(They can beat up pretty-boys and clowns, but how will Florian and Griffin do against the featherweight elite?)
Now that the UFC has a 145-pound division, it was only a matter of time before a few lightweight contenders decided to chase the belt where the competition’s a little smaller. The biggest name so far is Kenny Florian, who told ESPN.com yesterday that he’s taking himself out of the lightweight mix to try his hand at featherweight:
"I started playing around with the idea: could I make 145? Originally, I didn’t think it was possible," Florian said. "I spoke with a few nutritionists, got their opinions, told them what my body fat was, my walking-around weight, all that stuff and the general consensus was that it was very possible…[The UFC] is very supportive. They’re very excited about the move…My goal is to get the 145-pound belt, and then go up to 155 and challenge for that belt as well."
You may recall that Jose Aldo‘s management turned down a fight with Florian at lightweight because Florian was coming off a loss, was never a champion, and isn’t in the pound-for-pound top ten. You have to wonder if the insult is still weighing on Ken-Flo’s mind. Florian’s manager Malki Kawa definitely still has Aldo in his sights: