Kenny Florian Leaves Long Time Coach

‘Power struggle’ forces Kenny Florian and Mark Dellagrotte to amicably part ways: ”

Props: Fighters Only

Quoteworthy:

“There are no hard feelings. Me and Kenny have been good friends for a long, long time. We did good thing together. I think this is a good decision for both of us. I think he is going to do well, I think the people he is going with are some of the best in the world. It wasn’t a bad break or anything like that, it was just a mutual decision we made in order for us both to move forward. It was necessary for Kenny to move forward with his career and me to move forward as a coach…. I have to stress that I have nothing negative to say towards Kenny or his brother. Its not his brother’s fault, it’s not my fault, it’s just one of things that happens in sports like this. There has been a constant ‘power struggle’ between me and his brother Keith. We never really got along — which is not anybody’s fault, some work well together and some don’t. We worked well together at first but over the last few camps and fights we put together, there were differences and I am just the type of guy that if I can’t steer the ship, if I can’t be the captain, I would prefer not to be onboard…. I am a good leader, a good general, and I think my resume shows that. When I start to feel like my decisions aren’t important or not being taken seriously, it kind of detaches me from the situation. And if cant be really in control and really responsible for the outcome of the fight, I don’t want to be part of it any more…. It is going to be invigorating for Kenny to go and see new trainers, learn new tricks. I am a true teacher of the martial arts and a true friend to Kenny so I encourage him to move on to bigger and better things. Hopefully he is productive and does well from here. I wish him nothing but the best.”

Marc Dellagrotte of Sityodtong U.S.A. Muay Thai and Martial Martial Arts — the long-time trainer for two-time former number one lightweight contender, Kenny Florian — talks about the recent rift that caused the Boston-area pair to go their separate ways. Florian is coming off a submission loss to BJ Penn, which marked the second time he has competed for a world title and came up short. It appears that both parties now feel Florian is better off switching up his training regimen to increase his chances of winning in the future. In fact, Florian has already enlisted the services of Firas Zahabi — the trainer perhaps most well known for his work UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre — at Tristar in Canada. He’ll need all the help he can get to prepare for his next match against the hard-charging Clay Guida at UFC 107 on Dec. 12. “The Carpenter” has also switched up his training, calling on MMA mastermind Greg Jackson to improve his skills prior to fight night in Memphis. How much impact these decisions will have on their respective performances remains to be seen … care to make a few predictions?

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