I'm not sure that people are giving the Kenny Florian/ Joe Lauzon enough credit. A lot hands on the outcome of this fight. Sure, some may not give it as much credit because it is on the Fight Night card and not the PPV card, but these boys are both products of The Ultimate Fighter and have created quite the fan base, having them headline on Spike TV is good business sense, not to mention, probably the most entertaining fight since Huerta/Guida (which by no coincidence was also on a Fight Night card).
Lauzon probably doesn't have as much of a backing when it comes to his chances of winning this fight. After all, Florian is a former lightweight championship contender that went the distance against Sean Sherk, he is also 6-1 since coming into the octagon after TUF. Meanwhile Lauzon has only had 3 UFC fights and only one since TUF 5 finale.
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Florian has excellent and always improving muay thai skills with incredibly dangerous elbows and solid submissions. Lauzon's stand-up isn't quite at the same level, though he does have a solid ground game.
If Florian wins, he will most likely get the next shot at Penn, or if nothing else he will have to fight Roger Huerta in a number 1 contender match. So, what happens if Lauzon wins? Does that automatically rank him at the same level or above Roger Huerta, Clay Guida, Din Thomas and a slew of other fighters? Does he have to keep improving himself?
And if that is the case, then why is Florian fighting him at all? If Florian beating Lauzon makes him a number 1 contender, then Lauzon beating Florian would do the same? Right?
Is Lauzon experienced enough or good enough to take on the winner of the Penn/Sherk fight? Or would he have to prove himself again?
With a weight class as dense with talent as the lightweights, can any one fight make a fighter a contender? And on the same note, can any one loss take a fighter out of contention?
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5 months ago
I'm hoping that if BJ Penn loses to Sherk we will see a 155 title fight on the August 9th card in Minneapolis. If Sherk does win I think we will see a Sherk vs. Huerta fight in Minneapolis. As someone who is going to the show I would love to see it happen. If Penn wins you would have to assume they would either give Huerta a shot or have Huerta vs. Frankie Edgar for a shot at BJ? If Florian rolls through Lauzon you could also throw him into the contender mix. If Lauzon beats Florian it would put him in the top ten but he would need at least one more fight before getting a title shot. However it breaks down we should have a very interesting title fight at 155.
5 months ago
You're right Jon, if it's a #1 contender fight, it has to be so for both fighters (similar to Cro Cop/Gonzaga). But you also have to remember that the UFC puts on fights that they know will sell tickets, not necessarily for whoever deserves a title shot the most. That is why if Florian and Penn win, I think they will fight for the title because they are well known amongst casual fans. The same thing applies to Huerta. He is popular and the UFC will use him to appeal to the Hispanic demographic, even though he might not be the most skilled lightweight. Top fighters with less popularity right now such as Frank Edgar and Joe Lauzon will get their due as long as they keep winning. Penn said that he would force Lauzon to fight him for the title if Joe is the top contender. Fortunately for the UFC, there are a ton of exciting fighters at 155 who will provide entertaining fights for years to come, and the cream of the crop will eventually stand out from the rest. And I think Lauzon will finish Florian.
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