Rumors are flying that perennial top UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian will be dropping from his normal 155-pound weight class to featherweight at 145 pounds.
The rumor really picked up Friday afternoon when fellow UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard was a guest on Heath Herring and Jay Pagliaro’s “The Show†radio show.
Words have been exchanged between Florian and Guillard over the past month or two which obviously led to speculation that the two may be stepping into the cage soon.
When asked about a potential fight with Florian, Guillard said that he had talked to UFC President Dana White earlier in the day and that White had informed him that Florian was in the process of, “dropping to 145.â€
“Everybody wants to see me fight Kenny,†Guillard said. “But Kenny’s talking smack and he’s not even at 155 anymore.â€
Guillard was noticeably upset about the news and wanted to point out that he is not the reason that the fight will not be happening. He believes that he has been disrespected by Florian in recent weeks but if what he’s saying is true, we may never see a fight between the two top UFC lightweights.
Instead, Florian may be chasing another fight that he has been discussing recently, one with current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
According to Tatame.com’s Eduardo Ferreira in October, Aldo was offered an opportunity to move up to 155 pounds and fight Florian.
“Aldo said he had the opportunity to move up and make his UFC debut in December against Kenny Florian,†Ferreira said. “But his manager didn’t think it was a good time.â€
Florian himself says that he was never offered the fight but that he would jump on it in an instant.
“Neither myself or my manager Malki Kawa have been offered Jose Aldo but that would be a dream fight,†Florian wrote on Twitter.
“I would take that fight with quickness. Aldo is as good as it gets and one of the best pound-for-pound. Who wouldn’t want to take that fight?! I’m here to fight the best.â€
Aldo is currently in line to fight top contender Mark Hominick who recently dominated George Roop in his return to the UFC at Fight for the Troops 2 last Saturday night.
A move to 145 pounds may be wise for Florian as according to Melvin Guillard, “He’s had numerous chances to be in the No. 1 contender’s spot, and he choked.â€
The biggest question in this move may be whether 145 pounds is too small for Florian who already looks very thin at 155 pounds.
Florian actually began his UFC career as a heavily undersized middleweight (185-pound weight limit) on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Though he lost in the finals to Diego Sanchez, Florian showed his competitive spirit by fighting against opponents who were naturally much larger than him.
He quickly made his debut at 170 pounds by knocking out fellow Ultimate Fighter competitor Alex Karalexis. He fought one more time at welterweight before making the permanent drop to the new 155-pound lightweight division, where he would quickly become a top contender for years to come.
The jump down to 145 pounds would represent nearly a 40-pound difference from Florian’s UFC debut weight and a whole new set of opponents for him to advance his already very successful MMA career.
Florian has not yet confirmed nor denied the move, but I hope to get a response from him regarding this situation either by Twitter or in a spoken interview.
