Gray Maynard Talks Upcoming UFC 118 Fight Against Kenny Florian In Boston

Dana White Likes Kenny Florian When Not Fighting For The Belt: “I Think He’s Got A Title Mental-Blockage”

UFC lightweight fighter Kenny Florian is currently preparing for undefeated fighter Gray ‘The Bully’ Maynard (9-0).  Both fighters are scheduled to clash as part of the upcoming UFC 118 event on August 28th in Boston.

President of the UFC promotion, Dana White, expressed his thoughts on the Peruvian-American fighter .  White admits that Florian always steps into the octagon with terrific game plans that help him win, only when it’s a non-title fight.  He explains how Florian’s game plan sort of breaks when fighting for the belt due to a “title mental-blockage” he may be suffering from.  Florian is just one fight away from acquiring his third opportunity for a chance at the UFC lightweight title.

Will Maynard acquire his tenth consecutive win and have his first crack at the title?  Or will Florian give ‘The Bully’ his first loss and fight for the belt a third time?

From Dana White:

“I like the way Kenny Florian fights when he’s not fighting for a title. [He] comes in with a completely different game plan and fights not like Kenny Florian when he’s fighting for the title. I think he’s got a title mental-blockage. If Frankie beat B.J. again, yeah, that would probably be a good thing for Kenny. We’ll see how this whole thing shakes out.”

Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard Official For UFC 118 In Boston On August 28

Kenny Florian (14-4) will be taking on undefeated Gray Maynard (9-0) as part of the upcoming UFC 118 event in Boston.  Florian confirmed the news earlier today on the ‘ESPN MMA Live’ show.  The Peruvian-American fighter lost to BJ Penn for a chance at the title back at UFC 101.  Immediately after his loss, Florian returned with back to back submission wins over Clay Guida at UFC 107 and then to Takanori Gomi at UFC Fight Night 21.

Maynard remains unbeaten in his overall MMA career with 9 wins and no losses, 7 of those victories being in the UFC.  Maynard is perhaps one win from acquiring his chance at the title with recent wins over two top notch fighters including Roger Huerta and Nate Diaz.  On the other hand, Florian may also be a fight or two away from getting his second chance at the belt.

Expect fireworks!

UFC Fight Night 21 Compustrike Stats For Florian vs Gomi and Nelson vs Struve

props to compustrike.com, click here to check out more stats of the UFC Fight Night 21 event

UFC Fight Night 21 Bonuses: Nelson, Florian, Pearson and Siver Each Earn $30,000

During the UFC Fight Night 21 ‘Florian vs Gomi’ post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White announced all of the bonus winners.  Each of the fighters that acquired the following bonuses, pocketed an extra $30,000 USD aside from their regular salary.

The complete payroll for each of the fighters that participated at the UFC Fight Night 21 event will be posted once the Athletic Commission releases the fighter salaries to the public.  We should be having the list later this week, so make sure to come back for the latest updates.

Here are the special fight bonuses for UFC Fight Night 21:

• Fight of the Night : Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver, Ross Pearson won via a unanimous decision
• Knockout of the Night : Roy Nelson, he knocked out Stefan Struve 31 seconds into the first round
• Submission of the Night : Kenny Florian, he submitted Takanori Gomi via a rear naked choke at  2:52 of Round 1

Results For UFC Fight Night 21: Florian Submits Gomi, Nelson Quickly Knocks Out Struve

Main Fight Card Results:

• Kenny Florian def. Takanori Gomi via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1, 2:52
• Roy Nelson def. Stefan Struve via KO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:39
• Jorge Rivera def. Nate Quarry via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:29
• Ross Pearson def. Dennis Siver (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Fight Card Results:

• Andre Winner def. Rafaello Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Jacob Volkmann def. Ronys Torres via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
• Nik Lentz def. Rob Emerson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Gleison Tibau def. Caol Uno via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:13
• Yushin Okami def. Lucio Linhares via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 2:47
• Gerald Harris def. Mario Miranda via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:49
• Charlie Brenneman def. Jason High via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Slow Motion Video of Kenny Florian Punching His Trainer Mark Delagrotte In The Face

UFC Fight Night 21 ‘Florian vs Gomi’ Airs Tonight LIVE and FREE on Spike TV (March 31)

Takanori Gomi Talks Octagon Debut Against Kenny Florian At UFC Fight Night 21

The former PrideFC lightweight champion Takanori ‘The Fireball Kid’ Gomi will be making his octagon debut against Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 21.  The four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion and former Shooto welterweight champ plans on making a statement on March 31st as he works his way up in the UFC lightweight division.

Gomi talks about his transition from Japanese to U.S. mixed martial arts (MMA) rules, where elbows strikes is something he had to add as part of his intense training.  He understands how difficult of a fighter Florian will be as his first test in the UFC, but Gomi seems pretty confident coming into this fight especially with over 30 MMA fights under his belt.

From Takanori Gomi:

“Because this is the first time I’m going to fight in the Octagon, and fight under new rules, so I am a little bit concerned about this stuff.  There is no elbow fighting in Japan, so that’s my (biggest) concern…Because I’ve fought more than 30 (fights) and I’m still looking for a challenge in my career.  That’s the main reason to come to the UFC…Kenny’s kicks and punches are so strong, and his defense is outstanding, so I am studying his style…I’m trying to be a champion in the UFC.”

Weigh In Pictures of UFC Fight Night 21 For ‘Florian vs Gomi’ Event

Weigh-in photos for the UFC Fight Night 21 main fight card:

Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi:

Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve:

Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera:

Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver:

props to combatlifestyle.com for the UFC Fight Night 21 weigh-in pics, click here to check out the rest of the photo gallery

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