Props: Sherdog.com
Quoteworthy:
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I went out there and knocked out Joe Stevenson in the first 10 seconds and they were like, ‘Kenny got lucky, and he still has to prove himself; he’ll never beat Sean Sherk or B.J. Penn, and Tyson Griffin’s a better fighter.’.. For whatever reason, people are still doubting me. It’s normal.”
Even with five straight wins — and likely no need to take a fight anytime soon because he’s emerged as the top contender in the lightweight division — Florian still doesn’t feel the love. In fact, even if he scores a knockout over Joe Stevenson at UFC 91 in Portland, Ore., on November 15, Florian still feels the doubters will remain. Maybe he needs a tattoo (sarcasm).
84 Comments »
kenny is turning into a bit of a forest in that respect. However, i do think that he looks like he thinks to much when he fights, if that makes sense… a good fighter tho.
Cry me a River build a bridge and get over it! Maybe if he spent more time actually engaging with opponents instead of running, people wouldnt doubt him (See the Huerta and Din THomas fights).
Without a doubt, Kenny is one of the best lightweights in the world. But to be honest, he hasnt really beaten many top fighters. He beat a wet behind the ears Lauzon and Huerta (2 great fighters but who were both clealy not ready to fight the upper echelon fighters of the lightweight division.
If Kenny wants to be the clear cut best, he will need some wins over:
sherk
Penn
Tyson
How many wins over legit top 10 fighters does Kenny have?
Stevenson
As much as I like Huerta, Florian, Din thomas and Dokonjonosuke Mishima, they are not the best of the best in the UFC lightweight division
Good point John.. I would mind seeing Florian vs Sherk 2.. cuz after there first fight. that was when Florian pick up his strenght and condtioning.
Although this is dredging up old stuff, I’m surprised Florian didn’t get another title shot sooner, simply based on the fact that he lost to Sherk, who 1 fight down the line tested positive for roids. Would definitely like to see a rematch of that one.
Sherk only defeneded his championship once before getting popped for roids along with Hermes. Then he fought BJ upon returning. BJ fought Joe and is now waiting a long time to fight GSP at WW. Kenny should have gotten another shot at the title already, but on average, this belt has been defended about once a year over the past 3 years.
I agree! I would really like to see Sherk vs. Florian 2 because like Phil pointed out, thats when Florian picked his game up!
I still dont know if Kenny can beat the powerhouse wrestlers at 155.
Can he keep a fight standing? Still not sure
Is his jits good enough to pull a sub off his back against a world class wrestler? Not sure about that eiter. I haven’t seen it!
Joe Silva has done a great job by Sheltering Florian from his weakness: World Class wrestlers. If he wants to get another title shot, IMO he must prove that he can not get put on his back for an entire fight against a wrestler.
This is why I like the stevenson match up. If Kenny canm prove to win this match up and do it decisively, then all my questions will have been answered!
I want to see BJ fight 4 times next year, and beating sherk and stevenson does not put you anywhere in the top 10 P4P.
I don’t disagree, but if Kenny beats Joe, he definately gets and deserves title shot. If kenny faces Penn, win or lose, we’ll see if he’s as good as we think. That is true of a lot of guys. They look good or even great, until they face the best of the best. Then they just look above average. Kenny is a good fighter, and Joe will make, or break him.
Absolutely! If Kenny can beat Joe-daddy, I say he is READY for a title shot…Easier said then done because Joe is a GAMER!
This is exactly what Kenny is talking about…people doubting him. I’ve said this before…Kenny is one of the smartest fighters there are. He’s not really strong or really fast or really athletic but he makes up for all that by using tight and sound gameplans for opponents and he adapts extremely quickly and efficiently during fights. He trains extremely hard and is very well rounded and has evolved as a fighter.
Look back at Kenny when he was on TUF and look at him now…he looks nothing like he did back then and I’m not talking about the weight loss…I’m talking about his skill set. He’s improved after all his fights and if watch them…Rogan says the same thing every fight “This is the best Kenny Florian we have seen to date”. That’s cause it’s the truth. Kenny went 5 rounds with Sherk and could have won that fight from the cuts on Sherk (not a nice way to win but for a title…I’d take the win). He came back from that loss and start getting better cardio and started working on his strength and quickness as well. I think Kenny would make out much better against Sherk a second time around.
I know Kenny looked a little too elusive against Huerta but that’s what his plan was and it worked…so you can’t knock him for it. He didn’t want to stand and brawl with Huerta cause he knew that was Huerta’s bread and butter. So of course Kenny tried to hit and stick and move. He got into a few small brawls in the fight with Roger and it was pretty even in that aspect. Kenny went in with a great gameplan and executed it flawlessly…that’s how fights are won.
I think Joe is a great fighter and his guillotine is one of the best in the world. This is going to be a really good match and it’ll be interesting to see who pushes the pace in this fight. Joe has a wrestling advantage but Kenny is dangerous off his back just like Joe is so I’m not sure if either will want to take it there but Joe might think he can out muscle Kenny like Sherk did. Kenny is going to work his quick jab and use the straight kick again to keep Joe at bay but I think Kenny is going to get in some serious elbows in the clinch and is going to get the blood flowing quickly in this one and then Joe is going to panic and make some mistakes and Kenny is excellent at captilizing on mistakes. Joe is not a patient fighter and that’s going to work against him.
I can’t believe how many people think Joe Daddy will get a Guillotine on Kenny. I’m a big Joe Daddy fan but after watching the Huerta fight, I think this one will go pretty much the same way. Kenflo will avoid shooting in and leaving himself open for the the guillotine (something Tibau didn’t do). Standing up, he’ll use kicks and his footwork to stay out of Joe’s reach. If it goes to the ground, I think Ken’s jj is good enough to avoid any submissions and if he has mount he’ll score w/ some gnp. Joe’s best chance of winning will be to press Florian for the whole fight, but that’s not really his style.
Not a bad analysis John, but I was thinking about how we jump on these guys any time they something something defensive. I don’t think I could live up to the same standards I hold these guys to. I don’t blame Kenny for the comment. I disagree with you on the running aspect though. It’s a technical sport. We need a few guys like Kenny and Machida. They’re like a great defensive football team IMO. They keep the score low, but it’s still fun to watch (for me anyway). Kalib is the only performance I can’t defend b/c he was clearly losing and still running. Plus, I really like Kenny for looking like a geek and being a badass. When I was fighting many moons ago, there was this little 165-pounder who came to practice with us. I was 215lbs and litte green to the sport. This guy looked a bit like Kenny. Little did I know that he was a former gymnist. He botched a takedown and we were both on one knee. Then he basically pommeled on my shoulders like I was the pommel horse. I was caught so off guard I didn’t defend the choke. Prior to that he was running from everything. Anyway, my training partner turned to me and said, “you never know who’s gonna whip your ass.” People look at me and expect that I will have some ability to fight. It’s the unassuming guys like Kenny that I get a kick out of.
I love Machida, and I am a big fan of Kenny’s. I didnt mean to come off as bashing him, I was just disappointed in the Huerta fight. it was a solid fight but it did not live up to the billing. Some blame has to go to HUerta as well.
Great comparison between stylistic fighter like Machida and defensive NFL teams. I enjoyed that Analysis. Good stuff!
I really enjoy watching Machida fight and its easier to get Knocked out at 205 than it is at 155. Thats probably why I am more critical of Kenny then I am of Machida. I want to see kenny stay in the pocket more and pick people apart with his technical striking like I know that he is capable of.
Still in all, I am a big fan of both fighters, I just think that Kenny doesnt have to stick and move as much at 155 as Machida does at 205. I would like to see Kenny stay in the pocket more and pick people apart like he started to do in the 3rd round against Huerta
agreed
i dont see any blame in Huerta’s appraoch to the fight…he was walking him down the whole time…making the engagements when there was a pause in the action.he was the major aggressor in the whole fight, he tried to make it exciting…if anything huerta ability to fight and scramble should be at fault for kenny’s inability to finish huerta lol im not bashing kenny for his choice to fight…that what he needed to do to win. Kenny played his game knowing he would come off boring. dont know why hes not expecting this sort of reaction…also i thought hed be more proffesional about this and really care about what ppl say you know.
didn’t expect this comment from machida’s biggest fan!
how do you beat a brawler??? you box them, thats what florian did. quit saying he ran.
I agree with you john…i knew kenny was better fighter than huerta…i cheered for huerta tho. i think he is hearting about peoples reactions to him about what he said about huerta possible cheating…cmon we all know that what he was accusing him of that…why else would he bring it up? anyways he is hearing all of our reactions of him saying something like that and taking it out of context. i though he was smarter than that. but he is looking into this whole being the top contender way deeply. i dont understand kenny side on this….alot of ppl were cheering for huerta…only becuz he was a fan favorite you know…most of use knew kenny’s skill are more fine tuned than huerta…than he has to go on and say…” the reason i couldnt finish was because huerta was slippery” wah!!!! cant he just take the win and keep it to himself!?
enough said.
IMO, Florian think much too highly of himself! My friend sez he’s a bit overrated, and I think so too! But make no mistake about it, I made a bet on Florian to defeat Huerta! I got my money!
I’m not sure what Kenny’s point is? Why would people think he is the best? Penn would destroy him and Sherk already beat him. Good fighter yes… but you need to beat fighter’s in the top ten first. Do any of you guys think Roger was in the top ten? Not a Kenny hater just want your thoughts…
I read this early this morning, and I think a title shot can wait. This is what I like about florian, he wants to stay busy, so he fights. SAll these other guys always asking for a title shot gets a bit redundent.
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* for those who missed it:
MONDAY MORNING CONVERSATION
One companies genius may ruin one mans career! My sources are telling me that Elite is trying to get Sean Gannon to fight Kimbo on CBS, only problem is, the boston pd is telling him if he does, he’s done. Thats not the career I’m talking about! This would be a genious move by elite. The majority of Kimbo followers are lower income, gangstas and teenagers. This would be a redemption fight for their hero. CBS ratings would soar, and Kimbo would likely get his redemption.
On the flip side, there is us, the hardcore fans. We realize this is just another freak show, and to be honest would be the last straw as far as I’m concerned with elite! For Kimbo, it’s a lose/lose! He wins, he’s supposed to. Everyone says so what, he beat a cop who hasn’t fought since getting killed in 2005. He loses, he’s even lower on the ladder than we already think he is. This could possibly be career suicide. If elite goes under, he has no credibility to go to a place like the UFC. That said, Dana white could feed him to Lesner, who I guarantee would beat Kimbo in less than a minute.
Here’s the kicker…It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. If I had to choose between Kimbo and Lesner, I’d take Lesner’s talent and Kimbo’s attitude. He’s a soft spoken, well spoken guy who is not only humble, but admits he’s very new to all this mma stuff. I respect lesner for wanting to fight the best, but feel Kimbo is getting handled wrong. I truley hope his management demands a better opponent, in my opinion, a big loss is way better than another fluffed up win!
I heard taht EliteXC lost like $30Million and if this last freakshow doesn’t go well, then I say there outfit is done!
I hope Stevenson knocks him out!
Jet, I dont see that happening. Florian (though not tested really by any means) has only been (T)KO’ed by Diego, when they were fighting at 185. And Stevenson has only had one TKO in the UFC (and that was a doctor stoppage).
I see this fight going a lot like Stevenson vs Penn, just Florian will be about one level below Penn all around. Hellbow leading to a submission that being said.
WB, I agree with what you are saying….but call it more like a wish…I hope Stevenson knocks him out!
I will settle for a guillotine choke. Joe gets it in it will be over fast. I dont think people doubt Florian’s ability is just that Florian singled handily made a fight of the year candidate into not even fight of the night. Good game plan fpr Florian.
Wow, Kenny sounds depressed..lol.
But seriously, I do think Kenny will beat Joe quickly..Joe is a totally different fighter then Huerta..Kenny had to make some serious adjustment in his game to fight Roger..
Joe has only 2 ways to win..eiter decision or tko(and i doubt this one)..
Kenny is way more “well rounded” then Joe and also a more intelligent fighter..
.Kenny is a dangerous man, and I feel after not being able to finish his last oponant, he will work harder agianst a more one dimentional fighter in Joe Daddy..
I dont know that Kenny’s Jits is CLEARLY better than JOes….I actually think its pretty even
john, I would agree with their JJ being equal on the defensive end. but offensivly? I would have to go with Kenny..I feel he has the advantage in actually finishing a submission attempt(unless its a Joe Daddy guilitine.lol)..
They are most likely equal in JJ all around. but agianst eachother?..Advantage=Kenny(imo)..
You don’t think its at all possible for Joe Daddy to catch Florian in a Guillatine? Sure Kenny got great BJJ, but even Frank Mir says that Stevenson has one of the tightest/strongest guillatines in all of MMA, and he is only a LW!!! Later in the fight, Kenny has a much better chance at escaping, but if Joe puts one on him early in the fight, Kenny might have no other options besides tapping or going to sleep.
I am leaning toward Florian in this fight, but a Joe Daddy Guillatine can NEVER be out of the question.
“but a Joe Daddy Guillatine can NEVER be out of the question.”…lol
ViolentMike, you are 100% right..I should have put in guillatine choke considering Joe Daddy is famous for that..
Absolutely! I dont count out Joe submitting Florian at all! As for Florian submitting JOe…HIghly Unlikely!
john, I Highly disagree, and it’s not because I am high(cause I am), but IMO- I feel Kenny will win this fight quickly via submission..Even if it doesn’t end quick, I think Kenny is winning via submission..I am calling it now..
I think Kenny could sumbit Joe if he gets the hooks in his back and sinks in the rear naked choke.
I dont really see Joe loosing to arm bars, triangles, kimura’s, Omo’s (who joe defended against Tibau Beautifully, keeping his 1 leg up) or any of those basic moves. As a matter of fact, I dont think either will submit the other with those moves.
IMO, If the fight is going to end by submission, it will be:
Kenny via RNC or Joe via Guillatine.
I would throw all of those subs in the hat on my prediction except kimura’s..I feel Kenny will most likely win by an arm-bar, triangle or RNC..Any of those, I could see Kenny getting…That is my prediction.. I really dont see Joe winning this fight unless it’s by gutting out a decision or a guilitine ‘of coarse..
Im off to bed now, it’s been a long night!..Peace-out.
Peace stager! Since our debat is over, I will post some comments about Jake Sheilds:
Sheilds wants my boy, Aoki:
“I don’t think Aoki wants to fight me. He’s got no warrior spirit,” Shields told MMAWeekly. “He’s from Japan, who’d have thought?”
Sheilds on Paul Daley:
“Obviously I’m going to take him serious, start watching tapes and figure it out from there,” he said.
I am a big fan Jake, but please stop bad mouthing my boy Aoki! Aoki hasnt fought at welterweight in a while. AStick to the task at hand and worry about Daley, who I think will pull of the upset!
Last week I saw those comments Jake made about Aoki as well. Aoki is a LW BJJ guy. Shields is a monster WW. He would eat Aoki up for dinner! Jake vs Sakurai would be a much better fight, or heck even Misaki who can make WW.
True that! I wouldnt want to see lil Aoki fight Jake!
Jake, I am a big fan, but call out someone your own size you freakin Bully!
I never doubt Kenny, I put 100 quick on him against huerta…
I doubt don’t you Kenny! And stop worrying about what people think. That should just be even more motivation to train harded to prove everyone wrong. Honestly, its because of the way you look. If you had Wanderlei Silva’s face on you, you would by far be the 2nd most feared LW besides BJ.
I don’t know why I kept saying ‘you’ as if I was talking to The Finisher…
My boss stopped by for like 15 minutes and I couldn’t submit this post until she left. All of my replies are above my original post…
That sucks. I am the “boss”, but I have subcontractors walking in every 10 minutes trying to do business or something. I guess I should go to work.
Haha! my boss passes by and I don’t give a f**k and still type. She just looks at me but I don’t care! They’ll be losin’ a lot of business if they fire me!
joe will choke kenny out.
I like Kenny, but I am really Hoping Joe wins this one. I thonk this could be another Shirk vs Florian type of fight. Stevenson should be stronger and a better wrestler, and better BJJ. Kenny is a much better striker, but I most worry that Joe cuts easy, and Kenny is good at cutting people….. Might be another Blood bath.
Joe by popping Kenny’s head like a zit
He looks like an even more retarded, 3rd Diaz brother in that picture
good post mike! kenny definetly needs 2 put all that he said she said nonsense out of his mind, a waste of head space! kenny has a long career ahead of him lots of room 4 growing mentally & physically!
Kenny and Fitch could get together and have a good pity party. Although, I think Kenny is due for a shot at the title after he beats Joe. But, I doubt that will happen. Maybe Fitch could drop weight, lose to Penn and gain even MORE respect…lol!
Kenny Florian has definitely earned his shot for the title…but that last fight with Roger still irks me. It was alot of watching Florian and his fancy footwork mixed with a couple combos until the 3rd round….where Roger came in like a nasty bull and there were some better exchanges. I know he fought a smart fight..but I swear he must have been scared shitless of Roger. To me hes the lightweight version of Forrest except his chin hasnt been tested as much. I cant wait for BJ to take care of him and show him the difference between where he is at and where BJ and other fighters are at. Hes much improved but I still cant get that TKO from Diego over Kenny out of my head. Hes one of the top contenders , but he still far from being a champion.
dude, the diego sanchez tko loss was at middleweight. 30 lbs over kenny’s natural weight class.
kenny is definetely the top contender to bj, but he wont hold the title anytime soon.
OK Fellas! Here is some EliteXC news:
October 4th CBS:
Ninja vs. Benji Radach
November 11th (showtime):
Robbie Lawler vs. Villasenyor: title shot and a rematch of their Pride fight
Correction: November *th is the showtime card
Isn’t Radach that guy that stopped an armed robbery at a restraunt he was eating at? Ninja isnt one of my favorite fighters, but I don’t think there is any way he is losing to Radach.
Mex: I have never heard that story. Then again, I dont follow Benji too often.
The difference between these 2 is on the ground. Ninja has a WORLD CLASS GROUND GAME thats often under appreciated by fans. Not only is his submissions amazing, but he uses his jits to get into great position to inflict damage via Ground n pound. Ninja is Nasty on the ground now that he can include elbows to his arsenal.
It was like in 2004 that it happened. They did a piece on it on an IFL show once. Here is a link to an article about it:
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2004/10/25/area_news/news03.txt
They didnt say in the IFL piece that the guy he stopped was 65 years old. I just read that.
Thanks for the read Mex!
I laughed when he said that he thought that he had a good chance at overpowering the 64 year old man. I would hope a trained MMA fighter would! But that was pretty sweet how he applies the wrist lock to dispose of the weapon. Then he knocked him unconsious with a blow to the head. LOL. If that was my Grandpa he did that too I’d be PISSED. Then again, my Grandpa doesn’t rob diners either so I guess we’re cool. I would have thought that Dennis Hallman would have been the first to act, he seems like that type.
Congrats to Benje Radach!
I laughed too when I read the article. I had only seeing the IFL peice on the story a while back and didnt realize the guy was 65. It does make it a little funnier.
lmao
Its hard to take someone serious that looks like Ben Stiller!
kenny is a beast hands down. he would smash a the steroidless sherk and him vs penn or griffin would be a great fight that i would pay to see.
keep up the beat downs kenny
As long as he continues to have that GAY-ASS nickname, people won’t give him respect. C’mon, Ken-Flo?
Maybe if you didn’t have that stupid pouty look on your face all the time….
It’s called Blue Steel.
Kenney is the man and should be respected for stepping up and takeing a hard fight when he could have waited for a title shot.
why should he be respected for taking a fight? it’s his job to fight.. it would be stupid for him to just wait around! look at what happened to Brandon Vera he’s still not the same because of that long break..
Vera didn’t have a title shot coming next. Who else besides Chuck would take that chance?
Dear Kenny, it would be a surprise if almost anyone knocked Joe Stevenson out in 10 seconds. They usually involve luck. If you can’t understand this in English, try it in another language, mmmkay?
Also, even if you could beat Sean Sherk, big friggin’ deal. The guy’s as one dimensional as anyone in the UFC. And of course no one believes you could beat B.J. You have a lot to show before that time comes.
Florian’s a good fighter, I guess… But sooooo Arrogant!!!
Look at that face he makes in every picture! Sooooo serious
lololhaha.. ok Florian, you beat Huerta… congrats but since when did you have 10 second KO power?
Sean Sherk squeezed the life out of Ken for 5 rounds. I mean cmon, lets be real. All hope was lost in that fight. Sherk took all 5 rounds – even the 1 where Ken landed elbows. I don’t see why the 2nd fight would be any different.
Tyson’s last 4 – Guida, Tavares, Tibau, Aurelio
Kenny’s last 4 – Robinson, Thomas, Lauzon, Huerta
Do we even need to start comparing wit BJ?
IF Griffin does somehow beat Sherk, he needs to be top 5 LW on EVERYBODYS LIST AND #1 CONTENDER! I’m looking forward to seeing Griffin/FLorian eventually 1 day. Thats building up to be a classic.
However, I hope Joe Daddy humbles Florian with his little Machida impression! That would be amusing.
but Kenny finishes fights. lol. Seriously Tyson needs to finish someone.
I’m not Kenny. I’m not.
Yea we’re doubting you…..BJ Penn would wax your ass.
Sorry Kenny, you’re just not a likable guy imo!
i know for some strange reason he comes off like an arrogant know it all type a-hole. i really really dislike Kenny
That’s why I think most people doubt him!
BJ will spank that *ss!
CRYBABY
I think Kenny Florian has doubters because he looks like a dork. Whether he’s a good fighter or not…the casual MMA fan is going to like the guy who is more visibly impressive (looks tougher, scarier, meaner etc.) Meanwhile Kenny Florian looks like GayLord Focker. lol
Haha that pic reminds me of Zoolander
Regardless what fans think Florian is the number one contender at 55. Since the ufc is more interested in selling shows,(understandable) we get Penn vs Gsp instead. A fight that really doesnt make any sense if you look at it in a “real Sport” stand point. Meaning rules should be followed and as much as i would like to see who the better fighter is between Penn and Pierre the champ should defend his belt in his respective weight class against the number 1 contender. If Pierre wins, then Penn fights Florian, (assuming he wins his next fight) then if he beats Penn its a Penn who just lost his last fight!! If Penn beats Gsp even worst a 55 pounder beats the ww champ after losing his last two fights at that weight class and beating no one at the weight class to even deserve to fight the champ?!?
If Kenny would trim those Marx brothers, catepillar eyebrows of his maybe he wouldn’t look like a wuss.
“kenlfo” nuff said …….
correct. he will never beat bj and sherk. never.