Imagine a world where strikes with our hands are illegal and we can only strike with our elbows. In that world Kenny Florian holds the 145, 155, 170 and 185 pound straps. It’s also a world where it looks like a bunch of people doing the chicken dance are locked in a cage for fifteen minutes kicking at each other. I don’t know how marketable it is, but I would pay to see it.
Many opponents over the years have fallen victim to K-Flo’s gory elbow strikes, and the recent comments from Diego Nunes’ coach over the legality of his blows have reached Kenny’s ears. FightLinker delivers Kenny’s response:
I saw the quote and I think something got crossed up in translation but it was obviously how I was throwing them (the elbows). This is actually something I ask every ref before a fight. What does he consider a legal elbow and what is back of the head. Big John (who was the referee in that fight) is the standard for refereeing and what other referees try to be and we literally went over this for 5 to 10 min in the dressing room before the fight for what he considers legal or not. He is the best in the business and he would have said something if he saw something that was illegal during the fight.
Often times, if a fighter moves his head after they have been hit straight on, they turn their head. This puts their head in danger, so they are putting themselves into danger by moving their own head. I don’t know if they are making excuses for the loss and I hope they aren’t. I know that Diego was holding the fence half a dozen times during the fight and I know for a fact that is illegal as he was warned numerous times during the fight.
Guys want to make themselves feel better and sometimes it can be hard and sometimes you search for those things to make you feel better. When I look back at my losses, each one the other fighters was better than night and they beat me. We both go through the same rules, the same camp, the same injuries and it’s up to the guys who get into the cage to fight and make it happen.
[source]
