Kenny Florian will make his featherweight debut at UFC 131 in Vancouver on June 11, and I for one am looking forward to seeing it. Florian is dropping down after two legitimate runs at the 155-pound title and will face tough Brazilian and WEC veteran Diego Nunes who is coming off his first win in the UFC.
It is always interesting when a fighter switches weight divisions and this is no different with Florian. It will be all about adjustments for him and I’m sure he will be in peak shape and ready to roll on fight night.
I am looking forward to this match-up big time and will be in the building that night, and when I zoom in on Ken Flo that night, I will be looking for some specific things that are questions in my mind in regards to his decision to drop down and his game in general.
Here are five things to watch for in Kenny Florian’s featherweight division debut.
5. Will he make this a stand up war?
Florian’s stand up—and Muay Thai in general—is well known and respected, yet that is also the base of Nunes’ game. Will Kenny look to out bang Nunes to try and make a point that he is the new big bully in town?
If so, we could be in for some fireworks here and I must take Florian to prevail on points.
4. Was size a factor for him at 155 pounds or does he really have poor take down defense?
In his big fights against bigger guys he got taken down too many times at crucial times and many believe it was due to a size disadvantage. Nunes will test that too as he has strength, and will look to take Kenny down if he feels he is in trouble on his feet.
If Nunes is successful, then it will be crystal clear that wrestling and take down defense are not strengths of Ken Flo’s game.
3. Will he be aggressive and look to finish fast to make a statement?
Remember when Kenny emphatically stated to Joe Rogan, “I FINISH FIGHTS AT 155!”? Well he isn’t lying and we will see if Kenny can finish and finish quick at 145 pounds as well. I believe he needs a lopsided beat down win to really legitimize his shot at Aldo.
Will Florian rush out, push forward and unleash hell? I sure hope so because if he is cautious in this fight, it will seem that some of the piss and vinegar has been lost from his game.
2. Will he try and implement his GSP-type game plan that didn’t work for him at 155?
Whether it be a jab and push strategy to a take down and top control clinic in Vancouver, if Kenny tries to follow the Firas Zahabi school of safe and secure in his fight with Nunes he will not endear himself to the fans that night or set himself up for any type of demand vs. Jose Aldo.
A win is a win and I’m not saying he’s going to do it, but just watch for it. He might pull it out as a last resort if Nunes gets the upper hand at all.
1. Will he overlook Nunes and make a critical error and lose this fight?
With all the air time that Ken Flo gets, we have all heard of his master plan to fight Jose Aldo and that that was the reason he came down to 145 pounds in the first place. He better be motivated for Nunes and look him dead in the eye because this guy is hungry for Aldo too and he is not to be overlooked.
If Kenny makes that mistake, he will be in an incredibly tough spot in his career where his relevancy at either weight class may come into question. My opinion is if he makes that mistake he deserves all the criticism he gets and he will have to dig deep to come out of the spot he will be in.
Enjoy the fight everyone, it will be a key moment in Kenny Florian’s career.
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