Perhaps the third time will indeed be the charm for Kenny Florian.
Fresh off his winning 145-pound debut over Diego Nunes at UFC 131 this past weekend, the former two-time lightweight number one contender was "more than likely" assured a title shot against division champion Jose Aldo.
It appears word travels fast back to Brazil.
Aldo today revealed that not only does he expect to defend his belt against Florian next, but it will likely happen sometime in October.
He shares the news with Sensei SporTV (via ESPN.com):
"I think it’ll be a tough fight. I don’t doubt that. Florian’s name and reputation in the U.S. will make this fight marketable, so I think he’ll be my next opponent, probably in October."
Emphasis on "name" -- there aren't many of them bigger than "Ken Flo" at featherweight at this time. He was the runner up from the original The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Finale, losing a middleweight (40 pounds heavier) fight to tournament winner Diego Sanchez.
Since that time, Florian has competed 15 times inside the Octagon in three additional weight classes, challenging 155-pound champions Sean Sherk and BJ Penn along the way, losing both bouts via decision and submission, respectively.
His heavy promotional work throughout the years, as well as fill-in ringside announcer and ESPN analyst, give him the edge over just about anyone in the division not named Chad Mendes. However, "Money" opted to not wait for Aldo -- who's recovering from a neck injury -- and fight Rani Yahya at UFC 133 in August instead.
He'll likely hear no complaints from a title-starved Florian.
Of course, the promotion has not yet issued an official announcement. However, if it is booked for October, it will likely take place at UFC 136 on Oct. 8 or UFC 137 on Oct. 29.
