Over nine years ago I cornered against Kenny Florian in his very first MMA fight (he won). Kenny had been a Div I college Soccer player, and was the best purple belt in New England. There was no extra fat on him. Two years later he was on the TUF 1, still at 185. As everyone in New England expected, he did amazingly, losing only to TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez.
Then he dropped to 170. I don’t know how he did it.
Then he dropped to 155. I really don’t know how he did that at all in any way.
And now, when he steps in the cage vs. Diego Nunes in a featherweight match up on the main card at UFC 131 this Saturday, Kenny Florian will become the only fighter in history to compete in four different classes in the UFC.
How did he do it?
The process of dropping weight in a healthy and productive manner was a delicate one for Florian, to say the least. Nutritionist George Lockhart was tabbed as the man to oversee his diet and coordinate the cut.
“I don’t even know what food is at this point,” Florian recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “I don’t even know what it is supposed to taste like. It’s been a pretty strict diet.”
To make matters worse, Florian had to begin his descent from an even higher starting weight due to a knee injury he sustained in training preparing for a fight with Evan Dunham. “I was at my heaviest that I have been,” Florian said. “Going from doing something two or three times a day to nothing for two months, you’re going to gain weight. That was the toughest part. I had to start my diet so much earlier. I had to be very, very disciplined.”
The obvious question is how will the fourth cut affect his strength? Florian’s S&C coach Jonathan Chaimberg replies:
“Everybody is different. I’m not a classical coach who has everyone do the same things. Kenny’s main focus now is strength.
“Up until this camp he wasn’t someone who would wow you in the gym. He wasn’t that physically strong – great technique and great skills, but not very powerful. Against some guys, he could get away with it. Against Gray Maynard, who is a great wrestler and also very strong, it’s a tough match-up.
“So we focused on getting Kenny supremely strong and powerful for this fight. Putting on a lot of good muscle. His body is completely different. He’s put on a lot of solid muscle. His strength is at a place where I would be impressed even if he was fighting at 155. At 145 it’s unreal.”
