Jul-24-2008

The Florian Report – Week Three

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By Kenny Florian

We’ve got Kurt Pellegrino in town to help me with me preparation and my sparring, and we’ve been stepping it up with the sparring the last week or so.

Kurt’s from New Jersey, and like a lot of the fighters on the east coast, he’s starting to come into his own in the UFC. We’re really starting to come around and since we’ve been exposed to the sport, we’ve really been passionate about it and trained really hard for the fights. One thing you get with east coast fighters is that you’re always gonna have that work ethic. It’s rare that you’ll get a lazy east coast fighter. We’re always working hard and trying to prove that we’re right up there with the west coast guys. The sport’s been around a lot longer over there, but we definitely have a good amount of fighters that are coming up now.

As far as I’m concerned, I really didn’t think of it when I was on the show, but I still get a lot of emails regarding the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and how a lot of fighters coming up looked up to me and saw me as one of the guys representing their city, town, or area, and how it got them involved in the sport. It’s interesting how the show really exposed the sport to a whole new generation of fans and how people really got into the sport from watching the show. And to have someone from your area on the show is even more inspiring to people.

I think the only way to top things off for a lot of us here on the east coast would be to bring the UFC back here. It would be unbelievable for me - a dream come true – and obviously a huge dream of mine would be to come back here and fight in Boston. I’ve had the opportunity to fight in different cities – Vegas, Sacramento, Denver, and now Minnesota – and it’s been nice to spread the word around about the sport and get my name in different cities, but obviously my dream would be to fight back home.

My media obligations have been picking up a bit now. I was hiding out for a little while, but now I’m back, the media knows, and they’ve been calling. I average at least 2-3 interviews a day and I could probably do a lot more, but I’m limiting it to 2-3. By the time you read this I will have also had an open workout for the local media as well. A lot of people ask me what’s the question I hear the most, and it’s got to be ‘How did you get into this sport?’ They’re still asking that one, and I guess it’s tough for some people to understand that some people go to college and still want to fight. You don’t have to be an angry kid to fight; it’s a thinking man’s game too. When answering that question, I try to make it new in my head, but I think I’m gonna start answering it a different way every single time.

Back to the fight, I’ve watched Roger’s win over Clay Guida a number of times, and I see both positives and negatives in his performance. Roger showed once again the kind of heart that he has. He’s got a lot of determination and he’s never gonna quit, and like a lot of fighters with a Mexican heritage, he’s got that never say die attitude. He was also very calm. When he was in the tough positions, he kept his cool and was able to fight back. But at the same time, I look at the mistakes he was making – he was being controlled, he was being taken down, and in some cases he was getting hit too often by a guy who’s not known for his striking. One thing’s for sure though, I’m sure Roger has been working on those mistakes that he’s made, and you’re always gonna have a battle with him.

And I’m ready for whatever he brings. Roger’s real confident right now. I’ve heard part of his interview on the UFC 87 website where he said the fight’s gonna be a cakewalk and that he’ll never lose, but I’m not sure he knows the kind of opponent he’s fighting, and perhaps that’s just him pumping himself up. Right now, I’m at the point of my career where if anyone thinks I’m gonna be a cakewalk for them – I don’t care who it is, maybe even up to 170 – I’m gonna give anyone hell. They’re gonna have to walk through hell to beat me and I’m as sharp as I’ve ever felt. I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m really looking forward to this fight. I know Roger’s ready and he’s been training hard, but I want to show him what the next level of mixed martial arts is all about.


For more information on Kenny Florian, please visit www.kennyflorian.com