Kenny Florian is an accomplished UFC veteran who’s skills are often overlooked at times, due to his inconsistency to perform at a high-level against some of the sport’s best fighters.
So when there is more focus on his opponent Jose Aldo, and his reputation as a pound-for pound fighter, Florian doesn’t seem to be bothered by it.
“They say Jose Aldo is one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but, with days to go until we touch gloves and fight, I’m not listening to anything the so-called experts are saying,” Florian wrote in his blog on ESPN.com.
“Nobody will remember any of that talk when the bell sounds and we step toward each other.”
Florian will challenge Aldo for the lightweight title this weekend at UFC 136. This will be only his second-time competing at 145 pounds, as he previously fought Diego Nunes at UFC 130 where he comfortably walked away with the victory.
While it was a tune-up fight, however, Florian is aware of the Brazilian’s skills and he understands why Aldo is the champion for a reason.
This will be Florian’s fourth weight class he will be competing at in his UFC career, although Aldo might serve as the toughest challenge more than any other opponent that Florian has faced before. And while the odds might be stacked against him, Florian expects to win at UFC 136.
“From first round to last round, I can only see this fight being a grueling scrap and one that takes in all areas of the Octagon. There won’t be a space on that Octagon floor that we won’t both tread at some stage,” he wrote.
“I expect to be bruised and bloodied up at the end of it all, but I also expect my hand to be raised.”
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