Kenny "Kenflo" Florian had a terrific performance against the always difficult Joe "Daddy" Stevenson. Although Florian was expected to win according to our Bodog odds and lines we posted last week, he still put on a better performance than what many expected.
The co-main event was relatively close in the first few minutes of the first round. Once Florian took down Stevenson to the mat, we could say that it was pretty much over. Kenflo went from a takedown to what it seemed like a very easy mount. Florian kept pounding away as he was set in a very dominant position. Stevenson desperately tried to get away, but ended up giving his back to Florian. Kenflo immediately capitalized by applying a rear-naked choke at 4:03 of the first round.
So who’s next in line for Kenny Florian??
With 6 straight wins in the UFC, Florian looks to be the next challenger for the lightweight title. When Florian defeated Roger "El Matador" Huerta back in August at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy, Florian knew that his title shot was not going to be available for him just yet. Why? BJ "The Prodigy" Penn defeated Joe "Daddy" Stevenson for the UFC interim lightweight title and then went on to defend the "true UFC lightweight title" against Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk. UFC President Dana White would then grant Penn with a rematch bout against Georges "Rush" St. Pierre, a goal that Penn has been seeking for ever since his first loss to St. Pierre in March of 2006 at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada. Florian understood Penn’s position and instead of waiting for a possible title, he felt that another bout would keep him active and it would assure him a shot at the belt.
After Florian defeated Stevenson at the UFC 91: ‘Couture vs. Lesnar’ event, he felt the need to send out a message to Penn, Dana White and all of his fans. Here’s a snip from Kenflo himself:
"I want B.J.’s belt…I consider you the master. I want to kill that master."
Some very powerful words for the UFC veteran from Massachusetts, but he’ll have to be patient for now. Penn is scheduled to take on GSP on January 31st, 2009 as part of the UFC 94 main event.
