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KENNY
FLORIAN “Ready for the Fight of 2008”
©
Marc Wickert Special
thanks to Raffi Nahabedia And
Knucklepit.com is fortunate to catch up with KenFlo in his hometown of
Boston for a chat about this upcoming match. At the time, Kenny is
just starting what his strength and conditioning coach, Kevin Kearns,
calls the “gas-in-the-tank phase”. “I
just finished a workout on my versaclimber ( www.versaclimber.com
) – a brutal machine that gets me in shape,” says Florian.
“Do you remember the Rocky IV movie where Ivan Drago was climbing?
It’s that machine. It has handles for your hands and pedals with
straps for your feet, and it’s at a vertical angle. You move
like you’re pushing and pulling – working your legs and arms at the
same time. “I
warmed up for about 10 minutes, then I did three 5-minute rounds of 20
seconds as fast as I could, and 10 seconds nice and light, with one
minute rest between rounds. Then I did four 1-minute sprints with
a minute’s rest.” The
last time we caught up with Kenny was just before the BJ Penn vs. Sean
Sherk bout, and Kenflo was keen to fight the winner of that match.
So what did he think of their title fight? “I
thought it was a great fight. I feel Sean could have fought a better
strategy, at least mixed it up more and tried to take BJ down. I
was surprised that he tried to stand up with him. I think that was
the wrong strategy to use against BJ considering BJ’s skills and
Sean’s skills; however, it was also a great performance by BJ. I
don’t want to take anything away from him: He did exactly what he
needed to do to win.” At the pre-fight press
conference, BJ said, “I’ll never change my game plan. And
I’m just going out at 100 percent. You know, this is the UFC,
the Ultimate Fighting Championship, not mere boxing. Starting from
the first minute of the fight, I’m coming full speed and I’m going
to try to win the fight.” That was a bit of a strategy, too: He
did a lot of effective jabbing rather than just rushing in. “Yeah, absolutely.
And that really was the end of it. He was very successful with
that jab – there’s no doubt about it.” Are
you still keen to take on BJ? “Yes.
But it just depends on what BJ plans to do, and based on that, we’ll
see what’s going to happen.” You’ve
been very successful as ESPN’s MMA sports analyst and you did a great
job as guest commentator at UFC 83. Will you be pursuing more of
that line of work? “I
hope so. I really enjoy doing it and it’s a fun time for me.” You
didn’t volunteer your services as commentator for the August 23,
Playboy Mansion MMA event (Cops Care Cancer Foundation benefit), did
you? “No,
but that’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll have to do that… I’ll
do it for free.” At
www.ufc.com,
you said, “My skills have improved tenfold from the last fight”.
Can you elaborate on how your game has improved so much since your
defeat of Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 13 in April this year? “I
think my game in general is coming together much better as a whole, but
I think where I’ve really made the biggest jumps is in my boxing and
wrestling.”
Has
Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov had a lot to do with your recent progress? “No
doubt about it.” And
that’s with the wrestling? “Correct;
and Peter Welch with the boxing.” Did
you bring Muzaffar in mainly for your upcoming bout with Roger Huerta? “No,
I really brought him in for my overall skills. I think it was
something I really needed to improve upon, and he was in the area and
through some contacts I was able to get him to come out and train.
Through training with me, he actually wants to pursue MMA himself.
He’s a great person and great coach. I think in one year people
will be hearing his name.” Are
you and Muzaffar concentrating on your ground positioning, or are there
other aspects of your game the two of you are working on? “Mostly
he’s been helping me with my wrestling and sparring. My brother,
Keith, really is the one who oversees all my ground training, and as
always, he’s been unbelievable with helping me prepare for this fight.
He’s really the guy who comes up with the strategy and the execution
of everything, and since I first started training, he’s been the one
who has done the most training with me.” What
about Kurt Pellegrino? “He’s
going to come in as a Roger Huerta double and mimic him as best he can.
That’s what he did when he first came out, and he’s going to be
coming out for more sparring.” Your
match with Roger is being called the fight of the year. Is that
because you match up so well and neither of you likes to tread water in
there? “I
think it’s mainly because we’re both exciting and aggressive
fighters who constantly go for every minute of every round, and I think
that’s why people are saying that. It has the potential to be
the fight of the year – we’re both exciting fighters and we both go
to finish the fight. I think that’s what’s getting people so
pumped up.” Is
there any way this battle can possibly go the distance? “I
think it’s possible. We’re both tough, durable fighters and
neither of us is going to quit, but I believe I have the capabilities to
finish him – either by knockout or submission – and that’s what I
plan on doing. I can’t think of anything else but destroying my
opponent.” What
are Roger’s strengths and weaknesses? “I
think his main strength is his heart: Determination has gotten him very
far. I think one of his weaknesses is that he’s not the most
technical fighter. He does make mistakes out there, and I’m not
sure if his past opponents have been able to truly capitalize on
them.” Your
sponsors? “Tapout,
One More Round, Versaclimber, Kershaw Knives, Tourtellotte Solutions and
Driftaway Spas.” No
one’s sponsored you with a KenFlo Harley yet? “No.
I haven’t been approached yet, but that would be nice.” Kenny,
is there anything you’d like to add? “I
just want to thank all the fans for their support and I hope to put on a
good performance for them on August 9.”
For
more on Kenny Florian: www.kennyflorian.com
and www.myspace.com/kenflo.
For
some great training tips from Kenny: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?categoryId=3461971&brand=null
Also
check Kenny out at: www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-ufc73.htm and
www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-ufc64.htm. For
more on UFC 87: www.ufc.tv.
KENNY
FLORIAN “I’m Here To Finish Fights”
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC At
UFC 73: Unstoppable, after Kenny Florian forced Alvin Robinson to
tap out at 4.30 into round one, ‘Kenflo’ reflected on his victory,
and then on Sean Sherk’s unanimous decision over Hermes Franca after
five rounds. Florian looked to the Arco Arena crowd in Sacramento and
announced, “No disrespect to anybody in the 155-pound class, but who
wants to see fights finished in here at 155 pounds? I finish fights.
When I come to fight, I’m going to submit you or try to knock you out.
I’m going to do everything possible to win. Finish the fight: That’s
what I’m about.” Today,
Kenny is at home in Boston, having just taken his car for a service.
It’s around 23 years since Kenny first became involved in a fighting
system. “I really started martial arts with my whole family when I was
a kid – taking up Shaolin Kenpo Karate. But I got more seriously into
martial arts when I was in college at about twenty years old,” says
Florian. Royce
Gracie in the early UFCs inspired Kenny, and he followed Royce’s lead
to take up BJJ, eventually earning his blackbelt under Roberto Maia. Kenflo’s
name quickly caught MMA fans’ attention after his impressive showing
during The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Series One. However, his epic battle
with UFC lightweight titleholder, Sean Sherk, truly ensured Florian a
place in the Octagon history books. More
recently, on April 2, 2008, Kenny was victorious at UFC Fight Night: Kenny
Florian vs. Joe Lauzon, stopping his opponent by TKO at 3.28 into
round two. There was some controversy over the referee’s intervening
due to elbow strikes delivered by Florian, which had forums on the
internet running hot with mixed views. But two days after the match,
Kenny was happy to openly answer any questions about the allegations. And
for this bout, his usual entourage of elite trainers backed Kenflo. Kenny,
how long have you been with Peter Welch for? “I
started with Peter during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Then
he traveled and was working in California for a little bit… I only
worked with him for about six months or maybe a year. Then I recommenced
working with him in the last four of five months.” Does
he help you with traditional boxing or is it more of an MMA-adapted
style? “He
helps me with more of a traditional-style boxing: I kinda make the
adaptations with my brother and my Muay Thai coach, Mark DellaGrotte.” You
have Kevin Kearns for strength and conditioning, so does he have you for
your weights program as well as for cardio? “He does all my strength and conditioning, but I do have my nutritionist, Jesse Kropelnicki, who is a national-level triathlete here in the United States; he manages my cardio program as well.”
Do
you tend to do more circuit training, or do you do weightlifting and
powerlifting? “Actually,
it’s a combination of everything: We do a lot of what’s called
‘functional strength training.’ And it’s a lot of building up the
core – some powerlifting, there are some circuits involved, and we do
a lot of medicine-ball training and band training, plyometric work…
It’s definitely very state-of-the-art stuff. “We
have different stages of training: The first stage is a strength phase;
the second is an explosive phase; and the last is what Kevin Kearns
calls the ‘gas-in-the-tank phase.’ So depending on how far away we
are from a fight, each phase will take about a month to a month and a
half – sometimes even two months, leading up to a fight.” Do
you work your Thai boxing regularly with Mark DellaGrotte? “Yes,
I do.” What’s
it like training with him? “He’s
a phenomenal coach: very skilled, very experienced when it comes to Muay
Thai, and very open-minded when it comes to mixed martial arts. He puts
everything together well and he’s helped my game tremendously.” How
does your brother, Keith, assist you? “He’s
a blackbelt in BJJ and he’s my most regular sparring partner. He does
all the workouts with me, whether we’re doing boxing, Muay Thai,
wrestling… He basically mirrors everything that I do, and he’s just
phenomenal at jiu jitsu and has a great mind for MMA. He helps me with
everything.” Who
marries all the styles together for your complete weapons package? “It’s kind of a combination of myself, my brother and Mark DellaGrotte. We all kinda take all the elements and put them together into something that makes sense for mixed martial arts. I think that’s one thing that a lot of fighters kinda mess up: They all know they have to train in the different modes involved in MMA, but putting it together is where they make the mistakes. What is good for boxing may not be good for wrestling… What may be good for wrestling may not be good for Muay Thai. So you always have to put everything in the context of MMA.” You
went into your fight with Joe Lauzon possessing a reputation for having
great elbow strikes. What are your thoughts on the accusations of
illegal strikes to the back of the head? “They weren’t actually illegal. I know Joe mentioned after the fight that they were fine – they were legal blows. And referees are human – they make mistakes and I think it was a mistake on the part of Herb Dean. The downward elbows are fine, but what are illegal are elbows to the back of the head, and the elbows were not to the back of the head. The key is: They want to protect the spine and the lower base of the head, which doesn’t provide as much protection to the brain. Certainly if you see the elbows again, they weren’t even close to the back of the head or spine.”
Just
to clarify it, Kenny: The cut did appear to be more to the back of the
head, didn’t it? “There
was blood at the back of the head, but the actual cut was at the top of
the head. And just to further clarify: The only elbow that really is
illegal in the UFC is a downward elbow going from twelve o’clock down
to six o’clock. So if I’m standing up, going from twelve o’clock
to six o’clock, that is the only elbow that is illegal.” Did
Joe worry you with his heel-hook attempts? “No,
I was well prepared for that. It was something that Keith and Mark had
me very well prepared for. Both those guys know the leg lock inside and
out, and I had the proper counters already in mind. I knew what Joe
Lauzon was going to go for, and I escaped every time. I think he knew
that and let go: He knew that he couldn’t finish those leg locks.” You
majored in communications. You didn’t study the same communication
techniques as Sayid from the LOST TV series, did you? “No,
no; not at Boston college.” Through
your Muay Thai and your BJJ skills, you’re dangerous in the stand-up
and on the ground. Do you see yourself as being one of the most
well-rounded MMA fighters out there? “I
would like to think so. I’d like to think that I’m one of the most
well-rounded fighters out there, but I still have a lot more work to do.
I need to keep improving and I try not to compare myself to others: I
try to be at the most top level that I can possibly reach as far as
being as well rounded as possible. I still have some areas to work on
and improve on, as always, and I need to keep evolving and to keep
improving.” Your
first fight with Sean Sherk was a total war. Do you primarily want a
rematch with Sean – whether he wins or loses against BJ Penn – or do
you have your sights set on the belt? “Really,
I have my sights set on the best possible opponent. That’s what I care
most about: I want to fight the best guys. And if BJ Penn beats Sean
Sherk then I want to fight BJ Penn. I just want to continuously
challenge myself – that’s what I’m in this sport for, and I want
to fight the best guys and the most exciting matches. I want to please
the fans with great fights.” In
the middleweight division, there’s talk of Matt Lindland wanting to
challenge Anderson Silva. How do you think that would go? “
Right now, as good as Matt Lindland is – I think he’s a tremendous
competitor and he could pose some problems for Anderson – but the
problem is that Anderson is at the top of his game, and I think it would
be terribly difficult for anyone to beat him. I really thought Dan
Henderson was one of the best, pound-for-pound, and it was interesting
what Anderson did to him. You have to consider Anderson Silva a favorite
in that fight against Matt Lindland.” When
do fans get to see you fight again? “Oh,
I’m hoping for that August time frame. I want to be busier this year
and that August time frame would work out well for me.” Your
sponsors? “One
More Round, Sprawl, Tourtellotte Solutions, Versaclimber, NHBGear.com,
Driftaway Spas and TUF Guy Productions.” Kenny,
is there anything you’d like to add? “I just want to thank the fans all over the world for their support of myself and the sport, and I’m just very grateful to have them on my side. I hope to continue putting on exciting fights for them all.”
For
a review of Kenny’s fight with Sean Sherk: http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-ufc64.htm. For
more on UFC: www.ufc.tv.
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