As promised on my Wanderlei Silva article, I will be posting a series of articles on all the fighters mentioned at my other post, Muay Thai Fighter. Next up is Kenny Florian, which you probably already know from his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter (a reality TV show based on MMA fighters).
Kenny was born (and still lives) in Westwood, Massachusetts. He is 5 10" tall and is 35 years old. In his early years, Florian had an interest in soccer, playing at Dover-Sherborn Regional High but soon found his passion for Mixed Martial Arts when he started BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). This passion quickly translated into Florian getting his black belt from Prof. Roberto Maia.
Kenny Florian's first professional fight was at Mass Destruction 10 on the 25th January 2003, against Jason Giroux, where Florian won by TKO (total knockout) during the first round! Here is the video of Florian's first fight:
A few fights later, and Kenny Florian suffered his first loss against Drew Fickett at Combat Zone 7, but little did he know that this would actually favor him. You see, Dana White was present during the fight scouting Fickett for the previously mentioned show, The Ultimate Fighter, but was so impressed by Florian that he offered him the spot instead.
Florian accepted, and went into the show a middleweight. He even made it to the finals, but eventually lost to Diego Sanchez due to strikes.
With The Ultimate Fighter out of the way, Florian returned to the Ultimate Fight Night. His first fight was actually against Alex Karalexis, who was with him on The Ultimate Fighter. Florian won and left with Karalexis with a nasty cut to the nose!
Kenny Florian's first attempt for the lightweight championship followed soon after against Sean Sherk at UFC 64. However despite cutting Sherk multiple times with his elbows, Florian still lost via unanimous decision. Another fight to take note of during this time, was that against Roger Huerta, where Florian won by unanimous decision, ending Huerta's 17 win streak!
Florian's thirst for the lightweight championship was only getting stronger, saying "I want B.J.'s belt. B.J., you're one of the best fighters out there. I'm here to test myself. I think you're a great fighter, someone I look up to. I consider you a master. It's time to kill that master.", in a challenge issued against B.J. Penn. The fight would later be held at UFC 101 as the main event , but Florian lost by submitting to the tight Rear Naked Choke done by Penn.
Florian would later go on to use this very same technique against former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi during UFC Fight Night 21, earning his first Submission of the Night award. As a side note, Florian was admitted to the hospital for surgery (albeit minor) just 2 weeks after his fight with Gomi due to a staph infection.
Kenny Florian announced his move to the featherweight division on the 7th February 2011, with his first fight being against Diegu Nunes, which Florian won.
Florian would then get his third belt attempt (this time for the featherweight championship), against José Aldo on the 8th October 2011 during UFC 136. Florian lost (again) by unanimous decision, making him the only fighter in the UFC to not have won a title after three attempts!
Some facts about Kenny Florian:
- Known for his devastating elbow strikes (just ask Joe Rogan)
- Currectly ranked as the number 4 featherweight in the world by MMA Fighting and as the number 10 featherweight fighter in the world by MMA Weekly.
- Co-hosts MMA live, a sports show in ESPN2.
- Kenny is also a Liverpool supporter (as stated on his Twitter)
- Kenny has a fight record of 16-16-0