Sherdog’s Top 10: Deceptively Dangerous

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5. Kenny Florian

In his analyst’s chair, Florian is thoughtful and articulate without being condescending. He appears likeable and personable, giving off enough of a “regular guy” vibe that it is sometimes easy to see Florian as just another MMA fan. Then, there is that uncanny resemblance to comedic actor Ben Stiller.

None of the aforementioned attributes necessarily go hand-in-hand with being feared in caged combat, however, and after he was overwhelmed by Diego Sanchez at “The Ultimate Fighter 1” Finale, the expectations were not all that high for the rest of Massachusetts native’s career.

Of course, Florian competed at middleweight out of necessity. Once he was under contract with Zuffa LLC, he eventually moved to 155 pounds, and it was there that he began to physically resemble the high-level athlete he truly was. While “KenFlo” could never quite get over the championship hump, he proved himself talented enough to earn three title shots in two divisions -- twice at lightweight and once at featherweight. The damage Florian has done with his elbows inside the Octagon stands in stark contrast with his genial disposition outside of it. Recently, a back injury has put Florian’s fighting career in doubt.

“My health isn’t worth it,” Florian told the Sherdog Radio Network’s Beatdown Show. “I’m someone that when I want to do something, I want to do it 100 percent.”

Whether he comes back or not, his 100 percent turned out to be a lot better than many initially imagined.

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