President Barack Obama once said, "Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you persevere."
Kenny Florian is like anyone else in that he’s had his fair share of successes and failures, both personally and professionally.
It just so happens that one of his biggest professional failures was broadcast worldwide on television back in October 2006.
Of course, I’m referring to his bloody five-round unanimous decision loss at the hands of veteran Sean Sherk at the UFC 64 event.
Needless to say, his first time on the big stage with the spotlight shining down on him did not go like he had envisioned it.
According to Florian, "I think I did everything that I could have done for that fight at the time. My heart was there. The issue really was being able to hang on a technical and physical level with a guy like Sherk. Ever since that fight I have been putting in a tremendous amount of hours in my training year round."
Three years and six consecutive victories later and Florian once again finds himself designated the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division.
This time, however, arguably the best lightweight of all-time is standing in his way in the form of current UFC champion B.J. Penn.
These two 155-pound warriors will do battle in the co-main event at UFC 101 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Florian is well aware of the stern test that has been presented to him saying, "It’s going to be an honor to go out there and test myself against someone with the skill of a B.J. Penn. I believe I’ve done all the work. Everything I’ve put in since I was a kid has been for this fight. I’m looking forward to it."
The underdog role is familiar territory for Florian and a position he simply chooses to relish.
"I think I’ve been the underdog once or twice in my career so it’s nothing new. That just puts more pressure on B.J. I think. For me, I just see it as a wonderful opportunity to test my skills. I’m confident I can get the job done," said Florian.
In a matter of days we will find out whether or not the second time is the charm for the 33-year-old Brookline, Massachusetts native.
Will Florian be able to use his evolving Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu skills to execute a flawless game plan and prove all his doubters wrong?
"People don’t believe in me but that’s fine. The main thing is that it starts with me. You have to believe you can do it. Hopefully I can turn some more people around. I know I have in the past," said Florian.
He added, "For me, I’m just focusing on what I need to do to win this fight. I’m sure there will still be doubters even if I beat B.J. Penn. I can’t change everybody’s mind."
Nevertheless, finding a way to beat B.J. would go a long way in convincing a large majority of detractors that he belongs in the same conversation as other upper echelon lightweights including Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, and Eddie Alvarez.
How does Florian ultimately envision the fight with B.J. playing out?
"I don’t know how I’m going to get it done but I’m predicting a win. Obviously I go into every fight expecting to win. I sacrifice too much to let anybody else win. I won’t allow it. I train too hard for it."
Derek Bolender is a contributor to BleacherReport.com, MMAmania.com, and InsideFights.com. He is also syndicated to FoxSports.com, CBSSports.com, and CNNSI.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DerekMMAwriter and Facebook.com/Derek.Bolender. Questions or comments to dbeastbo@yahoo.com.
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