could’ve just as legitimately called out the UFC Lightweight Champion to be determined 24 May in a fight between current titlist “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn (12-4-1) and former champ “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (31-2-1).
“It’s a promise I made. Before I fight for the title again, I want there to be no doubt that I’m the number one contender,” Florian explained. “It’s nothing personal. Roger is a good kid.”
After losing his 2006 title challenge to Sherk by unanimous decision, Florian made another promise. He promised to be “a finisher”.
Since that loss, “KenFlo” was become a dual stoppage threat, finishing Dokonjonosuke Mishima (17-6-2) and “Dinyero” Din Thomas (22-8) by submission and “Kid” Alvin Robinson (9-3) and Lauzon by TKO.
Florian also finished Huerta’s vacation after “El Matador” fought five times in 2007.
“It could be an advantage; but, I know Roger is going to be ready. I know he’s been training since his last fight,” Florian said.
The fight is expected to be added to the Minneapolis fight card, where Huerta lives and trains.
“We can fight in his hometown. We can fight in my hometown. I don’t care. Getting booed doesn’t bother me,” Florian said. In fact, Florian admitted, “It could be advantage depending on how Roger handles the pressure and the spotlight.”
When not training for a fight, Florian stays busy for the UFC. At UFC 83, Florian filled in for broadcaster Joe Rogan.
“It was Joe Silva’s idea,” Kenny said. (Silva is the UFC’s matchmaker.) “When they suggested I do the post-fight interviews, I jumped at it. I was finally able to tell my mom and dad that my college degree didn’t go to waste.”
Florian also showed-up for a recent Boston tryout for the eighth season of the show that Florian nearly won, The Ultimate Fighter.
“I hate to be an MMA snob, but it just amazes me some of the guys who show up to try out. I mean, guys who don’t even know what guard is or can’t even thrust forward a punch,” Florian said.
ddn said:
Kenny Florian rocks. Genuinely one of the nicest guys I’ve met in the sport. I can’t wait for the Minneapolis fight.
joesmailer said:
Ya I agree, this guy deserves to keep winning. One of the few non-assholes in the league. =)