The journey began with a head-first plunge off the side of a mountain. Competing in the 2003 Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Ken Florian ran up Gavea Rock with jiu-jitsu teammates as part of conditioning, each racing to an elevation of 2,762 feet in the Brazilian Highlands. Lured by waterfalls and lush canopy, they strayed from the path on the way down. “We showered under one of the waterfalls and our sneakers got wet,� Florian said. “One of my buddies slipped on moss but kept going on the same kind of path. I slipped and was sliding down the side of a cliff.�
The drop was about 100 feet with jagged rocks in every direction. Somehow, Florian hit a rounded ledge some 15 feet into his fall and landed on his back sore, scared, but otherwise unhurt.
“It motivated me to appreciate my life and chase my dreams,â€? he said. “Right there I decided to take up martial arts full time.â€? Tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Boston’s Florian – known to fans as KenFlo – will take the most important step in his quest to become a world champion fighter. Featured as the main event in Ultimate Fighter Season 3 finale (9 p.m., Spike TV), he will battle Canadian Sam Stout, with the winner earning a lightweight title match against Minnesota’s Sean Sherk (29-2-1). “It’ll be soon, within the next three or four months,â€? UFC President Dana White said, confirming rumors about a possible 155-pound championship match.
Florian (6-2) was set to fight Stout (9-1-1) on March 4 in the UFC 58’s U.S. vs. Canada card but withdrew after pinching a nerve in his back. After healing, Florian spent three weeks in Thailand studying Muay Thai, a form of kick boxing known as the Art of Eight Limbs (feet, elbows, knees, fists), which mirrors Stout’s strengths.
“I was more than ready for him in March,� Florian said. “He’s not going to be able to deal with my versatility.�
Florian, 30, grew up in Dover and played the sports kids in Dover grow up playing, namely soccer and tennis. At first, martial arts were about learning self-defense more than anything else, a tradition passed on from his father, a black belt in Judo, to Ken and his five siblings. “Your heart is in your throat. It’s different to see your own flesh and blood fighting,� said Ken’s father, Agustin, a cardioplastic surgeon who came to America from Peru in 1966 with his wife, Ines.
Fluent in Spanish (his first language), Portuguese and English, Ken was a Big East soccer all-star at Boston College and graduated pre-law with a degree in communications. He ended up working as a senior project manager in the translation division for a financial company.
For a guy who signs off on his blog entries using the phrase “Peace, love and neck kicks,� the 401K plans and prospectuses coming across his desk seemed too much like counting sheep.
“He just kind of realized after that fall that you can go at any time,� said Keith Florian, Ken’s 27-year-old brother and jiu-jitsu trainer.
Florian’s big break came on July 7, 2004. Just four fights into his MMA career, Florian found himself in the ring with veteran Drew Fickett, then 22-3, after his foe scratched. Fickett won a split decision, 2-1, but KenFlo had caught the eye of White, who was in the stands scouting Fickett for the UFC’s reality show “The Ultimate Fighter.�
Jumping two weight classes to compete, Florian appeared on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter� and faced Diego Sanchez (17-0) in the finals, with the winner receiving a six-figure UFC contract. But thinking actually got the best of Florian, who froze in the spotlight.
“Our mind can play a lot of tricks on us, and I wasn’t prepared for a big event and the exposure,� Florian said. “I was more concerned about what was at stake after the fight instead of what I needed to do to win. I did a lot of growing up after that.�
Source: http://sports.bostonherald.com/ufc/view.bg?articleid=145104
