Huerta to face Florian at UFC 87

Now that Sean Sherk is out of the picture, at least the time being, the battle for the number 1 contender spot in the lightweight division is underway. Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta are the set to meet for the right to challenge BJ Penn for his title. With major hype already surrounding this matchup it won’t matter if it’s the first bout on the card or the main event as it could very well steal the show.

Kenny Florian is just coming off of an impressive TKO win over Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 13 and is looking to secure his shot at the title. Florian is on a four match win streak, and has shown steady improvement each time. He brings a record of 9-3 to the match, 3 by KO and 6 by submission.

One thing you can count on is the Kenny Florian will come into this fight in great shape. He possesses a superior jiu jitsu ground game as well as a deep submission arsenal. With a good ground game combined with solid takedowns and takedown defense he’s easily one the most well rounded fighters in the UFC. His standup striking ability has also improved greatly.
 
Roger Huerta comes in this bout with a 20-1-1 record, 10 wins by knock out. Huerta has won six straight in the UFC, with five of the wins in 2007. Huerta is also a very well-rounded fighter and possesses good striking and above average submissions along with impressive wrestling skills. His one downfall is that from time to time, Huerta has been known to be dominated by a superior wrestler and will have to bring his best ground defense to compete with Florian on the mat. His fight against Clay Guida is a good case in point, as “The Carpenterâ€� dominated Huerta on the mat. Huerta prevailed when Guida deviated from his gameplan and the fight became a slugfest. Another thing Huerta has to be cautious of is Florian’s elbow and forearm strikes from the top position. Staying clear of those will greatly increase his chances of prevailing in this encounter.
 
This match is unlikely to last long in a standing position due to the fact of both fighters having good hands. It is more likely that it will turn into a “chess match� on the ground. In a battle of evenly matched skills it may be difficult for either man to establish superiority and will most likely go late into the match and perhaps to a decision.
 
The entire fight will come down to a battle of skills. Huerta has a lot more MMA fights under his belt, but Florian has significantly greater grappling experience. This fight can accurately be described as a “toss up�. Ultimately it will come down to who displays the most heart and which fighter will grind his way into a position of technical superiority.

One potential intangible is Huerta’s mindset and resulting focus. He’s been very vocal about his unhappiness with his pay and what he perceives as a lack of “respectâ€� by the UFC and particularly promotion president Dana White. In particular, comments he made in a “Fightâ€� magazine interview—where he ridiculed a $50 a day per diem he received during a promotional tour of Latin America, as well as his compensation for recent fights—have been especially incendiary. Not surprisingly, Dana White wasn’t pleased with Huerta’s criticisms and has publicly rebuked the fighter in numerous media appearances. While the UFC’s interest in keeping the fighter pay structure as low as possible has been well documented, it also seems that they have a vested interest in keeping Huerta happy. The hope was that Huerta would be their “poster boyâ€� for an expansion of their Latino fan base, and as such seems to be a valuable commodity that Zuffa would want to keep in the fold. 

The question then becomes “How will Huerta use his anger?â€� On one hand, it could provide greater motivation should he view it as an opportunity to “prove his worthâ€� and “stick it toâ€� Dana and the UFC. He could also view it as an audition of sorts for a future employer, most likely Affliction who’d love to pick up a talented, charismatic and bi-lingual fighter. Realistically speaking, win or lose its doubtful that he’ll be around the UFC much longer—at least if recent precedent is any indication—as fighters who go to the media with their gripes about Dana and company usually get “shown the doorâ€�. This brings us to the second scenario, where Huerta could enter the cage as a ‘lame duck’ fighter knowing that no matter how he performs he won’t be rewarded for it. Knowing Huerta’s reputation for bringing passion and determination to his craft, the former is the most likely outcome but the latter scenario can’t be summarily dismissed.

Regardless of how Dana and the UFC brass feel about Huerta, he’s got his opponent’s respect: "He's a game opponent, and he's never going to quit," Florian said of Huerta's reputation as a ‘blood and guts’ fighter. "It doesn't matter how tired he gets, he's gonna keep going, and those are the kind of guys that I want to fight. He's on a roll, he's very confident right now. And I like the kid. I know him personally. He's a good kid, and we get along great. He has a bright future, regardless of what happens in the fight with me."
 
Huerta said, "I’m totally down…I said I was gonna take some time off, but I’m starting to get the itch already and I’ve started training already, and I’m looking forward to that fight. I think he’s a great fighter, he’s a skilled and very technical fighter…and he comes in with a good game plan in every fight, with that said, I’m looking forward to fighting him."
 
There’s little doubt that this will be a fantastic matchup between these two fighters, and possibly a match of the year candidate. Clearly, the UFC would much rather see Florian emerge victorious and that knowledge alone could push Huerta to have the best performance of his career.