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Kenny Florian Targeting April Return, Says He’s the Man to Fight Pettis

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveIt’s been a rough couple of months for Kenny Florian. First, he lost his No. 1 contender fight with Gray Maynard, then he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of a potential fight with Evan Dunham, and now, it…

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

It’s been a rough couple of months for Kenny Florian. First, he lost his No. 1 contender fight with Gray Maynard, then he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of a potential fight with Evan Dunham, and now, it appears the fighter he hoped to face upon his return has a bout scheduled that won’t include him.

Late Monday night, Florian told MMA Fighting that he thought he should be the one to face Anthony Pettis in “Showtime’s” UFC debut. Hours later, though, reports of a matchup between Pettis and Clay Guida surfaced, seemingly knocking that possibility out of the water.

But it’s not all bad news for Florian, whose recovery from a knee injury has gone faster than expected, pushing his timetable for return to the cage as early as April or May. He was originally expected back in the summer.

Even with the good news, Florian’s not exactly in a happy frame of mind. He’s yet to receive clearance to begin any type of sparring or hard workouts — that should come in a few weeks — and the wait has the noted gym rat chomping at the bit to get back to training and fighting.

Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida Reported for UFC 130 or 131

("What has two thumbs and is creeped-out by Pat Barry’s shorts?" Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee/Cagewriter)
With Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III tentatively scheduled for UFC 130 (May 28th, Las Vegas), Anthony Pettis has decided to fight ag…

Pat Barry Anthony Pettis UFC WEC photos
("What has two thumbs and is creeped-out by Pat Barry’s shorts?" Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee/Cagewriter)

With Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III tentatively scheduled for UFC 130 (May 28th, Las Vegas), Anthony Pettis has decided to fight again rather than wait all year for the title shot he’d been promised — a risky proposition considering how stacked the lightweight division is at the top. According to Heavy.com, Pettis will likely take on Clay Guida at either UFC 130 or UFC 131, which goes down two weeks later in Vancouver. It’s a kick in the nuts for perennial contender Kenny Florian, who was angling for the Pettis fight himself.

You’d sort of hope that Pettis/Guida happens at #130, so that if Pettis wins, he can enter the cage following the main event and face off with the lightweight champion in a "you have my belt, homey" moment. Of course if Edgar vs. Maynard results in another tie, we’re all screwed. Not out of the realm of possibility, considering how evenly matched those guys are.

Pettis is on a four-fight win streak, and is coming off his WEC lightweight title-winning performance against Ben Henderson, aided by The Greatest Kick the World Has Ever Seen. (By the way, Pettis’s trainer Duke Roufus told Sherdog that Pettis has "10 other [highlight-reel] kicks and moves for the UFC and he’s going to prove it." Be very afraid.) Guida has won his last three fights by submission, most recently choking out Takanori Gomi at UFC 125. After the jump: An incredible photo of Clay Guida doing a Richard Nixon impression at some kind of topless pool party.

MMA Top 10 Lightweights: 2011 Starts With a Bang

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, LightweightsThe UFC might not have a better main event all year than it had in its first main event of the year, as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought for 25 furious minutes and showed why they’re the …

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, Lightweights

The UFC might not have a better main event all year than it had in its first main event of the year, as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought for 25 furious minutes and showed why they’re the two best lightweights in the world.

Is it disappointing that Edgar-Maynard ended up a draw? In a sense, it’s always disappointing, in any competition, not to see a definitive winner. But this time the draw was the right decision (I scored it 47-47) Fortunately, the UFC made the right decision and said after the fight that Edgar and Maynard will get it on one more time to determine who’s No. 1.

At the moment, Edgar and Maynard are 1-2 on my list and just about everyone else’s. Take a look at how the rest of the lightweight rankings stack up below.

Video: MMA Live with Bjorn Rebney, Rashad Evans and Kenny Florian

(Video courtesy ESPN)
If you missed last night’s episode of MMA Live, not to worry, we got you covered, mang.
If you couldn’t be bothered to actually watch it and expect us to give you the pertinent stuff in a nutshell, we got you covered there, too.He…

(Video courtesy ESPN)

If you missed last night’s episode of MMA Live, not to worry, we got you covered, mang.

If you couldn’t be bothered to actually watch it and expect us to give you the pertinent stuff in a nutshell, we got you covered there, too.

Here’s what you missed:

– Kenny Florian says he would be interested in a fight with Jim Miller at UFC 129 in Toronto if his injured knee (which did not require surgery to repair a torn meniscus and ACL) heals in time.

– Bjorn Rebney says that the new Bellator deal with MTV will ensure that their events are not pre-empted if they go over their broadcast time, which will be the same each week.

– Rebney also said that despite his efforts the Strikeforce co-promoted Gilbert Melendez-Eddie Alvarez match-up is pretty much dead in the water at this point.

– Junior Dos Santos has been training his Muay Thai with Brandon Vera at Alliance in San Diego.

– Dos Santos has said that he is planning to keep his championship bout with UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez (which is rumored to be slated for the April show in Toronto) standing.

– Both Rashad Evans and Ken-Flo believe that their teammate Georges St-Pierre will fight Jake Shields in Toronto.

Melvin Guillard Replaces Kenny Florian at UFN 23

UFC Lightweight, Kenny Florian suffered a knee injury in training and is forced to pull out of his January 22nd fight against Evan Dunham for UFN 23 also known as UFC: Fight for the Troops 2. Heavy.com is reporting that Jackson Submission Fighting teammate, Melvin Guillard will be pulled out of his bout with […]

UFC Lightweight, Kenny Florian suffered a knee injury in training and is forced to pull out of his January 22nd fight against Evan Dunham for UFN 23 also known as UFC: Fight for the Troops 2. Heavy.com is reporting that Jackson Submission Fighting teammate, Melvin Guillard will be pulled out of his bout with Yves Edwards to replace Florian. Edwards is now expected to fight Cody McKenzie. Guillard has won 6 of his last 7 bouts. Evan Dunham suffered his first loss of his professional career in a controversial split decision loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 119. UFN 23/UFC Fight for the Troops 2 is a benefit that will be held at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

Kenny Florian Out of ‘Fight for the Troops 2’ With Knee Injury; Guillard to Replace Against Dunham

(The best bodyguards are the ones that just look like random fat guys. Photo courtesy of Kenny Florian’s Facebook page.)
We’ll let Kenny break the bad news himself:
It is with deep regret that I will not be able to compete in my scheduled fight agai…

(The best bodyguards are the ones that just look like random fat guys. Photo courtesy of Kenny Florian’s Facebook page.)

We’ll let Kenny break the bad news himself:

It is with deep regret that I will not be able to compete in my scheduled fight against Evan Dunham on January 22nd, due to a knee injury I sustained during training this morning. Although I have not had an MRI as of yet; the doctors are cautiously optimistic that it will not require surgery. I want to express my sincere apologies to the fans, the UFC and Evan for not being able to compete at UFC Fight Night 23: Fight for the Troops 2. Since early September, I have been training for this fight. Evan is a great fighter and has undoubtedly been working very hard towards this fight as well. Plus, it is a big disappointment that I will not be able to fight in the octagon for the brave soldiers that fight for us. I am determined to return to the octagon in the first half on 2011. Accordingly, I will keep you all updated.

The Fight for the Troops 2 main event was to be Florian’s return to the cage after his tough unanimous decision loss against Gray Maynard in August. Dunham most recently dropped a controversial split-decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 119 — but luckily, he already has a replacement opponent lined up for January…