MMACanada Speaks With Kenny Florian on Upcoming August 9th UFC Fight
Friday August 01, 2008
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Q) MMACanada.net here with Kenny "Kenflo" Florian, Kenny how you doing?
A) Doing well thanks. Training hard as always. I’m ready to fight today.
Q) Lets get right into it. Your next fight is at UFC 87 and your opponent is none other than Roger Huerta. What are your thoughts on him?
A) Roger is as tough as they come and highly regarded as a lightweight. That is why I wanna fight him. I wanna fight whoever the toughest guys are in my division. I want to fight them all.
Q) How is your training going and what have you been improving in the gym to get ready for Huerta?
A) I have been training hard like I always do. The improvements I made are not just for this fight but for anyone I may face in the future. I am bigger, stronger and leaner than I have ever been. I worked extra hard with my nutrition and strength training for this fight. My improvements in boxing and wrestling is what stands out the most right now by far skillwise. Thanks to my boxing coach Peter Welch and my training partner “Moose” I will be much more dangerous for this fight.
Q) This is definitely a really big fight for the both of you and will determine who will fight for the lightweight championship in the near future. Is this a must win for you?
A) Is there a fight that isn’t a must win? I wanna win every fight like it’s a championship fight. I don’t train as hard as I do everyday to lose.
Q) As well all know, Huerta shows tremendous heart like in his fight against Clay Guida. He was down on the scorecards but came back and defeated Guida with an impressive submission win. What challenges do you think Huerta imposes on you?
A) Regardless of my opponents strength and weaknesses, I have to be ready for everything. Roger’s heart has won him many a match. I have skills that I feel are better and I have a big heart that won’t quit until I win.
Q) Can you give us a little rundown on what type of training your doing and how your weight is?
A) I train 6 days a week with two training sessions per day. I work on my ground game and overall strategy with my brother Keith who is a BJJ blackbelt and who also trains hard in MMA. Of course Mark DellaGrotte is my muay thai coach. Peter Welch is my boxing coach along with Tommy Connors. Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov is my wrestling coach and training partner. I have a lot of great sparring partners over at Sityodtong that help me out and I have brought in other Pro MMA fighters to help me with my sparring.
Q) If you get past Huerta on August 9th and your given that second opportunity to fight for the title, what are your thoughts on fighting BJ Penn?
A) I am only focused on Huerta to be honest. When I get there, I get there.
Q) Who would you like to thank thus far ?
A) I want to thank my amazing sponsors who help me take my training to the next level. They are TapOut, One More Round Clothing, VersaClimber, Kershaw Knives, & Tourtellote Solutions. Also want to thank ESPN (MMA Live).
Q) Thanks Kenny for sitting down with us at mmacanada, good luck in your fight!
A) You got it! My pleasure.
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