Former two-time UFC title contender Kenny Florian is making his return to Brazilian jiu jitsu this weekend.
For the first time in 13 years, Kenny Florian is stepping onto the mats for a competitive grappling competition. Florian, a 3rd degree black belt under Roberto Maia of Boston Jiu Jitsu, has decided to compete in the Masters 1 division of the IBJJF New York Spring Open on April 9 & 10. At 39 he’ll be taking on opponents in the 30-35 year old age division in a bid to get more matches and to face a higher level of competition.
During his UFC tenure, Florian made a name for himself as one of the sports most formidable grapplers, holding impressive submission victories over Clay Guida, Takanori Gomi and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson. Prior to appearing on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Kenny Florian was a regular competitor on the grappling circuit, scoring some respectable victories including an impressive run at the 2003 Pan Am games as a brown belt which saw him take home a bronze medal.
In addition to Florian’s regular duties as a host on UFC Tonight, the Bostonian has been keeping up with regular gi training and has been working with notable grapplers such as Ryan Hall and AJ Agazarm, who competed against Jake Shields at Polaris 3.