This past April at UFC Fight Night, a sold-out crowd filed into Colorado’s Broomfield Event Center for a highly-anticipated match between two East Coast alums of The Ultimate Fighter: the older, seasoned Kenny Florian versus the younger up-and-comer Joe Lauzon.
According to Florian, the self-proclaimed “finisher,” the Massachusetts showdown went exactly according to plan.
“Joe is the kind of guy that goes all out from the beginning,” said Florian. “I knew that I would be able to keep up the pace and that he was going to fade. I just got superior position and rained down the punches until the referee stopped it.”
But the ease with which Florian recounted his second-round TKO -- which won Fight of the Night honors -- also came with a dose of self-critical introspection.
“I still did a lot of things wrong in that fight,” he said. “There is always room for improvement. Either for physical or technical reasons, I didn’t show what I was fully capable of in the Lauzon fight - it should have been even easier. I’ll never be satisfied with any performance, I’m sure of it. Right now, my team and I are taking certain steps to improve on past performances. Not many people go to the lengths that I do to get better.”
Florian will put those steps to the test on Aug 9 at UFC 87, when he faces off against Roger ‘El Matador’ Huerta (22-1-1) in what promises to be the most exciting lightweight match in recent memory. Now on a four-fight winning streak -- with victories over Lauzon, Alvin Robinson, Din Thomas, and Dokonjonosuke Mishima – ‘KenFlo’ (11-3) is looking to prove that his opponent is not, in fact, indomitable.
“Huerta is a guy with an incredible amount of heart,” he said. “I think his determination is what has gotten him through his last few fights. I have nothing but respect for him. I think that he’s a good fighter, but there are still ways to beat him.”
To do this, Florian is adjusting his game plan accordingly.
“Personally, I always try to step it up and push a little harder when I train for each fight,” he said. “This time around, I worked a lot on my nutrition and getting a little bigger. In training, I worked a lot on my boxing and wrestling. I think I’m going to be able to finish him.”
Today’s confident (but still humble) Kenny Florian is a far cry from the one that UFC fans were first introduced to in 2005. At the start of his career, he admitted to being fraught with nerves, as well as a victim of his own self-induced pressure. And then, of course, there was the stream of criticism from armchair TV critics (“It’s the Ultimate Fighter plague,” he jokes). Many who have followed his career know that these are things of the past. But Florian will also have them know that, even after a solid year of successes, he still continues to grow and evolve.
“I keep getting better and better by seeking out the best knowledge, the best techniques, and by being innovative with my training,” said the 32-year old. “It’s important to never stop learning and I always try to keep a beginner’s mind. I set goals for the long term and the short term – technical, mental, physical, and even spiritual – and then try to reach them. And then, I try to go far beyond them. They’re all related to the overall development as a person, as well as a fighter. Having the team of coaches that I do is extremely important to that development, because they have the abilities to push me, as well as the knowledge to make me better. I’ll only stop learning and stop improving when I’m dead.”
Florian’s commitment to personal growth is not only rare; it’s what most likely helps him through the chaos of his everyday schedule. As his star begins to rise, and MMA continues to work itself into mainstream culture, new opportunities outside of the Octagon crop up in tandem. Currently, his training is supplemented with commentating gigs, public appearances, and business ventures. With so many projects, is he worried that he might spread himself too thin?
The answer is an unequivocal “no.” As a matter of fact, Florian is not only balancing this precarious juggling act with ease – he says that a busy schedule ultimately works to his advantage in the cage.
“I don’t have time to screw around now,” he said with a laugh. “All of these commitments have forced me to be more specific with my training. It’s given me an intense focus and makes me manage my time that much better.”
Besides the higher-profile gigs -- endorsements, co-hosting duties on EPSN.com’s MMA Live, and his recent commentator appearance at UFC 83, to name a few -- the Westwood, Mass. native is also keeping busy with smaller projects in his own community.
“Right now, my brother and I are working on opening Florian Martial Arts Center in Brookline. It will hopefully be ready by mid-August,” Florian revealed. “Brazilian jiu-jitsu is really where we got our start and it’s made us better individuals. It’s a gentle art. You can’t force things and you have to adapt to every situation if you can’t manipulate it. We both became less stubborn and realized that overcoming and adapting on the mat is a metaphor for life. Win or lose, it gives us a sense of accomplishment and makes us understand that anything can be conquered, either by our action or by going with the wave. With this school, we hope to give that same opportunity to others.”
As previously mentioned, Florian also participates in motivational speaking engagements at local middle and high schools.
“It’s very weird for me because I never thought I’d be that guy that anyone would look up to,” said Florian. “I do this because I love it. I didn’t expect to become -- however small it is -- a celebrity. I’m blessed to be in a situation where people know my name and I love to take advantage of it, the best that I can, for any kid who sees me as a role model. It feels good. It’s more rewarding than training, or having a belt.”
It’s not that a second crack at the belt isn’t a goal. Ever since Florian’s 2006 decision loss to Sean Sherk (the last loss on his record), there have been expectations from fans, as well as himself, for a shot at redemption.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind. That said, I don’t want to assume anything. To win may or may not guarantee another title shot. What it does guarantee is tougher competition. Right now, I just want to keep getting that validation that I’m doing all the right things; I want to see that all of this hard work isn’t for nothing. To do that, I need to focus only on what’s in front of me.”
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