As expected, top lightweight contenders Kenny Florian (9-3) and Roger Huerta (20-1-1) are penciled in to tussle at UFC 87 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 9, according to MMAWeekly.com.
The winner of the 155-pound tilt will more than likely earn a shot at the title against either UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn or Sean Sherk — the two are expected to face off at UFC 84: “Ill Will” on May 24.
Huerta last competed during The Ultimate Fighter TUF) 6 Finale in December 2007, outlasting a resilient Clay Guida in an epic battle for lightweight supremacy.
Following the fight “El Matador” announced a break from mixed martial arts after competing five times in 2007. His goal during the hiatus was to finish college and participate in outside endeavors like filming for the new Tekken movie (based on the popular video game).
He is undefeated inside the Octagon (6-0) and Florian would provide his toughest test to date.
“Ken-Flo” is on a tear since losing to Sherk for the vacant lightweight title in October 2006, reeling off four wins against some stiff competition and finishing them all within three rounds.
In fact, it’s his only loss inside the Octagon since he lost the original TUF middleweight final to Diego Sanchez in 2005 (30 pounds more than his current fighting weight).
Florian will wade into hostile territory for this one — Huerta lives and trains in the North Star State. It shouldn’t, however, affect the outcome of the fight, which should be a great fight between two very proud and gifted fighters.
There’s no quit in either of these guys.
UFC 87 will also feature the return of Brock Lesnar against former UFC heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman. Other fights are currently in the works for this one … stay tuned.
96 Comments »
that’s really a fight i would loove to see,the southpaw bull vs the southpaw technician
Can’t wait for this one, should be a barn-burner!
This fight will be AMAZING! This fight has too happen and the winner would clearly deserve a crack at the title!
This is great news. I am REALLY hoping that Lesnar/Coleman isn’t going to be the Main Event of this card. Athough, the first fight announced for a card is typically the main event. That would be a very sad day for MMA. Lesnar/Coleman couldn’t even headline a WWE event, let alone a UFC event.
Florian/Huerta is a fight that DESERVES to be a headlining fight along with a Main Event. Florian/Huerta is WAAAAAY bigger than Franklin/Lutter or Gonzaga/Werdum.
Now if the UFC can find a REAL main event for this card, it has the potential to be a top notch event!
I think there a couple of possible headliners that could be possible if the ufc wanted. St.pierre should be available,nog should be available,anderson silva so we will see what the ufc does but this has the potential to be a stacked card.
A dream fight for me is Huerta vs. Takanori Gomi, the stand up exchanges beatween those 2 would be epic!
yeah no doubt. to bad they couldn’t sign go,i, but almost 2 mil per fight the ufc couldn,t match it. huerta vs florian will suffice though. i’m picking huerta to win btw. i think hes to big and strong.
they need to get a title fight on this card… probably the 185 or HW strap
agreed.
A title fight is needed on this card..I hope the UFC doesn’t do anything dumb like, Have Brock/Coleman the main event….Silva defending his title seems like the best case senario..
A Nog HW defense in Aug would be due to happen(time wise) But there is no one who (imo) deserves a title shot in the HW div. Hopfully the UFC can rebuild their HW division.
I think its a possability that GSP vs. Fitch might take place on this card. The event is almost 4 months away and is enough time for anyone to be ready. I dont think that GSP even get hit this past saturday by Serra, so GSP is probably healthy and I would not be surprised if GSP vs. Fich takes place at this event.
100% right John…A WW title fight could be very possible.(time wise).
I didn’t even think WW title, I guess because the fight on the weekend?
So if they do have a title fight on this card it would most likely be a MW or a WW title bout…
I say put both on the card!,,but now im just dreaming. The UFC hasn’t done that for a while..
I still love this fight tho… i hope Florian cracks his skull open with one of those nasty bows of his
I would hate if this fight got stopped because of a cut.
Florian by RNC. But i will def be pulling for huerta to win.
Huerta will pound the crap out of Florian. We will see the same relentless ground n pound out of Huerta that we see everytime he fights someone who he has better wrestling than. IMO, Florian’s only chance is a KO, which is highly unlikely.
I think you might be overrating Roger’s wrestling. Not sure he was even a division 2 competitor.
Huerta style will frustrate florian, and the only way florian can win is by cutting huerta. Which i think is a pussy way out!
Also remember that Kenny’s BJJ should be on another level than Roger’s, so Kenny just might be comfortable fighting off of his back. ESPECIALLY against a wild, wreckless, careless fighter like Huerta. He acts like a twirling retard sometimes when he has top position. If he makes one small mistake, expect Kenny to make him pay for it with a quick submission.
Huerta’s “loose cannon” style has gaping holes in it. Kenny is a master game planner. I fully expect Kenny to come up with a gameplan to dominate Huerta.
I have yet to see a Huerta fight where he hasn’t lost the mount or side control because he did something stupid.
Vm: Very good analysis!
Unfortunately - i agree with this assesment. Only way for Huerta to win is to overpower him on the ground for some vicious GnP or stuff ALL his takedowns (esp early in the round) and toss him around standing and in the clinch
If this goes on the ground - huerta will be in trouble
I agree with Mike. Huerta probably still fights with too much emotion. Surely Florian has to be the favourite. It could be a very good fight, I’ve come to expect that from Roger.
I know huerta was a division three wrestler and i think he puts some emphasis back on his wrestling he will be able to beat kenny standing.
He will beat Keeny standing with his wrestling?
Dude, are you guys kidding me? The same guy that was gettin smashed by Guida for 90% of the fight?
Florian is gonna kill this guy.
Who has Florian beaten who is anywhere near as good as Guida? R you counting Din Thomas (Who blew his knee out)??
Ding Ding!! you nailed it ont he head! who give two Sh*ts and a f*ck how a fight goes! if you manage to loose a dominating fight!…too bad that how the sport goes…that how its suppose to be! huerta is a much more instense fighter than ken flo..and thst saying alot ucz kenflo is intense…and so was guida! how can you deny that…its scares me that guida was going 100% full throttle againts huerta all 3 rounds..but huerta has the moxy! to go 120% past guida! in the third after he got dominated the first 2 rounds! you sir are an anomily int he way you judge fighters!
Florian mounted adn beat Florian, fought guys at 185 on the show, and was able to hang with Sherk(the best wrestler in the division by far) for 5 rounds. Huerta had much trouble with Guida, and has looked far more shakey agaisnt lesser competition.
Florian should take this farely easily, thsi is a good fight, its about time Huerta racks up an L.
I meant mounted and beat Lauzon
smashed come on man what fight were you watching no way was guida doing any smashing, it was very competitive.
That is incorrect.
F kenny florian,he’s a poser
He’ll whoop your ass
A poser? Good one idiot.
Fight of the Year. Here we come…
Go with the ‘Flo’ … Kenny, R2, GNP!
I think that Huerta should fight Penn or Sherk next. He earned it!!!
Yeah right, becuaes he barely beat Guida? His win over Guida was more lucky then Serra’s win over St. Pierre
kenny florian. hands down!
alright guys, I’ll post again tomorrow, but here I am for a quick second. While I think GSP was clearly wining (very decisively), why exactly was the fight stopped? What was there, 10 seconds left in the round, he wasn’t “rocked” and had flipped out of that same position 3 times already. No excuses, he was getting dominated, and would have had to connect with a one punch bomb to change things around, but still, why stop it?? Every time he flipped around, I though he was trying for a triangle, and was obviously waiting for the bell to sound the end of the round. Don’t take this as Serra was winning or gonna win, he wasn’t. GSP was dominant, but once again, knees to the body stopping a fight??? I’ve been watching and training mma for 12+ years now and have never seen anything like this. That fight where pete sell hit (forgot who) in the liver then got knocked out was a more devastating body blow, or when melvin guillard stopped a fight with a body shot, but this seemed premature.
Other than that, Lutter is pathetic, not as pathetic as starnes, but sickening to say the least! I picked Lutter, and thought he had that arm bar, but I got to give all the credit in the world to Rich Franklin. To get out of that arm bar, and then totally pound out a win was impressive. I also was impressed by (as expected) Bisping. Yes, tupperware wasn’t any type of test, but he looked crisp and ripped. That said, does he have power in those hands or knees?? I predicted him to be a contender by year end and stand behind that, but he has no chance against Silva, but no one does at this point.
Fitch, Karo or any one else are easy fights for gsp, and Silva would kill him at MW. I think once BJ beats sherk, he will bump up to be the only guy to hold 2 belts at the same time.
Lastly, nate quarru looked better than he ever has, and can’t wait to see him against someone who actually wants to fight, and that fight at the end (goulet) was great!! Mac Danzig looked good (as his opponent was very underrated), and overall I got my moneys worth. 7/10…but next month is shaping up to be 10/10, with june looking weak!! Talk to you guys tomorrow!!
what about Chuck vs Rampage I? Wasn’t that stopped due to knees to the body? Look at Serra’s head, he was ragdolling all over the place
nah dude. Chuck/Rampage#1 ended with Chucks corner, “throwing in the towel” (corner stoppage),Not Referee stoppage…But I see what your saying.
Matt I agree GSP/Serra#2 was definetly a GOOD call…It was stopped because Serra was not intelligently defending himself..Serra was getting his body caved in from powerfull knee’s, and he was just staying there with his hands on the mat.
Serra was also clearly gassed and was “ragdolling” before the final knee’s that ended the fight…Good call..Definetly not premature stoppage.
Kevin - no one agrees with you, please stop.
Serra should thank the ref for saving his rib cage and kidneys - probably a lung puncture and internal bleeding as well
GSP by clinic as predicted.
Im for Huerta in this one but… Something tells me Florian will win it.
No razor elbows from bottom guard please!
I’m a fan of both of these guys. It would be a hell of a fight. Neither of them would tap. Both of them are great fighters, charismatic and well educated. Personally, I was quite impressed with Florian’s work last night - he is well spoken and intelligent (as is Huerta).
That’s definitely right Kazai! Southpaw vs southpaw, that’s a fun match to watch!
“Other fights are currently in the works for this one … stay tuned.”
Any hints? I might be attending this one and would really like to know.
I love Huerta but he doesn’t stand a chance against Florian.
The winner of Huerta/Florian will face winner of Penn/Sherk in New Year’s Co-main event!! Believe it!!
People are picking Huerta??? It will be an exciting fight but Guida was creaming Roger until he landed that shot. Kenny is steamrolling the division right now. Kenny by anything.
i called this fight a while ago like most people. should be awsome
i love huerta but i think ken flo will beat him
kenflo vs roger, coleman vs lesnar, plus a title match
and what does the ufc in july get a frickin title shot that is it what a shame
lets just smoke some weed!
im down with that! 4:21..no better time
Hope everyone had a fun and safe 420 yesterday!!!!!
Thanks!Same to you! I smoked all day long..There is nothing safer then sitting around, watching NBA playoffs while puffing on my bong. My uncle died from cancer 4 years ago on April/20,,and he was a big pot-head(like myself). I think he would of liked the fact he passed on 420..So I smoked extra for him
Only bad thing about yesterday was that my Toronto Raptors dropped game one to the Magic…sad me.lol.
Very sorry to hear Stagger…
My straight edge brother in law thought it would be a great idea to invite us, his parents, grandparent, the whole nine yards, over to their new house for a big meal for the first time. And this HAD to be planned for 4/20??? WTF! I was PISSED. Luckily, we were only there for like 2 hours (they were serving food the whole time!), and was able to leave at 4:05. So I was able to be prepared for 4:20 on 4/20 for the drive home!
But I did not want to leave the house at all yesterday, unless he was to go buy more candy or something… I HATE driving around with anything ever since getting a house….
I baked my brains all day long and enjoyed watching my beloved 76′ers shock the world and Take game 1 against the pistons in Detroit! BTW, I also had $50 on that game so I guess it paid for all the Dro I blazed yesterday!
No need to be sorry VM, The Raps played shitty in the 1st half, and Orlando was killing us with three’s….oh you mean my Uncle.lol j/k,
.. thanks dude. We were mad close and I miss him everyday, but it’s all good, I don’t let it get me down or anything…Actually he was the one who got me watching UFC, and MMa fights in general..Back about 8/9 years ago..He loved MMa.
Glad to hear you got to smoke one at 4;20 on 4/20…I hate when there is something I have to do, but there is somewhere else I have to be…
john;
Your 76er’s shocked me..I hope they do beat Detroit.Then play the Rap’s 2nd round(if TOR upsets ORL).
Rasheed looked so pissed at the end. He probably went to the change room snapped on Prince and then punched a whole in the wall..lol
If the sixers find a way to upset Detroit, Philly will go Crazy! I think the Raptors have a great shot against Orlando. Dwight Howard is a freaking Animal, but Bosh is long and Athletic enough to slow dwight down. If the Raptors let HOwarfd grab 25 rebounds a game the series will be over quickly. Your boys need to keep that man-child of the glass!
Its nice to be a sixers fan these days, we play a very entertaining style of basketball, we are a very young team, and we are 1 of the teams with the most available cap room for this summers Free agent market. iguadala is a star in the making. Andre Miller is so under rated and he happens to be the most effective point guard in the Eastern Conference and THadues Young will be a SAT in the NBA!!! The future is bright for the sixers.
NFL draft this weekend. Which mean I get to find out what my beloved Eagles do with Lito Shepard. Word on the streets of Philly is that besides trading Lito to move up in the draft, the EAGLES are intersted in Wide Recievers: Chad Johnson, Roy Williams or Defensive end from K.C Jared allen.
hahahahahahaha
are you kidding , florian got pounded for 5 rounds against sherk , florian is a wrecking machine since then , he’s gonna give huerta all he can handle , they need to throw nate diaz vs clay guida on that card with yushin okami vs anderson silva and the lesnar / coleman fight and we have ourselves a hell of a card .
No, Kill-Flo got roid-humped for five rounds.
kenny whooped up on din thomas former champ of that division , joe lauson who is by far no pushover , and he’s wrecked basically anyone he’s been in their with , kurt pelligrino . kenny is going to make roger 6-1 in the octagon , i like rogers style but kenny is gonna be 2 much .
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
hey, this isn’t the real kevin, I’ll talk about the fight last night tomorrow!!!! I like Florian in this fight by the way
Kenny whooped up on Din Thomas? I must have missed that fight. The one I saw, they circled each other for like 30 seconds. Then Din shot in and blew his knee out.
How great is the 155 lb division, Diaz,Sherk,Penn,Huerta,Florian,Danzig, and the list goes on. This is one tough division, most stacked in my opinion by far. These guys really put out awesome fights.
As for this fight, its hard since I like both a lot. I would have to give the edge to Ken Flo but damn Huerta has crazy heart.
Maynard, Edgar, Griffin . . .
Florian wins this fight. I believe we will see a Franklin vs Henderson shootout with the winner getting Silva after he grinds up the bones of Okami. I would also like to see Bisping face Leben or Cote in a Middleweight standup war.
I really think that Huerta’s fast pace fighting style is going to end up hurting him in the end of this fight. Its difficult to fight at that pace and not make a single mistake especially against a technical fighter like Ken Flo. I really think this one is going to be a big win for Ken FLo~
I think Huertas good, but i dont think he deserves a title shot yet. With the exception of Guida, everyone hes fought were rookies in the UFC, and Guida gave Huerta almost all he could handle…and since that was the case, i think Florian will rape Huerta
Huerta has heart so it will be an interesting fight. I wouldn’t count Huerta out of this fight just yet. Anyone that can come from behind and win a fight the way Roger did in the Guida fight is someone you can never count out.
Should be about time for the Anderson Silva to defend his title. I’m guessing Okami and Silva.
I would love to see Wanderlei drop down to MW after his fight with Jardine. I am a big Wanderlei fan but I just think this is a bad fight for him. Wandy Vs. Anderson would be a good fight and we could also see Wanderlei Vs. Hendo 3. How cool would that be?
I would rather see Rampage vs Wanderlei 3.
kenny by decisive win. He’s just been doing everything right and i reckon he will tap huerta. great fight
I really want this fight to happen..If it gets booked, I think it will have the same hype around it as Huerta/Guida, which (imo) turned out to be one of the best fights of the year..This fight also has “Great fight” written all over it..
I am a fan of both fighters, but I have been on the Huerta bandwagon longer then his UFC career…This is by far Roger’s toughest fight to date, and Kenny will be a handful the whole time..But I do think Huerta has all the tools he needs to win, and is very capable of winning this fight..Right now I cant make my official pick because this fight could go both ways, but if I had to make a prediction I would pick Roger..I am a fan of both, but I am a bigger Huerta fan, so for now I will pick him..
Hope it happens, this is a great match-up..
Completely with you. These guys are easily my two favorite LW fighters. They’re both very intense, very skillful, tougher than a $2 steak, and they look to finish fights. They’re also both intelligent, well-spoken and respectful. I really don’t know how there are people here hating on either of them.
Both are definetly top fighters in LW division….I love the LW division, soo many good fighters, which means sooo many entertaining fights.And it doesn’t even stop with just UFC LW div.There is alot of top LW fighters that could/should be in the UFC..The UFC LW division is pretty stacked, and it is crazy to think that it could get more stacked, because the LW division in all around MMa is amazing!..
Another really big style fight. Huerta is a brawler, but Id give the standup to Kenny. This match very much falls into a pro-florian fight style wise. Only way I see anyone beating Kenny anytime soon is a big strong wrestler (Grey would generate a great matchup.)
It seems like kenny should win this one, but that’s what I thought last time when Roger fought Guida. I think Roger will pull another come from behind victory like he did against guida. I’ll probably still bet on florian.
I think it’ll be a good fight, we mexicans need a star in the MMA sport haha
This is great news. I am REALLY hoping that Lesnar/Coleman isn’t going to be the Main Event of this card. Athough, the first fight announced for a card is typically the main event. That would be a very sad day for MMA. Lesnar/Coleman couldn’t even headline a WWE event, let alone a UFC event.
Florian/Huerta is a fight that DESERVES to be a headlining fight along with a Main Event. Florian/Huerta is WAAAAAY bigger than Franklin/Lutter or Gonzaga/Werdum.
Now if the UFC can find a REAL main event for this card, it has the potential to be a top notch event!
As for the fight, Florian/Huerta, I predict Kenny getting the finish by submission. Kenny’s BJJ should be on another level than Roger’s. Kenny should find himself comfortable fighting off of his back, ESPECIALLY against a wild, wreckless, careless fighter like Huerta. He acts like a twirling retard sometimes when he has top position. If he makes one small mistake, expect Kenny to make him pay for it with a quick submission.
Huerta’s “loose cannon” style has gaping holes in it. Kenny is a master game planner. I fully expect Kenny to come up with a gameplan to dominate Huerta.
I have yet to see a Huerta fight where he hasn’t lost the mount or side control because he did something stupid.
If Huerta can keep Florian unbalanced with his striking to minimize takedown attempts AND neutralizes the attempts florian does make, heurta has an OK chance at overpowering him standing and on the ground if he has top position
If florian is able to take him down and work guard/side control, heurta will be in for a long night
Heurta has a decent chance (40% id say) since he has the size/strength/striking advantage, theyre both on par for cardio but like VM says - he does have some huge gaps in his game that Florian can easily take advantage of
I’ll be pulling for Heurta - but i dislike Florian less since his commenting last Sat wasn’t bad at all
UFC 87:
Main Event: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami
Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Coleman
why are yall hyping up kenny florian, dude sucks. who has he beat that is worth even talking about?
for real?
i hope Roger pounds his face into mash potatoes
well i dont think guida would stand a chance vs. florian and guida had huerta on the ropes so i cant possibly see huerta making it 3 rounds…. either cut or submission but i will deff. be cheering for huerta …. huerta vs. penn …. $$$$
I stopped doubting Kenny about 3 fights ago. He has improved and got better with every fight. I also like Huerta there is no doubting his skills, they both always bring it when they step in the Ocotgan. As someone mentioned ealier, how could you possibly hate either of these guys for what they bring to the UFC you really can’t fault them. Kenny would have beaten Sherk if it wasn’t for Sherks steroid strength in that fight. All Sherk did was use his power to keep taking him down all the time. And it is only really because of his strength that he wins, nothing else. This is a close on to call, and may even go to a descision. I am going to give it to Kenny though, he just gets better with every fight. Should be a good one.