UFC 91 Preview: Kenny "Kenflo" Florian vs Joe "Daddy" Stevenson
It’s just a matter of days until what could turn out to be the biggest night in MMA history to date goes down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Randy “The Natural” Couture returns to the UFC’s lacking heavyweight division for his first title defense in over a year when he takes on the younger, stronger, and more physically imposing Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 91, which kicks off November 15th.
While this marquee heavyweight battle is certainly a bout that has fans and pundits alike salivating, another bout, which could be labeled as the night’s co-main event, has been—understandably—disregarded and neglected by the majority of fans and media outlets alike.
In an interesting, high-risk affair between rising lightweight contender Kenny Florian (10-3 MMA) and young veteran Joe Stevenson (29-8 MMA), the Boston native will have his hands full trying to fend off the relentless take-downs, strength, underrated boxing skills and wily experience that comprise one the division’s top lightweight grinders.
Before I get to the breakdown of the fight itself, there are several interesting subplots heading into this particular lightweight showdown, mostly at the fault of the reigning—albeit absent—UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn as he abandons his weight class for a fan-appeasing grudge match with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, leaving many of the top contenders at 155lbs, most namely Kenny Florian, in a state of limbo. The solution? Take another fight, and another, and maybe even another after that one in order to keep busy. And that is just what Florian has done in his acceptance of this UFC 91 bout against Joe Stevenson.
After thoroughly handling the always-exciting, recklessly aggressive brawling style of Roger Huerta at UFC 87 in August, Florian was all but promised a shot at Penn. It has become obvious that the UFC brass has other plans for their lightweight kingpin, however, and thus Florian has decided to take on a very dangerous and for-some-reason-underrated fellow contender in Joe Stevenson, who is coming off a submission win over highly-regarded Brazilian Gleison Tibau after watching his own title hopes dashed at the hands (and elbows) of Penn back in January of this year.
Florian claims that he took the fight in order to remain active, an argument also served up by rising welterweight contender Thiago Alves after he knocked off former champ Matt Hughes in June and opted to fight again in October. The pros and cons are huge for Florian in this fight, just as they were for Alves last month. Fortunately for the Brazilian, Alves found himself drinking in the glory of an utter domination of Josh Koscheck back at UFC 90; however, the fight could easily have gone against him, just as this fight could derail Florian’s fast track toward UFC gold.
Whether this decision will ultimately come back to bite Florian in the rear or earn him even higher regard and add another impressive name to his running five-fight winning streak remains to be seen, but the fact remains; Stevenson will be game, and Florian had better be prepared for an all-out war.
On to the fight itself: On the one side we have the more versatile striker and equally competent submission ace in Kenny Florian, and on the other, the physical strength, speed, and cardio of Joe Stevenson. Heart will not come into play in this bout, as it is highly unlikely either man will be able to break the other. Florian showed his mettle in a stirring five-round loss at the hands of Sean Sherk back in 2006 while Stevenson fought to the bitter and bloody end in his second-round TKO loss to BJ Penn in January.
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What this fight will really come down to is Florian’s reaction time and counter-striking ability. Kenny needs to keep the fight at his range and pick Stevenson apart on the feet, similar to the plan he executed with flying colors against Roger Huerta. Sure Stevenson possesses great boxing and explosive takedowns, but Florian has shown that he can keep an aggressive opponent at bay if he’s on.
If Stevenson is able to cut angles on Florian—a difficult task, but one the veteran has shown an ability to do in past outings—he should be able to pepper his back-peddling opponent with jabs and stiff crosses before exploding into one of his high-impact take-downs. Once on the ground, Florian will be at a distinct disadvantage in terms of strength if he finds himself on the bottom, and though he does have the Jui Jitsu savvy to pull off a submission if the opportunity presents itself, he runs an equal risk of being submitted himself in this contest.
All in all this is going to be a tactical war from start to finish, and as I alluded to before, I have difficulty seeing either fighter finishing the other.
Look for Kenny Florian to execute a similar game plan to the one he used against Huerta to keep Stevenson at bay and launch the occasional blitzkrieg striking offensive to keep his opponent dazed and out of range. Although Florian has vowed to finish fights in the past, he should take extreme caution in his handling of Joe Stevenson. If he does get overconfident, it’s going to be a long night for the Bostonian as Stevenson grinds his body into the ground for three rounds.
Official Prediction: Kenny Florian by Unanimous Decision
By Steven T. Kelliher
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer