Florian cites wrestling, not mind, in loss to Maynard
UFC president Dana White saw Kenny Florian’s loss to Gray Maynard at UFC 118 on Saturday night as yet another…
UFC president Dana White saw Kenny Florian’s loss to Gray Maynard at UFC 118 on Saturday night as yet another sign that Florian cracks under the pressure of the big fights, falling short just as he’s about to reach the top.
But to hear Florian tell it, the defeat was far more physical than mental.
“I take what Dana said as a compliment because I think he really believes in my skills as a fighter. I was capable of winning the fight but I would have to have fought a very boring fight. I felt great mentally & physically. I have more work to do on my wrestling & have already made the arrangements to become much better in that area of my game.”
“Gray out wrestled me. I didn’t crumble. I have won many main events & important fights. I blame my weakness in wrestling on the loss, not my mental game.”
“I thought my defensive wrestling would have been enough but it wasn’t. I will be working with high level wrestlers on a ridiculously consistent basis to improve this. I need to 10X more than I was to ensure that it is not only muscle memory but so I can prevent losing in this manner in the future.”
