Kenny Florian
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| Kenny Florian | |
|---|---|
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname | KenFlo |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg/11.1 st) |
| Born | May 26, 1976 |
| Fighting out of | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Town of birth | Westwood, Massachusetts |
| Team/Association | Team Sityodtong |
| Fighting style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 6 |
| Losses | 3 |
Kenny Florian (born May 26, 1976 in Westwood, Massachusetts) is an American mixed martial artist with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. He is best 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 holds notable wins over Alex Karalexis, Sam Stout, Alvin Robinson, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Din Thomas, and Joe Lauzon.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Florian's parents are from Peru in South America, but he claims Spanish, Italian, German, French, and Armenian descent. [1] As a child, Florian excelled in many sports including soccer, tennis, and the martial arts. In high school and college, he focused mainly on soccer and put the martial arts aside. He played soccer at Boston College, and earned Big-East academic all-star status. He graduated with a degree in Communications.
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).
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
Kenny is known for his elbow strikes, which Joe Rogan describes as "razor sharp".
Florian made his MMA debut at The Battle in Taunton defeating the likes of Nuri Shakir. Florian's 2nd fight was in January 2003 at Mass Destruction 10, defeating Jason Giroux via TKO (strikes). Kenny made another appearance in the Mass Destruction Promotion at MD - 15 and brought home a sweet victory over Bobby McAndrews by a 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.
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 Sanchez due to strikes.
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. 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 season 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.
On April 5, 2007, at UFC Fight Night 9 Florian defeated Japanese fighter Dokonjonosuke Mishima via rear naked choke submission.
On July 7, 2007, at UFC 73, he defeated UFC newcomer Alvin Robinson via submission due to strikes in the first round.
In one of Florian's more recent fights he 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. 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.
On April 2nd Florian next defeated the young up and comer Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 13 by TKO Strikes from Mount, early on in just the 2nd round to secure his spot among the UFC's Top Light Weight Contenders.[2]
On April 19th, Florian filled in for Joe Rogan as the color commentator for UFC 83.
Kenny's next scheduled fight is with Roger Huerta at UFC 87 on August 9th, 2008.
He currently hosts an online show called MMA Live for ESPN.com.[1]
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 13 matches | 10 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 2 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
| Win | Joe Lauzon | TKO (Strikes) | UFC Fight Night 13 | 04/02/2008 | 2 | 3:28 | |
| Win | Din Thomas | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC Fight Night 11 | 09/19/2007 | 1 | 4:30 | |
| Win | Alvin Robinson | Submission (Strikes) | UFC 73: Stacked | 7/7/2007 | 1 | 4:30 | |
| Win | Dokonjonosuke Mishima | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC Fight Night 9 | 4/5/2007 | 3 | 3:57 | |
| Loss | Sean Sherk | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 64: Unstoppable | 10/14/2006 | 5 | 5:00 | For Vacant UFC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Sam Stout | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale | 6/24/2006 | 1 | 1:46 | |
| Win | Kit Cope | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale | 11/5/2005 | 2 | 0:37 | |
| Win | Alex Karalexis | TKO (Cut) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night | 8/6/2005 | 2 | 2:52 | |
| Loss | Diego Sanchez | TKO (strikes) | UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale | 4/9/2005 | 1 | 2:49 | |
| Loss | Drew Fickett | Decision | Combat Zone 7: Gravel Pit | 7/10/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Bobby McAndrews | Submission (Kimura) | Mass Destruction 15 | 2/21/2004 | 1 | 1:57 | |
| Win | Jason Giroux | TKO (Strikes) | Mass Destruction 10 | 1/25/2003 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Nuri Shakir | TKO (Strikes) | Battle In Taunton | N/A | 1 | N/A |
[edit] References
- ^ Interview With Mixed Martial Artist Kenny Florian by Ben Tatar http://www.criticalbench.com/Kenny-Florian.htm
- ^ UFC Fight Night: Kenny Florian vs Joe Lauzon. UFC.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
[edit] External links
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