AP Kenny Florian is not a failure. Not by any stretch of the imagination. He may not be the best fighter who’s ever lived, but he’s reached a level of success that most never will. BJ Penn is more successful, as is Frankie Edgar. But Florian is still wildly successful in the big picture.
A third title shot for Florian resulted in a third loss, this time to Jose Aldo in a lighter division, and the likelihood that he’ll get a fourth go at it is as slim as it gets.
So he’s not the best lightweight in the world. He’s not the best featherweight. Does that mean he should retire? Does that mean there’s no point to his career? Has he considered bantamweight? Or petitioning for his very own weight class?
Dropping (or adding) weight for a new division is a move that many have made in the name of winning that championship. It’s an odd move at times, almost an excuse – ‘No wonder I couldn’t win the belt, I’ve been fighting in the wrong weight class. Whoops!’ It’s also odd to hear a guy like Chuck Liddell talk about ‘getting his belt back’ after getting knocked out cold for what felt like the 10th time in a row.
Florian has decided that lightweight was, in fact, the right weight class for him and that’s where he’ll return. He also gave a refreshingly honest analysis of his future in the sport, without foolishly claiming he’s the best there’s ever been.
“I didn’t get in this to be second-best, of course. But at the same time, not everybody can be a champion,” Florian told the Boston Herald. “I’m just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me.
“I think there’s exciting fights out there for me, there’s still challenges out there for me, there’s still things I’d like to try to improve on and that’s the main thing. I don’t necessarily have the title in my eyes, but I do have my own personal goals as far as the technical level that I want to get to.”
The ultimate goal in professional sports is always to prove you’re the best, but as Florian pointed out, that can’t happen for everybody. It’s not the champion and a bunch of guys who suck. There’s a middle ground, where guys can prove they’re better than their current opponent, and better than their previous self. The personal growth and accomplishment that comes along the path toward that ultimate goal is equally as important.
“I still love this sport tremendously and still want to be a part of it,” Florian said. “I know myself and it’s not even just being competitive, but it’s just being there learning and competing. There’s still very much a fire burning there so I’m going to do it.”
***
Previously in The Beatdown …
***
Tim Gilmour is a sports reporter and author of the humor blog LetMeThinkForYou.com. His column appears on Monday. For more NBCSports.com MMA coverage, click here.
