For former UFC lightweight contender Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian (14-5), who moves into the fourth weight division of his career by dropping to featherweight for his upcoming fight, notes in a recent interview with MMAWeekly.com that he isn’t finished at lightweight.
Florian, who debuted as a middleweight in the UFC against Diego Sanchez at the “TUF 1 Finale”, is scheduled to face Diego Nunes in a featherweight bout on June 11 at UFC 131 card in Vancouver, B.C.
The move to featherweight was sparked after the UFC offered him a fight with Jose Aldo in a lightweight fight. The bout never materialized because Aldo decided to stay at 145 lbs, leaving Florian wondering if he could drop down to fight the champ in his weight class.
“It all started when I was offered a fight with Jose Aldo at 155 pounds, and when that opportunity arose, I just started thinking Jose won’t go up to 155, could I be able to make it at 145? … It was also a factor at 55. A lot of the guys that I wanted to fight, didn’t want to fight, and didn’t want to take the fight. I’m at the point in my career where I wanted to face the best, and when that wasn’t happening, I said let’s try 45.”
“For me, going down to 145, I see it as a new challenge in my career. I see it as an opportunity to face one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in Jose Aldo, hopefully, down the line. That’s really what I see it as. Going down to 45 as a new challenge, and I expect to be at 155 (again) soon.”