Kenny Florian isn't ready to hang up the gloves just yet. Despite issuing a noncommittal statement regarding his future after a loss to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 136, the perennial contender and fan favorite has decided to continue his mixed martial arts career. Florian tweeted out the news late Sunday night.
"I still love this sport tremendously and still want to be a part of it," the fighter said in an interview with the Boston Herald. "I know myself and it's not even just being competitive, but it's just being there learning and competing. There's still very much a fire burning there so I'm going to do it."
Florian's status was initially wrapped in doubt after dropping the five-round decision to Aldo, his third loss in as many title opportunities. However, the former middleweight revealed that the drop to 145 pounds may have been a misguided experiment that he plans to rectify.
"I don't want there to be an excuse because there's still things I should have executed that I didn't, but I feel that it's tough to go in there at a weight class that you're not sure if you're going to be 100 percent," Florian said. "I'm just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me."
According to the Herald, Florian plans on taking six months to rebuild his body for another run at the lightweight division before returning to competition. While the 35-year-old is aware that a long road exists before a fourth shot at a UFC title can appear over the horizon, he remains confident about his abilities to entertain fans in the meantime.
"I don't like making any limits on how many fights or anything like that," Florian concluded. "I know I've still got several good fights in me."