Kenny Florian ‘almost got killed’ in UK car accident

Former UFC title contender Kenny Florian says that he was nearly killed in a car accident in the United Kingdom on Thursday.

Florian said that a massive truck nearly trapped the tiny car he was traveling underneath it, and once they swerved out of the way they were hit by a large van. Florian credits the car’s driver, Paul Walker, for saving his life.

Here’s what Florian wrote on his Twitter.

https://twitter.com/kennyflorian/status/1222922372568756225

“Almost got killed in a car accident on the highway in the UK. Thankfully nobody was injured. A massive truck almost got our tiny car trapped underneath it. We swerved & got struck by a large van. Our driver named @pmdubs (Paul Walker) saved our lives. Every day is a gift.”

It goes without saying that this was obviously a traumatic experience for Florian and the companions he was traveling with, but thankfully he appears to be safe from harm.

Florian (14-6) is one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts and was one of the biggest stars for the UFC from “The Ultimate Fighter” season one. He started his UFC career as a middleweight, losing in the finale of TUF 1 to Diego Sanchez. Florian then fought at welterweight for a few fights, before moving down once again to the lightweight division.

It was at lightweight where Florian found the most success, as he fought Sean Sherk for the vacant UFC lightweight title in just his fifth UFC fight. Florian lost a decision to Sherk in a memorable “Fight of the Night” at UFC 64 but went on to win six more fights to get a crack at BJ Penn and the UFC lightweight title at UFC 101. Once again, Florian lost in his bid to become a UFC champion, losing by submission.

After a few more fights at lightweight, Florian closed out his career at featherweight. After beating Diego Nunes at UFC 131 to get a title shot at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, Florian lost a decision to the champ at UFC 136. That was in October 2011, and that was the last time Florian fought inside the Octagon. Since then he has done plenty of television work and podcasts and is still an active member of the MMA community.