Tony
22-01-2010, 15:32
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/Kenny_Florian.jpghttp://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/takanori_gomi.jpg
(Howler Monkey vs. former sensation, who ya got?)
One of our favorite aspects of Twitter (http://twitter.com/cagepotatomma) is watching people try, and then inevitably fail, to keep a secret. It never gets old. For instance, first the official "MMA Live" Twitter (http://twitter.com/ESPN_MMALIVE) posts a teaser that Kenny Florian (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Kenny_Florian) will be revealing when his fight with former Pride star and UFC newcomer Takanori Gomi (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Takanori_Gomi) will take place. Sounds like a reason to watch the show, right? Then right after that they tell us it's at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31st. So, you know, mystery solved.
In any event, here's a fight worth getting pumped about. Florian is coming off his crushing loss to B.J. Penn (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/BJ_Penn), (edit: and the ensuing Clay Guida win, duh) but as he told us last month (http://www.cagepotato.com/exclusive-kenny-florian-back-training-hopes-fight-again-soon), he's been working with Firas Zahabi, trying some new things, and itching for a fight. Matching him up with Gomi right off the bat tells us that the UFC isn't interested in letting "The Fireball Kid" start slow against some former TUFers and work his way up to the top of the division. Instead it's sink or swim, and right away.
It's been a couple years since Gomi has looked really impressive, but will his move to the UFC and a little training time at AKA (http://news.fightmagazine.com/takanori-gomi-mma-2435/) be enough to spark a career renaissance? Or is Florian too well-rounded for Gomi to overcome in his first Octagon appearance?
(Howler Monkey vs. former sensation, who ya got?)
One of our favorite aspects of Twitter (http://twitter.com/cagepotatomma) is watching people try, and then inevitably fail, to keep a secret. It never gets old. For instance, first the official "MMA Live" Twitter (http://twitter.com/ESPN_MMALIVE) posts a teaser that Kenny Florian (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Kenny_Florian) will be revealing when his fight with former Pride star and UFC newcomer Takanori Gomi (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Takanori_Gomi) will take place. Sounds like a reason to watch the show, right? Then right after that they tell us it's at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31st. So, you know, mystery solved.
In any event, here's a fight worth getting pumped about. Florian is coming off his crushing loss to B.J. Penn (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/BJ_Penn), (edit: and the ensuing Clay Guida win, duh) but as he told us last month (http://www.cagepotato.com/exclusive-kenny-florian-back-training-hopes-fight-again-soon), he's been working with Firas Zahabi, trying some new things, and itching for a fight. Matching him up with Gomi right off the bat tells us that the UFC isn't interested in letting "The Fireball Kid" start slow against some former TUFers and work his way up to the top of the division. Instead it's sink or swim, and right away.
It's been a couple years since Gomi has looked really impressive, but will his move to the UFC and a little training time at AKA (http://news.fightmagazine.com/takanori-gomi-mma-2435/) be enough to spark a career renaissance? Or is Florian too well-rounded for Gomi to overcome in his first Octagon appearance?