After 9 years of professional fighting and 7 years in the UFC, Kenny Florian has retired. Florian competed as a middleweight on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, losing in the finals to Diego Sanchez in the UFC’s first ever bout that was televised live on Spike TV. Florian gained tons of respect for his efforts on the show as he was fighting thirty pounds above his natural weight class. He dropped to lightweight after the show and had a very successful run in the UFC lightweight division, defeating top fighters such as Clay Guida, Roger Huerta, Takanori Gomi, Joe Stevenson, Joe Lauzon, and Din Thomas. However, Florian could not reach his goal of capturing the UFC lightweight belt as he failed in title fights against Sean Sherk and BJ Penn. A drop to featherweight ensued and Florian was granted a title shot after besting Diego Nunes. Florian fell short once again though, as he lost a unanimous decision to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
Despite his love for the sport and his impressive record in the UFC (12-5 overall), Florian has made the decision to retire due to recurrent back injuries that have kept him from training. One of the smartest guys in the sport, he will continue to work with the UFC as a commentator and analyst. His thin build, nerdy appearance, resemblance to Ben Stiller, and tremendous fighting abilities have led many fans to label Florian as the prototypical guy at the bar who seems like a wimp, but would actually manhandle every single person at the place. Similar to Royce Gracie, he has proven that you don’t have to be the biggest, baddest, meanest guy around to be a great fighter. We thank him for all that he has done for the sport and wish him luck in his future endeavors.
Despite his love for the sport and his impressive record in the UFC (12-5 overall), Florian has made the decision to retire due to recurrent back injuries that have kept him from training. One of the smartest guys in the sport, he will continue to work with the UFC as a commentator and analyst. His thin build, nerdy appearance, resemblance to Ben Stiller, and tremendous fighting abilities have led many fans to label Florian as the prototypical guy at the bar who seems like a wimp, but would actually manhandle every single person at the place. Similar to Royce Gracie, he has proven that you don’t have to be the biggest, baddest, meanest guy around to be a great fighter. We thank him for all that he has done for the sport and wish him luck in his future endeavors.
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