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Making his featherweight debut, Kenny Florian (left) will face Diego Nunes at UFC 131. Photo credit: Sherdog
Top-10 ranked lightweight Kenny “KenFlo†Florian will make his 145-pound debut against WEC veteran and top-10 featherweight Diego “The Gun†Nunes at UFC 131 on June 11 in Vancouver.
Florian (13-5) made the announcement on ESPN’s MMA Live on Friday.
The 34-year-old BJJ black belt has been considered one of the top lightweights for years, but after dropping two title shots and a title eliminator bout against undefeated Gray Maynard last August, Florian has decided he will give the UFC’s new 145-pound division a run.
Florian talked to ProMMAnow.com about the decision:
Following that, he scored a unanimous decision win over Rafael Dias at WEC 42 in Aug. 2009, but then lost a unanimous decision against L.C. Davis three months later at WEC 44. It remains his only loss.
Nunes bounced back in 2010 with a split decision win over Raphael Assuncao at WEC 49 and a unanimous decision over Tyler Toner at WEC 51.
Nunes made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 131 on Jan. 1 by handing former WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown his second straight loss.
A win for Florian or Nunes on June 11 could put either fighter very close to a shot at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo‘s title.
A heavyweight top-contender bout between “The Ultimate Fighter 13
Making his featherweight debut, Kenny Florian (left) will face Diego Nunes at UFC 131. Photo credit: SherdogTop-10 ranked lightweight Kenny “KenFlo†Florian will make his 145-pound debut against WEC veteran and top-10 featherweight Diego “The Gun†Nunes at UFC 131 on June 11 in Vancouver.
Florian (13-5) made the announcement on ESPN’s MMA Live on Friday.
The 34-year-old BJJ black belt has been considered one of the top lightweights for years, but after dropping two title shots and a title eliminator bout against undefeated Gray Maynard last August, Florian has decided he will give the UFC’s new 145-pound division a run.
Florian talked to ProMMAnow.com about the decision:
“I didn’t really think about [changing weight classes] until the fight against Aldo was proposed at 155 and Jose didn’t take the fight. But I started thinking about it and people were telling me I could be able to get down to 145. I spoke to a few nutritionists that confirmed it and then made my decision based on that.â€
Nunes (16-1), a 28-year-old Brazilian from Rio Grande do Sul, made his U.S. pro MMA debut in Dec. 2008 with a unanimous decision victory over Cole Province at WEC 37.
Following that, he scored a unanimous decision win over Rafael Dias at WEC 42 in Aug. 2009, but then lost a unanimous decision against L.C. Davis three months later at WEC 44. It remains his only loss.
Nunes bounced back in 2010 with a split decision win over Raphael Assuncao at WEC 49 and a unanimous decision over Tyler Toner at WEC 51.
Nunes made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 131 on Jan. 1 by handing former WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown his second straight loss.
A win for Florian or Nunes on June 11 could put either fighter very close to a shot at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo‘s title.
A heavyweight top-contender bout between “The Ultimate Fighter 13