Widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts, Jose Aldo looks to cement that claim with a dominant performance against Kenny Florian at UFC 136 on Saturday, October 8.Aldo, coming off a victory against Mark Hominick …
Widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts, Jose Aldo looks to cement that claim with a dominant performance against Kenny Florian at UFC 136 on Saturday, October 8.
Aldo, coming off a victory against Mark Hominick at UFC 129, has torn through his opposition in the featherweight division. Boasting a resume against the likes of Mike Thomas Brown and Urijah Faber, the Brazilian displays a combination of speed and knockout power that makes him an imposing figure.
While Florian also comes off an impressive win in his featherweight debut over Aldo’s teammate, Diego Nunes, Aldo said he has more experience than Florian.
“I definitely don’t think Florian has the same strength as a featherweight,” Aldo said during a UFC 136 pre-fight interview.
“I also think I’m a much more explosive fighter.”
Aldo has won the past seven of his nine bouts by knockout, and he sees the outcome being no different against Florian.
“I’m going to go in there and push the pace,” he said. “Whatever opportunities present themselves, I will take them and finish the fight. I will beat Kenny Florian.”
UFC 136 is live this weekend from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Chael Sonnen has turned over a new leaf. The outspoken UFC middleweight contender has had a target on UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, as well as Silva’s teammates Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Lyoto Machida, since their title bout at UFC …
The outspoken UFC middleweight contender has had a target on UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, as well as Silva’s teammates Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Lyoto Machida, since their title bout at UFC 119 last year.
However, during a UFC 136 conference call, Sonnen was asked his opinion on the Brazilian’s status in mixed martial arts, and he was much more respectful and complimentary than usual.
“It’s getting harder and harder to deny that he should be shown that appreciation,” Sonnen said.
“His wins and losses speak for themselves and the fact of the matter, whether I’d like to admit it or not, is he’s done a better job than anybody,” he said. “He’s done a better job than me, and he is the champion.”
Despite losing to “The Spider,” Sonnen was able to dominate and outwork Silva more than any other opponent before him. The bout was so competitive that an immediate rematch seems inevitable.
Sonnen is expected to face Brian Stann this weekend at UFC 136. That will likely determine the next challenger for Silva, and should Sonnen earn a victory, he will be rewarded with an anticipated rematch against the middleweight kingpin.
And although he might have slightly changed his perspective on Silva’s accomplishments, he doesn’t intend on holding back in the ring.
“I think his skills are vastly different. I think I could come down a lot and still be ahead of him. I also think he ducks and dodges opponents constantly,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m gonna quit poking my finger in his chest. But, at some point, I think fairness needs to kick in too, and I think you need to look at what he’s done and tip your hat to him a little bit.”
Though UFC 136 plays host to two title matches this weekend, the talk of the town is Melvin Guillard, whom is now experiencing a career resurgence.Once regarded as an “untapped talent”, Guillard finally appears to be coming into his own and could soon …
Though UFC 136 plays host to two title matches this weekend, the talk of the town is Melvin Guillard, whom is now experiencing a career resurgence.
Once regarded as an “untapped talent”, Guillard finally appears to be coming into his own and could soon be primed and ready for title shot.
However, fellow The Ultimate Fighter veteran Joe Lauzon, another touted prospect in the lightweight division, stands in Guillard’s way.
The two men will share main card honors at the upcoming pay-per-view event, which takes place in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center, which will feature both the featherweight and lightweight titles on the line in the co-headliners of the evening.
All eyes will be on deck for this event, so who will rise above in this pivotal 155-pound scrap and become the next likely contender to the title?
UFC 136 is less than a week away, and it will feature a replay of one of the leading candidates for 2011’s fight of the year between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.Edgar has yet to defeat Maynard, who is the only man to beat hi…
UFC 136 is less than a week away, and it will feature a replay of one of the leading candidates for 2011’s fight of the year between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
Edgar has yet to defeat Maynard, who is the only man to beat him in his career. Their second fight from UFC 125 ended in a draw and leaves much unfinished business between the two.
In the co-main event, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defends his title against former lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian.
Both made their UFC featherweight debuts earlier this year. Aldo defeated Mark Hominick at UFC 129 while Florian beat Diego Nunes at UFC 131.
Middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen also returns to the cage since losing against Anderson Silva in July, 2010. He takes on Brian Stann, a former Marine who packs a lot of power in his punches.
Other main card bouts include Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard and Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan.
The PPV will begin at 9 p.m. ET and be broadcast live from the Toyota Center in Houston, TX.
The undercard will be streamed on Facebook and Spike TV.
Spike TV will broadcast Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago and Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens.
Filed under: UFC, NewsJose Aldo has had little trouble with any opponent the last three years, but Kenny Florian thinks he might have a solution for the UFC featherweight champ.
Florian, fighting for just the second time at 145 pounds after a long st…
Jose Aldo has had little trouble with any opponent the last three years, but Kenny Florian thinks he might have a solution for the UFC featherweight champ.
Florian, fighting for just the second time at 145 pounds after a long stretch at lightweight – and stints at welterweight and middleweight before that – challenges Aldo on Saturday for the featherweight title at UFC 136 in Houston.
But through a career filled with many ups, and a few downs that include a pair of losses in UFC lightweight title fights, Florian believes it’s his longevity that will give him the edge against the Brazilian, who is widely regarded as one of the top three or four pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.
“I think, generally, he hasn’t faced a guy who’s as well-rounded and experienced as I am,” Florian (15-5, 12-4 UFC) said Friday during a media call for UFC 136. “I’m going to bring well-rounded skills, experience and just see where the mystique lies. That’s it.”
The Aldo mystique has been in full force since he stormed the WEC with five straight knockout wins, including an 8-second KO of Cub Swanson with a flying knee. The standup prowess seemed to fly in the face of the generality that Aldo, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who trains with the famed Black House team, should be devastating on the ground.
But his perfect WEC start earned him a shot at Mike Brown‘s featherweight belt, and once he got that shot, he continued his tear, dispatching Brown in the second. Urijah Faber took him to his first decision in nearly three years, but was never real a threat – Aldo outstruck Faber 138-27, according to FightMetric, and stuffed all nine of his takedown attempts.
After knocking out Manny Gamburyan to defend his WEC belt a second time, Aldo became the UFC featherweight champion and was given his stiffest test as champion from Mark Hominick in April. Hominick dominated Aldo in the fifth round, outstriking the clearly gassed champ 62-3.
Florian who survived a close fight against Diego Nunes in June in his featherweight debut to get his shot at Aldo. And while he didn’t say getting into the later rounds with Aldo gives him an advantage, Aldo’s fifth round against Hominick might give him hope that the Brazilian is beatable – especially if Florian can weather the early storm.
“He’s pretty unique and a very fast, explosive guy,” Florian said. “His dangerous weapons are his legs and excellent footwork. He’s very, very fast and, I think, dangerous on the ground. He’s definitely a unique opponent, and I had to prepare differently for him for sure.”
Florian’s title fight experience comes from a unanimous decision loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 64 for the then-vacant lightweight belt, then a submission loss to BJ Penn in the fourth round at UFC 101 when he got another crack after a six-fight winning streak.
After losing to Gray Maynard in a top contenders fight at UFC 118, giving Maynard a shot at Frankie Edgar, Florian dropped to featherweight. He competed on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a middleweight, quickly dropped back to welterweight after the show, then moved down to his long-time lightweight home.
But through all the weight classes, Florian said one thing has been the same – constant improvement.
“I think every fight is always going to be different,” Florian said. “You’re always going to have a different mindset based on your training camp, based on your opponent. I’ve always learned from each previous camp, win or lose. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve tightened some of those mistakes. My goal is to try and make each training camp better and better each time, and to try and increase my work load capacity and improve my skills, and I think I’ve done that every training camp.
“I’ve trained my ass off for this fight, and I’m looking forward to going out there and competing hard.”
Florian and Aldo fight in the co-main event of UFC 136 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The main event is the lightweight title rematch between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Also on the card is a middleweight contenders fight between former title challenger Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann.
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News, VideosThe MMA Hour is back in your life for the 102nd time on Monday, and this time we’ll be joined in studio by a UFC champion.
* Lightweight king Frankie Edgar will stop by to discuss his title defense…
The MMA Hour is back in your life for the 102nd time on Monday, and this time we’ll be joined in studio by a UFC champion.
* Lightweight king Frankie Edgar will stop by to discuss his title defense on Saturday night against Gray Maynard at UFC 136 in Houston.
* Melvin Guillard will discuss his UFC 136 lightweight fight against Joe Lauzon and his place in the 155-pound division.
* Heavyweight Bobby Lashley will reveal where and when his next fight will take place.
* Women’s MMA fighter Amanda Lucas, the daughter of Star Wars creator Georges Lucas, will discuss her budding MMA career.
* MMA Fighting’s Ben Fowlkes will look back at UFC on Versus 6 and ahead to UFC 136.
Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.
*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.
(Editor’s Note: The MMA Hour is over, but the video should be Tuesday or Wednesday.)
Widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts, Jose Aldo looks to cement that claim with a dominant performance against Kenny Florian at UFC 136 on Saturday, October 8.
