The Genuinely Interested Podcast Ep 112 Kenny Florian - Way Of The Warrior
Kenny Florian is a legendary MMA fighter. He is known for his cerebral approach to the sport- which is, as Kenny puts it on his bio - "somewhere between science & art".
Kenny was on the first UFC TUF (The Ultimate Fighter). During his time, Kenny was an elite competitor in Mixed Martial Arts, and he fought some of the greatest to ever do it. Following his loss to Diego Sanchez on TUF1, Kenny was extremely motivated to improve his all-around game and he came back to win his next fight (with a vicious elbow).
When he decided to retire from his illustrious fighting career, mostly due to lingering back problems, he continued to have a super successful career. Kenny was sought after due to his high-level knowledge of the sport and his unique insights. He was a color commentator (expert commentator) for the UFC, started a popular podcast with Jon Anik, launched Jiu-Jitsu academies, and most recently he joined the PFL broadcast team. Kenny is a true martial artist through and through; he is a master of the sport, but also forever a student - which makes him one of the most beloved figures in the sport today.
Kenny and I discussed -
- The evolution of MMA
- His personal experience being on the first Ultimate Fighter
- Whether he was ever tempted to return to competition
- MMA Twitter wars
- Joining PFL as a commentator
- Why fighters should focus more on the mental aspect of training
- Whether fighters should fight past their "prime"
- His take on Conor Mcgregor
- Leaving LA to start a new life in a new state
And much more...
My Take: Finding one's passion and dedicating your life to it, even when there is no clear monetary path outline for you, is a blessing. If you are able to correctly single out that one thing you love and give yourself to it, you owe it to yourself to pursue said effort with the fire of a thousand infernos.