UFC Retrospective Series Part 5: The TUF Credibility Rise

In anticipation of July's landmark UFC 100 event, CBSSports.com is running a weekly, eight-part UFC retrospective series, looking back at some of the pivotal moments, events and figures that shaped the sport. This is Part 5.

Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli famously argued it is better for a prince to be feared than loved. But Machiavelli also emphasized that the best scenario would be to be both loved and feared.

Florian is one of several 'TUF' alum to prove himself a contender. (UFC)

As 2006 came to a close, the UFC's Ultimate Fighter alumni were widely loved by fans. Yet they were not yet feared as upper echelon fighters. The jury was still out on whether they could defeat top level UFC competition. When that question was answered "yes," 2006's "reality stars" became 2009's title contenders.

Perhaps no fighter is more emblematic of this transition than Kenny Florian. Florian wasn't even supposed to be on The Ultimate Fighter. He only ended up on the show because he happened to be an opponent for Drew Fickett, a fighter UFC was scouting. Florian lost the bout but impressed enough to get on the show.

Even once Florian made it, he still wasn't given much respect. A natural 155-pounder, he was fighting at 185. He was selected 11th out of 16 fighters. Florian made it to the finals but lost in less than 3 minutes to Diego Sanchez. It's a fight that many believe would go differently today, but Sanchez in interviews has suggested a rematch would go the same way as the first bout. Florian feels differently.

"I know Diego, and he has great belief in himself," Florian says. "But sometimes that is a skewed reality. I think that Diego has definitely gotten better but there is no way he has evolved as much as I have. I think he'll run into the same problems he ran into at 170 and that means improving the other aspects of his game. At the end of the day, though, I've got to prove it. Hopefully I'll have the chance and we can put it to rest."

Florian finished his next three opponents, at which point he was put in a fight with the 31-2-1 "Muscle Shark" Sean Sherk for the vacant UFC lightweight title. Many fans and commentators doubted Florian was ready for a title fight against someone the caliber of Sherk, made the heavy favorite by oddsmakers.

Sherk did in fact win, but it was Florian who earned a large measure of newfound respect. Sherk's powerful wrestling allowed him to control the action, but Florian kept fighting in the standup and off his back. He cut Sherk open with strikes, and continued attacking from all positions for the entire five rounds. Florian had established he was not a protected TV star; he was a legitimate top 155-pound fighter.

But Florian was not content with his performance against Sherk. It was a fight that motivated him to get even better, and Florian hasn't lost since.

"I wasn't doing the right things to be a champ in the weight class at that time," Florian says. "I was training hard but there were things missing. I wasn't doing strength and conditioning. I wasn't training year round. I wasn't knowledgeable about nutrition and I didn't streamline my training as well as I could have."

Florian's next six fights came against opponents a collective 118-28-2. He finished all but one, exhibiting dangerous muay thai and jiu jitsu. Florian believes the key to his success is constant improvement.

"The most important thing is consistency," Florian says. "I don't take any time off. I'm constantly training. With that, I'm constantly able to make improvements. My skills will always improve because I'm always building on what I had in the last fight. If you take time off you have to relearn what you lost, so consistent training and work ethic are crucial."

All of the skills Florian has picked up are going to be necessary in his next fight, when he challenges B.J. Penn for the UFC lightweight title. Penn's natural skills are the stuff of MMA legend, and he is dangerous wherever a fight goes. He's is also coming off the most one-sided loss of his career, and could be highly motivated to reestablish himself as the world's best 155-pound fighter.

The fight between Penn and Florian will take place in Philadelphia, much closer to Florian's Massachusetts home than to Penn's native Hawaii. Florian will have friends and family in attendance as he guns for his first UFC championship. But for Florian, there is a greater motivation than just the title.

Florian has followed Penn's career closely and greatly admires him as a fighter. The first live UFC that Florian attended was Penn's UFC 35 main event against Jens Pulver. For Florian, defeating Penn would be the greatest accomplishment of his career.

"B.J. is going to be my biggest challenge by far," Florian says. "He's a legend of the sport, and that's what excites me the most. Yes, it's for the belt but the challenge of B.J. Penn is what gets me going. I'm here to test myself. He's dangerous everywhere and it's hard to find any weaknesses from the technical perspective. He's brilliant at 155, and he's a guy I've looked up to for a very long time. There are a lot of guys who fight MMA but there are few true mixed martial artists like B.J."

Unlike in the fight with Sherk, there are no questions about whether Florian deserves to be in the Octagon with Penn. Now he just has to win.

Kenny Florian is far from the only Ultimate Fighter alumnus making waves at the top of his weight class. Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping are just a few who have main-evented shows and beaten top fighters. Slowly but surely they are proving their place in the sport.

Florian takes great satisfaction in having been able to turn non-believers into fans.

"People will always doubt you but certainly people doubted me the majority of my career," Florian notes. "I had a lot of doubters and I was able to turn those doubters and that's been satisfying. People will say that they weren't fans but they became fans after a certain time. They say 'You're the most improved fighter and now I believe. I used to bet against you, but not anymore.' Hearing stuff like that is always satisfying. Switching people over to fans is very rewarding."

Todd Martin has covered mixed martial arts for the Los Angeles Times, Wrestling Observer, SI.com and CBSSports.com. He can be reached at toddmartin4l@aol.com.