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Florian suffered a staph infection in his knee just weeks after his win over Gomi and was admitted to hospital for minor surgery.<ref>http://mmajunkie.com/news/18682/staph-infection-leads-ufcs-kenny-florian-to-hospital-precautionary-measure-says-manager.mma</ref>
Florian suffered a staph infection in his knee just weeks after his win over Gomi and was admitted to hospital for minor surgery.<ref>http://mmajunkie.com/news/18682/staph-infection-leads-ufcs-kenny-florian-to-hospital-precautionary-measure-says-manager.mma</ref>


Florian is expected to face [[Gray Maynard]] on August 28, 2010 at [[UFC 118]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mmamania.com/2010/4/22/1437847/kenny-florian-vs-gray-maynard|title= Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard signed for UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28 |publisher=mmamania.com |accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref>
Florian is expected to face [[Gray Maynard]] on August 28, 2010 at [[UFC 118]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mmamania.com/2010/4/22/1437847/kenny-florian-vs-gray-maynard|title= Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard signed for UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28 |publisher=mmamania.com |accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref> The winner of the fight will receive a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship.


=== Outside fighting ===
=== Outside fighting ===

Revision as of 20:47, 25 August 2010

Kenny "KenFlo" Florian
BornKenneth Alan Florian
(1976-05-26) May 26, 1976 (age 48)
Westwood, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other namesKen-Flo, The Machinist
NationalityUnited States American
Peru Peruvian
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division155
Reach74.0 in (188 cm)[1]
StyleBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofBrookline, Massachusetts
TeamFlorian Martial Arts Center[2]/Tristar
TrainerKeith Florian
Rank  black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active2003–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins14
By knockout3
By submission10
By decision1
Losses4
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision2
Other information
UniversityBoston College
Notable school(s)Dover-Sherborn High School
Websitehttp://www.kennyflorian.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: April 20, 2010

Kenneth Alan Florian[3] (born May 26, 1976) is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. He is known for his appearance on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show where he lost the middleweight final to Diego Sanchez. Florian currently fights as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is currently ranked by Sherdog as the #6 lightweight in the world.[4]

Biography

Early life

Florian is the fourth of six children born to Peruvian parents; Agustin, a thoracic surgeon, and Ines Florian. His ethnic background includes: French, German, Italian and Spanish ancestry. [5] Florian was born in Westwood, Massachusetts and grew up in neighboring Dover, Massachusetts where he was a standout soccer player for Dover-Sherborn Regional High. He attended Boston College where he played for the varsity soccer team (NCAA Division 1). He also holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru.[6]

After college, his interests turned towards mixed martial arts and he earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Prof. Roberto Maia of Boston Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Gracie Barra Boston).[7]

Mixed martial arts career

Kenny is known for his elbow strikes, which Joe Rogan describes as "razor sharp".[8]

Florian made his MMA debut in January 2003 at Mass Destruction 10, defeating Jason Giroux via KO (Punch) in only seven seconds. Florian made another appearance in the Mass Destruction Promotion at MD – 15 and scored a victory over Bobby McAndrews by submission (kimura). Following those victories, Kenny suffered his first loss to UFC regular Drew Fickett via decision at Combat Zone 7 – Gravel Pit on July 10, 2004. This is the fight that got Kenny on the Ultimate Fighter as Dana White was at the show scouting Fickett for the show but he was so impressed with Kenny that he offered him, not Fickett, the spot on the show.

The Ultimate Fighter

Kenny went on to compete on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter as a middleweight, losing at the finale in the first round to Diego Sanchez due to strikes.[9]

UFC career

Following his loss to Sanchez, Florian returned at the first Ultimate Fight Night to defeat fellow TUF 1 competitor Alex Karalexis with a vicious cut across the nose.[10] Picking up momentum, Kenny went on to face Muay Thai competitor Kit Cope, winning with a rear naked choke submission early in round 2. Florian earned a title shot after defeating Canadian TKO Lightweight champion Sam Stout at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale; Florian won in the first round by rear naked choke.

On October 14, 2006, Florian fought Sean Sherk for the UFC Lightweight championship title at UFC 64: Unstoppable and lost via unanimous decision.[11] Sherk exhibited superior control despite being cut severely by several Florian elbows.[12] The judges scored it 50–45 and 49–46 twice for Sherk. In doing so, Sherk became the new UFC lightweight champion.[12]

On April 5, 2007 at UFC Fight Night 9, Florian defeated Japanese fighter Dokonjonosuke Mishima via rear naked choke submission. Florian managed to break free of an excruciating knee-bar attempt made by Mishima late in the fight.[13]

On July 7, 2007 at UFC 73, he fought and defeated UFC newcomer Alvin Robinson via submission due to strikes in the first round.[14] Florian tripped Robinson to the mat before moving to side-control.[15] Florian then transitioned into mount before pounding away until Robinson tapped due to strikes.[15]

In his next fight, Florian managed to get another win via submission due to a rear naked choke against Din Thomas at UFC Fight Night 11. Thomas injured his knee while attempting a takedown during the bout.[16] Thomas was originally slated to face off against Spencer Fisher, but Fisher had to pull out due to a staph infection. Florian took his place.[17]

On April 2, 2008 Florian defeated Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 13 by TKO due to strikes from mount early in the second round to secure his spot among the UFC's top lightweight contenders.[18] The first round went back and forth as Kenny landed a vicious body kick and Lauzon looked for knee bars and heel hooks.[19] Florian finished the round with some hard shots to Joe’s head. Florian opened the 2nd round with a takedown and rained down punches on Lauzon from the mount position.[20] Lauzon attempted another heel hook but Florian continued to strike which resulted in Herb Dean stopping the fight.[21]

At UFC 87 on August 9, 2008 Florian defeated Roger Huerta by unanimous decision. By winning, Florian ended Huerta's 17-fight win streak.[22] All three judges scored the bout 30–27 for Florian.[23]

At UFC 91 on November 15, 2008, Florian defeated Joe Stevenson by rear naked choke submission in the first round.[24] Florian executed a takedown before mounting Stevenson and transitioning to a position to finish him with the choke.[25]

Second title opportunity

With the win Florian established himself as the #1 contender for the Lightweight Championship.[25] Florian said "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."[26] Florian faced off against Penn at the UFC 101 Main Event for the title. During the fight, Florian repeatedly pushed Penn against the fence and attempted to take him down but was never successful. During the 4th round Penn took him down with ease and immediately mounted him. Penn eventually took his back and locked up a Rear Naked Choke, submitting Florian and defending his title.

Florian fought Clay Guida on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107. During the second round, Florian caught Guida with a clean right hand right on the chin that dropped him. He followed up with a short flurry and finished the fight via rear naked choke.

He has expressed interest in getting a rematch with Diego Sanchez. On an episode of MMA Live (before the Penn loss) he said that his loss to Sanchez is the one he would most like to avenge. Sanchez has expressed similar interest as have many fans, though this looks to be unlikely after Sanchez moved back to the Welterweight division.

Florian defeated former Pride Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi at UFC Fight Night 21 via Rear-Naked Choke in the third round. He won the first two rounds decisively with superior striking, utilizing multiple jabs. Florian eventually took Gomi down in the third round and submitted him shortly after. Florian also won his first Submission of the Night bonus.

Florian suffered a staph infection in his knee just weeks after his win over Gomi and was admitted to hospital for minor surgery.[27]

Florian is expected to face Gray Maynard on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118.[28] The winner of the fight will receive a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Outside fighting

He currently hosts MMA Live, alongside Jon Anik and Franklin McNeil, for ESPN.com which is shown online and on TV on ESPN UK in the United Kingdom.[29] Florian contributes to the show with his MMA experience and his perspective as a fighter.[30]

Florian was also a guest writer for FIGHT!, an MMA magazine, in their April 2009 issue.

On April 19, 2008, Florian filled in for Joe Rogan as the color commentator for UFC 83[31] and again at UFC Fight Night 19.[32] On June 7, 2009, Kenny Florian would fill in for Frank Mir, whose wife gave birth two days later, as color commentator for WEC 41.[33] Florian also provided color commentary for WEC 49 and the TUF 11 Finale.[34]

On Dr Phil, Florian, along with UFC President Dana White and former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin, talked to two high school students who participated in classroom "MMA" fights, telling them of the dangers of fighting outside of a sanctioned organization and telling them they should be training in an MMA gym instead. Dr. Phil addressed him as "Kenny Florini"[35].

Championships and awards

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter 1 Middleweight Tournament Finalist
Fight of the Night Honors
Submission of the Night Honors

Florian Martial Arts Center

Kenny Florian and his brother Keith own and operate Florian Martial Arts Center, a martial arts academy in Brookline, Massachusetts. The academy currently teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay thai, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. Instructors at the academy include, Kenny Florian, Keith Florian and Alex Lewis.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
18 matches 14 wins 4 losses
By knockout 3 1
By submission 10 1
By decision 1 2
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
United States Gray Maynard UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 2010-08-28 United States Boston, Massachusetts, US Will determine the #1 Contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship
Win 14–4 Japan Takanori Gomi Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi 2010-03-31 3 2:52 United States Charlotte, North Carolina, US Won Submission of the Night Honours
Win 13–4 United States Clay Guida Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez 2009-12-12 2 2:19 United States Memphis, Tennessee, US
Loss 12–4 United States B.J. Penn Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 101: Declaration 2009-08-08 4 3:45 United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US For the UFC Lightweight Championship
Win 12–3 United States Joe Stevenson Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar 2008-11-15 1 4:03 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Became #1 Contender for UFC Lightweight Championship
Win 11–3 United States Roger Huerta Decision (Unanimous) UFC 87: Seek and Destroy 2008-08-09 3 5:00 United States Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Win 10–3 United States Joe Lauzon TKO (Strikes) UFC Fight Night 13 2008-04-02 2 3:28 United States Broomfield, Colorado, US Fight of the Night
Win 9–3 United States Din Thomas Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC Fight Night 11 2007-09-19 1 4:30 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Win 8–3 United States Alvin Robinson Submission (Strikes) UFC 73: Stacked 2007-07-07 1 4:30 United States Sacramento, California, US
Win 7–3 Japan Dokonjonosuke Mishima Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC Fight Night 9 2007-04-05 3 3:57 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Loss 6–3 United States Sean Sherk Decision (Unanimous) UFC 64: Unstoppable 2006-10-14 5 5:00 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US For Vacant UFC Lightweight Championship
Win 6–2 Canada Sam Stout Submission (Rear Naked Choke) The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale 2006-06-24 1 1:46 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US First Fight at Lightweight (155 lb)
Win 5–2 United States Kit Cope Submission (Rear Naked Choke) The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale 2005-11-05 2 0:37 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Fought at 170 lb.
Win 4–2 United States Alex Karalexis TKO (Cut) UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2005-08-06 2 2:52 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Fought at 170 lb.
Loss 3–2 United States Diego Sanchez TKO (Strikes) The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale 2005-04-09 1 2:49 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Fought at 185 lb.
Loss 3–1 United States Drew Fickett Decision (Split) Combat Zone 7: Gravel Pit 2004-07-10 3 5:00 United States Revere, Massachusetts, US
Win 3–0 United States Bobby McAndrews Submission (Kimura) Mass Destruction 15 2004-02-21 1 1:57 United States Boston, Massachusetts, US
Win 2–0 United States Jason Giroux KO (Punch) Mass Destruction 10 2003-01-25 1 0:07 United States Taunton, Massachusetts, US
Win 1–0 United States Nuri Shakir Submission (Strikes)[36] Xtreme Fighting: Battle in Taunton 2002-02-15 1 N/A United States Taunton, Massachusetts, US MMA Debut[37]

References

  1. ^ "Kenny Florian Fight! Magazine Bio". Retrieved September 03, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ http://www.kennyflorian.com/
  3. ^ http://boxing.nv.gov/2008%20Results/11-15-08%20MMA.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/6/Sherdog-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-23980
  5. ^ Interview With Mixed Martial Artist Kenny Florian by Ben Tatar http://www.criticalbench.com/Kenny-Florian.htm
  6. ^ "Florian's Second Wind". SHERDOG.com. 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  7. ^ http://www.worldofcombat.net/kenny-florian.html
  8. ^ http://mmamania.com/2008/07/24/razor-sharp-hell-bows-mmamaniacom-exclusive-ufc-87-interview-with-kenny-florian/
  9. ^ http://www.mmapassport.com/mixed-martial-arts-fighter-profiles/kenny-florian-mma-profile/
  10. ^ http://video.ufc.com/productdetail.aspx?itemid=FlorianKaralexisUFN1_700&detail=true&searchText=Product/@SearchId=%22UFC1033@2213%22
  11. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=dd-ufcnotes070707&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  12. ^ a b http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/FOXSportsMMA/2006/10/14/Lightweight_title_match_Sean_Sherk_vs_Ken_Florian
  13. ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/2324/kenny-florian-vs-alvin-robinson-added-to-ufc-73.mma
  14. ^ http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/ultimate_fighting/view.bg?articleid=1015888
  15. ^ a b http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-73-ampquotstackedampquot-play-by-play-8192
  16. ^ http://www.mmaontap.com/mma/category/Din-Thomas/
  17. ^ http://www.kennyflorian.com/press.html
  18. ^ "UFC Fight Night: Kenny Florian vs Joe Lauzon". UFC.com. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  19. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5999&zoneid=2
  20. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5999&zoneid=2
  21. ^ http://combat-hooligans.com/2008/04/02/live-round-by-round-coverage-ufc-fight-night-13-2/
  22. ^ http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iXVbj2_mWz4Fj74H-cq2gBLme8HQ
  23. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-87-seek-and-destroy-play-by-play-13960
  24. ^ http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/15/ufc-91-live-blog-florian-stevenson-maia-quarry-gonzaga-hen/
  25. ^ a b http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/florian-destroys-stevenson-secures-title-shot-hazelett-subs-mccrory-at-ufc-91-15177
  26. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7593&zoneid=13
  27. ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/18682/staph-infection-leads-ufcs-kenny-florian-to-hospital-precautionary-measure-says-manager.mma
  28. ^ "Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard signed for UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
  29. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3398395
  30. ^ http://ballhype.com/story/kenny_florian_mma_live_could_soon_be_headed_to_espn/
  31. ^ http://mmamania.com/2008/04/05/joe-rogan-out-kenny-florian-in-at-ufc-83/
  32. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=9412&zoneid=13/
  33. ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/15029/kenny-florian-to-commentate-wec-41.mma/
  34. ^ http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/06/02/ufcs-kenny-florian-takes-commentator-spot-for-wec-49/
  35. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBgtccZgrbc
  36. ^ http://www.ultimate-fighter.ca/ufc-fighter.php?id=59
  37. ^ http://www.ultimate-fighter.ca/ufc-fighter.php?id=59

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