Kenny Florian has seemingly had more title shots than WWE superstar John Cena. Will the third time be the charm? Can Florian get over the hump and finally win a world title?
The world will find out when he takes on UFC featherweight champion and top three pound-for-pound standout Jose Aldo.
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aldo has left a path of destruction in the featherweight division. He made world class fighters like Urijah Faber, Mike Brown and Manny Gamburyan look like they didn’t even belong in the same octagon as him.
A world class grappler and a phenomenal striker, Aldo’s entire skill set is still somewhat of a mystery. He showcased explosive takedowns in his UFC 129 routing of Mark Hominick.
Wrestling has been the Achilles heel for Florian throughout his MMA career. Despite being a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Florian’s submission skills are more effective from an offensive position. He hasn’t shown the ability to work well off his back against imposing grapplers.
Unless he’s the one initiating takedowns, the Massachusetts native wants to keep this bout standing and try to best the exchanges.
The standup battle will definitely be interesting in this bout. Florian has a solid chin, great footwork, a deep understanding of range and pinpoint accuracy. He will be the most technical striker Aldo has faced thus far in his seven-year career.
With that said, Aldo is a wrecking ball hell-bent on destroying everything in his path.
While Florian certainly presents a unique and formidable challenge to the UFC champion, it’s hard to believe he has the skill set needed to debunk a guy like Aldo.
People tend to think of guys like Chad Mendes, Tyson Griffin and Hatsu Hioki, when considering legitimate threats to Aldo’s title reign.
This isn’t an attempt to minimize Florian’s chances. He has a serious shot to take Aldo in an upset. As stated earlier, there are still some question marks in Aldo’s game. If Aldo has a cardio meltdown like he did against Hominick, Florian won’t be as forgiving.
Fans can expect a brilliant display of technical striking in this bout. Eventually, Aldo will begin changing levels to exploit Florian’s wrestling. It’ll be a hard fought and well-rounded effort for Aldo as he takes home the unanimous decision and retains his UFC title.
Bleacher Report’s Jordy McElroy