Florian-Dunham to Headline UFC 'Troops 2'

Kenny Florian: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Two-time UFC lightweight title contender Kenny Florian will headline UFC Fight Night 23 against up-and-comer Evan Dunham. The two were originally rumored to meet at UFC 126 in February, but the bout has been moved up to the Jan. 22 card, Sherdog.com confirmed on Tuesday morning with sources close to the fight. The news was initially reported by HeavyMMA.com.

The event, likely to go down as the UFC’s second “Fight for the Troops” fundraiser, is rumored to take place at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. The event has not yet been officially announced by the UFC.

Florian looked poised to make a third run at the lightweight championship until he ran into Gray Maynard at UFC 118. “The Bully” lived up to his nickname, imposing his will on the Bostonian and earning a unanimous decision victory. Prior to that loss, Florian had reeled off back-to-back victories over former Pride Fighting Championships lightweight king Takanori Gomi and UFC scrapper Clay Guida. Florian initially fought for the title in 2006, losing a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk.

After that fight, “Ken-Flo” would embark on a six-fight winning streak, rattling off victories over contenders such as Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson, and earning himself a second shot at UFC gold. This time around, the title was held by pound-for-pound stalwart B.J. Penn. In a dominant display of skill and technique, Penn consistently beat Florian to the punch, finally securing his back and finishing Florian with a rear-naked choke in round four. Florian’s defeats to Sherk, Penn and Maynard represent the whole of his losses in the last five years.

Dunham burst onto the scene in 2008, knocking out Swede Per Eklund at UFC 95 in London. From there, Dunham would only get better, consecutively defeating Marcus Aurelio, Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin. The 28-year-old is coming off of a contentious split decision loss to former titleholder Sean Sherk at UFC 119 in September. Sherk came out of the gate strong, putting Dunham on his back and lacerating him badly, but the southpaw found a way back to his feet and managed to keep most of the last two rounds upright, scoring with hard combinations against the stockier Sherk. The loss was the first of Dunham's career.

The event will also feature a lightweight scrap between Yves Edwards and Melvin Guillard, as well as a heavyweight tilt pitting Matt Mitrione against Tim Hague.