MMA Coverage

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Lightweights

No one can doubt Frankie Edgar anymore.

After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn was still the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. But now that Edgar has defeated Penn once again at UFC 118, there's no room for debate: Edgar is the undisputed champion.

Except that Edgar has one loss on his record, and that one loss is to Gray Maynard, who has been anointed the next challenger to Edgar's title. Maynard could make a case that he deserves to be considered the top fighter in the division, but unless he makes that case again in the cage, I'm sticking with Edgar at No. 1. The rest of the rankings are below.

Tags: B.J. Penn, Eddie Alvarez, George Sotiropoulos, Kenny Florian, MMA News by Michael David Smith
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Filed under: UFC

The UFC's grand James Toney experiment is over, according to Dana White. Whether it was a success or not depends on the hypothesis you started with, but unless you happen to be Toney or one of his hype men, chances are you saw this coming.

But while this fight was undoubtedly a sideshow attraction from the very beginning, it did have some benefits. For one, it got some attention from the types of fans and media who might not otherwise have cared about this card. It seems a little doubtful that they all became instant converts upon seeing Gray Maynard lay on top of Kenny Florian, but who knows.

The important thing is that the opportunity to have a famous boxer compete on MMA's biggest stage finally presented itself, then refused to stop presenting itself, then mumbled some absurd, semi-coherent threats at everyone within earshot, and then the UFC finally made it happen. Now that we've done it, let's not do it again until we find someone willing to put in the work and take it seriously.

Now on to the big winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC 118.

Tags: B.J. Penn, Kenny Florian, MMA News, Nate Diaz, Randy Couture by Ben Fowlkes
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Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

UFC president Dana White saw Kenny Florian's loss to Gray Maynard at UFC 118 on Saturday night as yet another sign that Florian cracks under the pressure of the big fights, falling short just as he's about to reach the top.

But to hear Florian tell it, the defeat was far more physical than mental.

"I take what Dana said as a compliment because I think he really believes in my skills as a fighter," Florian told MMA Fighting via email Monday morning. "I was capable of winning the fight but I would have to have fought a very boring fight. I felt great mentally & physically. I have more work to do on my wrestling & have already made the arrangements to become much better in that area of my game."

It's not the first time White has taken aim at Florian's mental game. After his loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 101, White accussed Florian of being less aggressive in title fights, suggesting he had some sort of "mental block" when a belt was on the line.

Tags: Kenny Florian, MMA News by Ben Fowlkes
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Filed under: UFC

Gray Maynard became the UFC's No. 1 lightweight contender Saturday at UFC 118, but he wasn't very exciting in the process.

Maynard beat Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, staying undefeated in his professional MMA career and controlling the fight with a wrestling style that is brutally effective but not particularly entertaining to the fans.

"I'd love to come back here and have you guys cheer for me some time," Maynard said as the fans booed him at the end of a fairly boring fight.

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Tags: Kenny Florian, MMA News by Michael David Smith
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Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos

BOSTON -- Gray Maynard secured his spot as the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division with his win over Kenny Florian at UFC 118.

MMA Fighting spoke to Maynard about his performance, finally getting a title shot and why he feels like he is ready to make a serious run as champion.

Check out the video interview below.

Tags: Kenny Florian, MMA News by Ariel Helwani
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Filed under: UFC, News

BOSTON -- After a three-round drubbing with a lightweight title opportunity on the line, Kenny Florian dejectedly walked out of the octagon.

By all rights, Florian should have at least felt soothed by the embrace of his city. The 34-year-old lightweight graduated from Boston College and he owns an academy in neighboring Brookline. Instead, he heard a chorus of disappointment, led by his boss.

"I hate to say this because I don't want to take anything away from Gray Maynard, but I think Kenny is just one of those guys who chokes in big fights," UFC president Dana White said. "I'm not bad-mouthing him or trying to disrespect him; I'm just being honest. Every time it's a big fight and there's a lot of things on the line, Kenny just ... Kenny's hands are unbelievable. Kenny's ground is unbelievable. Kenny usually kicks guys to the body and legs so hard that he busts guys up. You didn't see any of that tonight. He stood there and stared at Gray Maynard for three rounds."

Tags: Dana White, Kenny Florian, MMA News by Mike Chiappetta
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Filed under: UFC

If you've heard MMA legend and former UFC champ Pat Miletich's contributions to the Strikeforce: Challengers broadcasts or his analysis on ESPN's "MMA Live," then it won't surprise you to know that Miletich had a lot of really insightful things to say when I called him to play Fighter vs. Writer for UFC 118.

So insightful, in fact, that it immediately made me wonder why I was dumb enough to choose Miletich to go up against, when I'm a dismal 1-4 in this series so far.

So the bad news is that I'm up against a superior MMA mind this week. The good news is that I got to hear Miletich break down the upcoming card, which includes one fight where "The Croatian Sensation" says there's an epic beating in store for one of the interested parties. Can you guess who?

Yeah, you probably can. But you should still read all about how both Miletich and I see the main card playing out on Saturday night.

Tags: B.J. Penn, Demian Maia, Kenny Florian, MMA News, Nate Diaz, Randy Couture by Ben Fowlkes
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Filed under: UFC

BOSTON -- Kenny Florian is the type of cerebral fighter who doesn't waste time getting overly invested in back-and-forth pre-fight chatter. In fact, it's downright unusual to hear Florian spout negatives about his opponent. He tends to stress his foe's strengths, realizing they are hurdles for him to jump.

Yet one comment made by UFC 118 opponent Gray Maynard seemed to have gotten under Florian's skin. In a recent interview, Maynard voiced a belief that Florian tends to wilt under pressure. It was a comment to which the two-time top contender in the division took exception.

"I'm not sure where he got that from," Florian said following a media workout on Thursday. "When I had minimal skills and experience, I fought Sean Sherk for five rounds, and he beat me up good, but I was there until the end, trying to win with an arm lock or trying to knock his head off; whatever I could. I don't know what he's talking about. He's 'The Bully.' He's the guy who needs to be concerned with what happens if his will gets broken.

Tags: B.J. Penn, Kenny Florian, MMA News by Mike Chiappetta
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Filed under: UFC

Every fighter wants a chance to compete in front of a hometown crowd. At least they think they do. There's no hassle with airports, no strange restaurants, no frantic searches for a health food store so you can stock your hotel room with gluten-free whatever. It's familiar. It's home. And it doesn't hurt that you get to walk out on fight night to a unanimous chorus of cheers.

But sometimes home isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not when every local media outlet wants a piece of you and every person who ever sat next to in a high school geometry class wants you to get them a ticket to the fights.

That's the situation Boston native Kenny Florian is in this week. On Saturday night at UFC 118 he takes on Gray Maynard in a fight to determine who will get the next crack at the UFC lightweight title, and he does it in front of a hometown crowd that will place its hopes and expectations for a local victory onto his narrow shoulders.

"It can be a little distracting," Florian told MMA Fighting. "But it's stuff I've dealt with before. People want you to get them tickets to every fight. You have to win every fight. You always have your fans supporting you and people in your corner expecting you to do well. That's just how it is."

Tags: B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Kenny Florian, MMA News by Ben Fowlkes
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Filed under: UFC, News

BOSTON -- Fighting for the first time in his UFC career in his native state of Massachusetts, Kenny Florian already has plenty of incentive and motivation to beat Gray Maynard.

On Wednesday, he got one more reason.

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the winner of the Florian-Gray Maynard UFC 118 fight will indeed be guaranteed the next crack at the UFC lightweight championship.

Tags: B.J. Penn, Kenny Florian, MMA News by Mike Chiappetta
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