Kenny Florian has been around the UFC for years now.
As a former title contender, Florian knows what it takes to reach the top. He’s also worked behind the scenes and is now with FOX Sports in a different role.
Wednesday night, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was a hot button topic on UFC Tonight, with both Florian and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier offering up their thoughts.
“I don’t know the whole situation. I think some of his complaints are valid,” Florian said. “You can do a lot more to market yourself, to take fights and be that guy who fights whoever. As a champ, that’s part of his responsibility. He’s been around a long time and I’d like to see him take the biggest fight possible. In the sport of boxing it’s taken a while for the smaller guys to get the recognition.
“It was the heavier weights that everyone watched. For Demetrious, there are a lot of things he could do to promote himself between the fights. And the UFC could do more as well. Both are at fault.”
Cormier, meanwhile, said he believes Johnson should take the fight proposed with T.J. Dillashaw by the UFC. He also discussed the marketability of “Mighty Mouse.”
“I feel like he’s the guy who takes the fights when they call. He’s the most active champion in the UFC,” Cormier said. “There’s more than just being good to getting PPV and everything else. I think the responsibility can be shared between Demetrious and the UFC. The UFC doesn’t really know how to market him and they have to get creative. He’s small. He’s dominant. Even when Anderson Silva was running through the division, his points weren’t that high. I believe DJ has done his part so he has some valid points. As African American’s you have to market differently. The UFC doesn’t know how to do it with him yet. It hasn’t connected yet.”
