We’ve all heard the saying that “the third time is the charm,” but that statement didn’t hold true for one Kenneth Florian at UFC 136. In his third bid for a UFC title he was defeated by the current featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, during a five-round drumming that showed flashes in which Florian had an advantage, but also proved incapable of capitalizing on those moments. Since the defeat, Florian has declared that he will return to the lightweight division, but we have to wonder where he would stand within that group of fighters.
Drew Fickett, Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, BJ Penn, Gray Maynard and Aldo are the only six men who are able to say they have defeated “Ken Flo,” a list of names that hold prominence within the world of mixed martial arts. Still, Florian found himself in a difficult position with rumors beginning to circulate that retirement may be in his future. At 35 years of age, Florian’s best years could be behind him, but he’s still a threat at lightweight, which is where I believe he should have stayed all along.
The term “gatekeeper” is often used to describe a fighter who can’t get over the hump, and shouldn’t be considered a contender to a title. Yet Florian still has the skill set to defeat a wide majority of the fighters at 155 pounds, and do so handily. Look back at his drubbing of current contender Clay Guida for an example of such a showing. But even if he were to score those wins in upcoming matches against contenders, it is unlikely that Florian will ever get another shot at the belt. I wouldn’t be surprised if Florian were moved into the same kind of divisional purgatory that has enveloped Jon Fitch.
Florian would be a good test for fighters such as Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone, who would all be interesting matchups for the former contender. And I personally would like to see how he would deal with the size of Gleison Tibau. This list includes two fighters that are ranked in the top ten within the lightweight division, and Florian would beat any of them.
It has to be tough as a fighter, knowing that you are competing without a championship opportunity somewhere down the line. Many fighters, while world class in their own right, know that they will not reach the pinnacle of their division and hold the gold. With three opportunities behind him, Kenny Florian may find himself in that exact spot. And yet he may be one of the best fighters to ever find himself in such a situation.
