Kenny Florian has officially retired from MMA.
The UFC veteran, who hasn't competed since an October title loss to featherweight champion Jose Aldo, made the decision official at today's weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
The 36-year-old now will focus on his current UFC broadcasting career, which includes live UFC cable-TV broadcasts and the weekly "UFC Tonight" program on FUEL TV.
"Fighting found me, and I'm a much better person because of it," said Florian, who said recent injuries contributed to his decision to retire.
Florian (14-6 MMA, 12-5 UFC) first debuted with the UFC in 2005, when he was a middleweight runner-up on the groundbreaking first season "The Ultimate Fighter." In fact, UFC president Dana White first discovered "Ken-Flo" when he saw him during a 2005 scouting trip for Drew Fickett, who ultimately defeated Florian via close split decision in a regional show. White, though, was impressed and offered Florian a spot on the show, anyway. Despite his small size for the division, Florian made it to the tournament's finals, where he ultimately lost to Diego Sanchez.
Florian, who spent most of his career in the lightweight division, ultimately competed in four different weight classes during his 17-fight UFC career. His final two came in the featherweight division, where he admitted to grueling weight cuts to make the 145-pound limit for a final but unsuccessful title run.
From 2005 to 2010, Florian went 11-2 with 10 stoppages. The only losses came to Sean Sherk and B.J. Penn, the first two of his three eventual title fights. However, he posted wins over the likes of Clay Guida, Takanori Gomi, Joe Lauzon and Sam Stout, among others, during non-title bouts.
The Massachusetts native and former Boston College soccer player remained a fan favorite throughout his career, and he has been a go-to ambassador for many UFC ventures.
For now, though, one of the UFC's most likable personalities is hanging up his gloves and retiring to the broadcast booth with partner Jon Anik.
"I'm so thankful I'm able to do commentary and shows like 'UFC Tonight' here for the UFC, FUEL and FOX," Florian said.
Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/28982/ufc-vet ... etires.mma