http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/24/2291287/kenny-florian-talks-ufc-136-matchup-with-champion-jose-aldoKenny Florian has yet another opportunity to win a title at UFC 136 when he faces Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight championship, and he apparently will have an interesting strategy going in. Kenny spoke to the Boston Herald about Aldo and how they match up, and he thinks he will probably have to beat him standing to take the belt from him. Here's what Florian thought the first time he saw Aldo in the cage:
"I just remember that he was extremely explosive," Florian said. "He finishes guys very quickly. I just remember being very impressed. I didn’t know much about him, but I just liked the way that he fought. He was exciting. Anyone who’s willing to try flying knees, acrobatic kicks and finish the fight the way he did — I’m always a fan of those kind of fighters, and Aldo is that guy."
He thinks they match up pretty evenly:
"I think he’s going to be one of my toughest fights or the toughest fight of my career," the Dover native said of Aldo. "He comes in with a lot of the different assets than other fighters I’ve faced. He has tremendous stand-up, tremendous jiujitsu and we’re even on the wrestling. That makes it an awesome fight."
And banging with him is the way to wear him down, apparently:
"I think the key is being able to compete with Jose Aldo on the stand-up," Florian said. "If you can do that, you can start to take away his confidence. That’s what I plan to do: Really challenge him with his stand-up and give him hell there."
Is that solid strategy for Florian? I tend to disagree with Kenny on this, believing that he actually has the better wrestling and could possibly work that sort of game against Aldo. But who am I to question one of the better tacticians in the sport?