• UFC 136

Florian title dream chopped down by Aldo leg kicks

Jose Aldo defended his UFC title for the second time since moving across from the WEC © Getty Images

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Kenny Florian gave it everything in what will probably be his last assault on a UFC title, but he simply did not have any weapon that matched the savageness of Jose Aldo's leg kicks in Saturday's UFC 136 title fight.

Having started his career as a middleweight, Florian found his way through four divisions to land in the UFC's featherweight terrain, hoping for third-time lucky after two previous title losses. However, after a hugely promising start, he was outclassed on his feet by champion Aldo, who claimed a unanimous 49-46 decision.

Florian arrived in Houston convinced he had never had such a good chance of winning UFC gold. His first title loss to Sean Sherk had come "too early" in his career, while his later defeat to BJ Penn came at a time when Ken-Flo barely possessed a jab or wrestling offence.

Against Aldo, one of the UFC's top strikers, Florian tried to use both his jab and his wrestling to wear down the champion, and for about seven minutes his tactics appeared to be working. Round one, went to the challenger, but one Aldo leg kick changed everything.

The Brazilian arguably boasts the most brutal leg kicks on the entire UFC roster, yet he waited until midway through the second round to throw one. When he did, a second one followed immediately, and it visibly took the explosion out of Florian's work.

For the remainder of the fight Aldo mixed inside-leg kicks with his trademark one-two combination finishing with that pinpoint overhand right, which bloodied the face of Florian.

Florian remained competitive, but his takedown offence no longer offered much threat against an opponent who boasted a 93 per cent takedown defence success rate. Indeed some of Florian's shots landed him on his back, mounted by Aldo, who arguably should have shown more ability to finish.

Nevertheless the featherweight champion, at 25 years of age, extended his MMA record to 20-1, delivering yet another reminder that he is one of the most dominant forces in the sport.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.