The Doggy Bag: The Big and Small Edition

---

What professional athlete would you compare to Kenny Florian? I am inclined to call him a Dan Marino-type who never won “the big one,” but I’m not sure he stacks up with a guy like Marino statistically. No one would ever call Florian “the best fighter to never win a title” in the UFC, for instance. However, he was very good, maybe even underrated at some times. What was important about Kenny Florian as a fighter and who would you say he compares to in the hall of all-time sports notables? -- Stan from South Carolina

Brian Knapp, features editor: It is an unfortunate group to which Florian belongs. Because he failed in all three attempts to win “the big one,” he will likely never get the credit he deserves as a mixed martial artist. Florian has plenty of company, as the world of professional sports is littered with such figures.

Jim Kelly was selected to four Pro Bowls and threw for more than 35,000 yards. Yet, he will be remembered largely as the man at the controls of a Buffalo Bills team that lost four consecutive Super Bowls. Elgin Baylor was an 11-time NBA All-Star for the Lakers, averaging 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and nearly five assists per game throughout his career. He never won an NBA championship. Ted Williams, a man many consider the greatest hitter of all-time, batted .200 in the only World Series in which he played and lost it in seven games. Marcelo Rios won nearly $10 million and 18 tournament titles on the ATP Tour. He never won a Grand Slam event. Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie finished second five times in Major Championships, including the 1994, 1997 and 2006 United States Opens.

At least Florian had his chances. The opportunity to play for all the marbles avoided some of our most beloved athletes entirely. Ernie Banks played in 2,528 career games with the Chicago Cubs and not once tasted the fruits of postseason.

Oftentimes, championships or lack thereof create the gulf that exists between the very good and the truly great. At this point, perhaps no one in MMA knows that better than Florian.

Personally, I will remember Florian as a consummate professional, inside and outside the cage, a man willing to accept the steepest of challenges, even when he was outgunned in matchups with fighters like B.J. Penn and Jose Aldo. However, Florian’s greatest contribution to the sport may come during his retirement years, as an ambassador and television analyst. MMA, in general, and the UFC, in particular need well-spoken, intelligent men like Florian to stick around and poke holes in the arguments of those who continue to unfairly brand the sport as barbaric and repulsive.

Continue Reading » Page Four: Another Week, Another TRT Email