Extreme Fighter Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian (12-4) is set to face Takanori Gomi (31-5) at Ultimate Fight Night 21. Florian has been triumphant in 7 of his last 8 fights. That one loss was to “The Prodigy” BJ Penn. Kenny, a former soccer player is also a Brizillian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt and is coming off a stunning second round submission (rear naked choke) over Clay Guida at UFC 107. Kenny also holds notable wins over tough fighters such as Joe Stevenson, Joe Lauzon and Din Thomas. Kenny is now looking to get back into title contention and Takanori Gomi is an sizable road block standing in his way.
Takanori Gomi is one tough cookie himself and just signed a multi-fight contract with the UFC in January 2010. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and former Pride Championship Title holder. Gomi is also a 4 time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. Some MMA publications believe that Gomi should be ranked #2 in the world, second to only BJ Penn himself. To put it into context, Florian is currently ranked #5.
Both of these fighters have great stand up game as well as a great ground game. This fight could go anywhere. It’s hard to say how things could play 0ut. No matter what happens though, it is expected that both of these fighters will be looking to make a mark. A win for Florian will surely boost him in the rankings. A win for Gomi could mean a title shot at BJ Penn, the current UFC lightweight champion. How do you see this fight playing out? Tell us in the comments section.