Kenny Florian vs Roger Huerta Announced for UFC 87

In a fight that will determine the number one contender for the Lightweight Title, Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta will do battle at UFC 87: Coleman vs Lesnar in August. The winner will face the winner of the BJ Penn - Sean Sherk match-up. That fight will likely take place in December.

Huerta will enter the Octagon for the first time since submitting Clay Guida in December, at The Ultimate Fighter Finale. Huerta has a professional record of 22-1-1 and fought five times in 2007. His main claim to fame was being chosen as the cover boy for Sports Illustrated, something that hardcore MMA fans gave him much grief over.

Although he is seen by many as UFC’s ‘Golden Boy’, Huerta is a very good fighter and poised to become a champion. Huerta is a good all-around fighter and even when he seems to be down, he can strike quickly and change the outcome of a fight as evidence by his win over Guida. Guida had control of the fight for the first two rounds. He took control in the third as well until Huerta caught him with a knee and quickly ended the fight with a choke.

Kenny Florian first showed up on MMA fans’ radars by making it to the final of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Florian lost that fight to Diego Sanchez but has since made his way the lightweight ladder not once, but twice. He lost a unanimous decision at UFC 64: Unstoppable to Sean Sherk, but he has won four straight matches including his latest over Joe Lauzon earlier this month on UFC Fight Night. Kenflo has great jiu-jitsu and has a good ground and pound game. He is also able to take a lot of punishment.

I’m glad to see Florian getting back into the Octagon because I wouldn’t be able to stand him as color commentator for another pay-per-view. Sorry Kenny, you’re a great fighter but let Joe Rogan do his job.

This is a nice addition to UFC 87: Coleman vs Lesnar which already has Brock Lesnar versus Mark Coleman. Florian and Huerta are both crowd favorites so the fan reaction should be split even though Huerta is now fighting out of Minneapolis, site of the pay-per-view. My early thoughts are that this could be a very good fight that could and should go the distance. Both men can take a ton of punishment and should be evenly matched throughout although I think Huerta will find a way to pull it out in the end.

Source: mvn.com