An Improved Kenny Florian Prepares To Take on ‘The Carpenter’

Team Florian opts to add Tri-Star's Firas Zhabi to team in preparation for UFC 107.

Kenny “KenFlo” Florian (11-4-0) will be taking on Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (25-7-0) in a lightweight bout at UFC 107 this Saturday.

Florian has grown leaps and bounds since he first became known to fans during his appearance on the first Ultimate Fighter show back in 2005. At the time, Florian appeared on the show as a middleweight at 185 lb. He lost to Diego Sanchez in the finale of Season One.

Quite astonishing looking back, to think he fought at that weight, but once he moved down to 155 pounds, Florian truly began to shine. When the lightweight division came back into the UFC, Florian fought Sean Sherk for the new title in the division. Florian lost via decision after a five-round battle.

But like before, he learned from that loss and rebounded, racking up an impressive six-fight win streak earning him a shot a the title once again. At UFC 101 in August he lost via rear naked choke in round four putting up a valiant effort against lightweight champion BJ Penn.

Fighting out of his Florian Martial Arts Center in Brookline, Massachusetts, Florian continues to improve as a fighter. Florian hasn’t fought since his loss to Penn but that loss hasn’t done anything but fuel Florian to improve his game.

“In many ways the loss put me in the right direction,” he said of his last bout. “It forced me to reevaluate everything I do. Training how I prepare for a fight and what I do in a fight.”

“I’ve done my best over my career to learn from my wins and losses. I’ve improved a lot and learned a lot,” Florian said. While he hopes to be back in title contention in the near future but that is not what concerns him presently.

“My focus is on Clay Guida he’s a tough guy and I can’t look past him. I have my work cut out for me,” Florian said of his next opponent.

But what has he done differently to prepare for Guida?

Brother Keith Florian has always been his head coach, after the loss to Penn, Kenny and his brother decided to add a new coach to Team Florian. After splitting with long timer trainer Mark DellaGrotte, they sought out Firas Zahabi, who is well known for working with Georges St Pierre at his Tri-Star gym in Montreal, Canada.

“Firas takes coaching to another level. Some guys do technical some strategic but he does both and as a student of the game he is way ahead of a lot of coaches,” Florian said of his new coach.

But a new coach was just part of the game plan. So Firas and Keith brought in numerous sparring partners to constantly test and challenge Kenny.

“It’s important to train with guys that will push you. Just going in and beating guys up everyday won’t help you,” Florian said. “We always try to bring in new guys. It mimics more of what will happen in the actual fight because you don’t really know until you’re in there.”

Florian worked on all aspects of his game but mostly worked with a lot of wrestlers to help prepare for Guida.

“I consider wrestling one of my weaker points,” Kenny said humbly. “Wrestling is the glue of MMA it connects the game together. And it’s a huge piece of the puzzle that I am still working on. But I am ready for this fight.”

Specifically finding someone to mimic the relentless style of Clay Guida was not easy. But after watching a WEC bout with Ben Henderson versus Donald Cerrone they brought in Henderson to do just that.

“Henderson is a real tough kid and he has great wrestling and can really push the pace,” Florian said of Henderson. “He’s a great training partner for a fight against Guida.”

So it sounds like Kenny Florian’s as ready as anyone could be for a fight. Florian’s final thoughts on his opponent and upcoming bout were nothing but humble and confident.

“Clay’s a relentless fighter and I expect to be on my back at some point. That’s part of what makes this fight so compelling for me and the fans, one of his greatest strengths is wrestling. I have a great group of minds helping me for this fight and I am ready for it.”

Will Florian’s ever improving game be enough to stop the persistent style of Clay Guida? The only way to find out is to watch UFC 107 – Penn vs. Sanchez this Saturday December 12^th live on Pay per view.