BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian title fight at UFC 101

The anticipated showdown between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and number one contender Kenny Florian will finally take place. A blog post on Penn’s official website stated that Florian has already signed his bout agreement and “as for B.J., we received the bout agreement (Friday) afternoon and plan on making this fight happen.”

The post states the bout will headline UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.

The bout will be Penn’s first defense of his lightweight title since defeating Sean Sherk at UFC 84 in May of last year. It will also mark his first action in the Octagon since a loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in January, which has been mired in controversy over accusations of improper usage of Vaseline by St. Pierre’s camp.

It’s good to see that the talent-rich UFC lightweight division won’t be in a holding pattern any longer, and Penn will be back fighting at a more suitable weight for his frame. Certainly, Florian has improved immensely over the years; his is a great story, especially from the UFC perspective. This should be an easy fight to sell given its implications for the division and the skill with which these two combatants communicate their respective messages to fans.

MMA Live

ESPN’s “MMA Live” crew talks with the winners from UFC 92, and Kenny Florian lends his voice to the growing criticism of referee Steve Mazzagatti, saying that he hopes Mazzagatti got some glasses for Christmas, since some of his calls have been dangerously late, calling it “a consistent thing” at around the 36:30 mark. They also come to a consensus that C.B. Dollaway tapped against Mike Massenzio, though Florian calls it a good escape.

Kenny Florian on UFC 2009 Undisputed

UFC 2009 Undisputed Interview – Kenny Florian Video Interview

The Fast Lane Episode 003: Frank Shamrock and Kenny Florian

Drop whatever you’re doing and watch the latest brilliant MMA documentary from our pal Genghis Con, which follows the careers of Frank Shamrock and Kenny Florian. Two very dissimilar subjects, you’d think, but Con manages to make it work frighteningly well. As with his past videos, Con’s choice of supporting footage (like Shamrock’s body-control demonstrations around the 12-minute mark) and soundtrack.

UFC 91: Kenny Florian vs Joe Stevenson

UFC 91: Kenny Florian vs Joe Stevenson

KenFlo training for UFC 91

Kenny Florian’s strength and conditioning workout for his fight against Joe Stevenson at UFC 91.

Kenny Florian’s theory on Ken Shamrock’s cut

Kenny Florian’s theory on Ken Shamrock’s cut

Kenny Florian Talks about his new Gym

Kenny and Keith Florian discuss their new gym in Brookline, Mass.

UFC 87 Post Fight Interviews: Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta

UFC 87 Post Fight Interviews: Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta

UFC 87: Roger Huerta vs Kenny Florian

UFC 87: Roger Huerta vs Kenny Florian

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