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Florian On Redemption's Heels By Loretta Hunt
To add sting to Florian's cuts and bruises, light-heavyweights Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin fought to the bitter end a few minutes later at the Spike TV live-televised The Ultimate Fighter Finale, and although Griffin was given the nod and all the spoils that came with it, Bonnar was awarded a UFC contract on the spot as well for his efforts. Four months later, Florian will get a shot at both personal and public redemption when he meets fellow TUF alumni Alex Karalexis Saturday evening in Las Vegas for Ultimate Fight Night, the UFC's first-ever full-on live fight event shown on cable television. For Florian, it's one more shot to show fans he's got something to offer at the top level of American MMA during one of its biggest nights of exposure. Florian, for one, feels he has a lot to prove. "It's something that got me down," the 28-year-old shares of his recent performance in the cage. "My performance against Leben was nothing to be proud of. I didn't show my skills, and against Diego, it happened once again. It was very frustrating. Obviously, fighting up a weight class or two was a big difference but I can't use that as an excuse for me because I never got to show anything that I really do in the cage." Florian's "Cinderella story" was one not mentioned much on the hit series. UFC president Dana White had flown out to the East Coast to scout out Florian's opponent for the show, but after watching Florian in action, decided to take him on instead. On the show, Florian didn't step into the Octagon until episode ten, where in the middleweight semifinals, he was again dominated by teammate Chris Leben before he landed a fight-ending elbow that cut the fiery-haired Team Quest brawler's brow. "I didn't have a wicked stepmother or anything, but I was definitely an underdog," says Florian of his reality TV experience. "I don't think a lot of people expected me to well considering I was stepping up one or two weight classes. People like Leben and Diego, they made their mistakes fifteen fights ago and they had the opportunity to recover because maybe their opponent weren't of UFC caliber, so they could learn and move on, whereas I'm learning and making my mistakes at the highest level so it's tough for me. You make a mistake and that could be the end." A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Roberto Maia/Gracie Barra and a regular on the Northeast grappling tournament circuit, Florian made his amateur fighting debut at Massachusetts' Xtreme Fighting versus a very experienced Nuri Shakir, a fight the novice won by TKO via strikes from the mount. Another amateur win followed with a successful pro debut at Mass Destruction 15. In his next fight at Combat Zone 7, also in Massachusetts, welterweight Florian lost a split decision to fellow UFN competitor Drew Fickett, but won White's invitation to audition for TUF even though the show was looking for middleweights. Although TUF was the opportunity of opportunities for the relatively inexperienced Florian, it also became a rude awakening. "I've never been a cocky person at all, but it's definitely kept me humble," he surmises. "It's definitely not anything to be proud of. I haven't accomplished anything as far as I'm concerned. I'm just going into this fight with a better understanding of mixed martial arts and the fact that anything can happen in the cage. I can flip on a banana peel or get my toe caught in the fence or get a bum decision. I'm just trying to take it one fight at a time and concentrate on having a good performance." Opponent Alex Karalexis has had just as few fights as Florian, but prefers to throw his hands over a jaunt on the ground. That's not to say Karalexis couldn't hold his own the ground if he had to-- he knocked out a grounded Josh Rafferty by lunging into his guard at the TUF Finale. Florian knows he could be in for a scrap, so between teaching BJJ private classes at the Bone Yard in Boston as well as gyms in New Hampshire, he's been training Muay Thai with Mark DellaGrotte at the famed Sitydong Academy. He's also hooked up with TUF's resident boxing coach Peter Welch, also a Boston native, in the last year. "I know that Alex definitely packs a punch," says Florian. "From what I've seen of his fights, it looks like he has heavy hands, he knows how to hit. But, skillwise, he doesn't really pose a threat to me. I've done very well in training in hard sparring sessions and in some fights where I felt fine in the striking game. Also, in seeing Alex's skills, I really feel that I have the better striking skills as well." As an added twist, Boston boys Florian and Karalexis became fast friends during taping and continued to keep in touch after the show had wrapped. With the announcement that they'd be squaring off, they've both tried to keep things light. "We spoke a couple of weeks ago," Florian says. "He was trying to get some inside info on what I was doing for training, but is was all just kinda joking around. We joked around back and forth about it." Friend or foe, Karalexis stands in the way of Florian's goal to make a name for himself in a sport beginning to burst at its seams. "I have another opportunity to show people what I'm about," Florian gratefully concludes. "It is about redemption in this fight. I'm really looking forward to just putting on a good performance and fighting up to my ability and I know if I do that, the win will take care of itself." |
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