Kenny Florian vs Takanori Gomi
Main Event Odds: (-260 Florian /+200 Gomi)
In the main event, top contender Kenny “KenFlo” Florian will look to spoil the UFC debut of legendary former PRIDE FC Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi. Florian has cemented himself as one of the top fighters in UFC’s stacked 155 pound division, with his only losses coming to former champion Sean Sherk and current champion BJ Penn. Gomi, who looked like an unstoppable monster in his PRIDE heyday, has looked more human since then, but is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the world at his weight, so this is a big fight for the future of the Lightweight title picture, especially if the rumors of BJ Penn’s permanent move to Welterweight come to fruition.
Gomi, once universally regarded as the top Lightweight on Earth, earned his reputation with a mix of good wrestling, good submission defense, and unorthodox but highly effective boxing with a surplus of punching power. His well-rounded skill set coupled with his aggressive approach made him a truly formidable opponent in his peak. He has slowed down some as his career has worn on, but he still has great boxing and punching power, and his boxing style is still very difficult for opponents to figure out. Florian is probably the better-rounded fighter of the two at this point, but Gomi is definitely the more powerful and explosive striker, so he has more than a small chance of taking this one.
Kenny Florian is undeniably one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport, at any weight. A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Florian has always been a top-notch grappler, but his Muay Thai striking has improved every single time he has fought in the UFC, so that now he is just as dangerous standing as he is on the ground. In his last fight, he shocked a lot of pundits by easily outwrestling skilled wrestler Clay Guida in an extremely one-sided fight. He can strike with strikers, grappler with grapplers, and wrestle with wrestlers, but what makes him so dangerous is how well he can transition from one part of his game to the other, as he showed against Clay Guida by stopping takedowns, counterpunching, and pouncing for the rear naked choke.
As good as Gomi still is, I think Florian is just too well-rounded for him to handle. Gomi can wrestle, but if Clay Guida couldn’t get Florian down, neither will Gomi. Gomi’s best chance is the puncher’s chance, but Florian is really good at using the cage to neutralize opponents and can fight in any position. Gomi will get his shots in, for sure, but I expect Florian to control most of the action and pull of the decision win in a highly competitive fight.
Prediction: Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian via unanimous decision.
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