Kenny Florian: 'Gray Maynard is a bigger and better version of Sean Sherk'

Props: MMA Nation

Quoteworthy:

"I'm very excited [to be fighting Gray Maynard at UFC 118 in Boston]. Having that hometown advantage is huge, just being at home and being comfortable with that arena and having my friends and family there will put me at ease. I can't wait. I experienced the pressures of fighting near home at UFC 101 in Philadelphia. Having experienced that craziness, being aware of that and being able to control those aspects I learned at UFC 101 will help me a lot. Now knowing how to handle that stuff, I think I can just go in there and have fun. I just have to be careful with all the family and friends that show up at the fight and in the lead up to it... He's gonna be the biggest lightweight I've ever gone up against. I definitely have my work cut out for me. I think I'm gonna have to rely on my movement. The best kind of wrestling is to never let the guy touch your legs. Aside from that, just being able to counter the singles and doubles and being able to take advantage of that will be huge. I've wrestled with guys who have competed at a much higher level than Gray. But he isn't just a wrestler anymore. His striking has evolved a lot. You can see he's very well trained. It's not just his wrestling that I have to be worried about... My game plan is always to frustrate guys and get them to play my game. If you look at this fight on paper, he poses a lot of problems for me. People still talk about the Sean Sherk fight and that I have problems off my back, and those assessments are fair looking my past fights. I see it as a challenge. And this is the kind of fight I really want to have to end those questions. In my opinion, Gray is a bigger and better version of Sherk."

Perennial UFC lightweight top contender Kenny Florian talks about his upcoming fight with Gray Maynard at UFC 118 in Boston, Massachusetts on August 28. The winner of this contest will most assuredly receive a title shot against the winner of the championship rematch between Frankie Edgar and B.J Penn -- also set to take place at UFC 118. So, with about three months to go before this number one contender showdown, who has the edge in this match up? Will KenFlo's experience of already having competed near his hometown back at UFC 101 give him an advantage here? And do we think he's evolved his game enough since he fought Sean Sherk way back at UFC 64 to where he is able to handle the strong wrestling style of "The Bully?" Let's get some early predictions, Maniacs.