by Scott Isaacs, SportsCenter 5 Executive Producer

In a very short time, mixed martial arts has become one of the fastest growing sports - not only on television, but in gyms around the world.

Mixed Martial Arts Growing In Popularity

There are dozens of local fight cards every year around New England... but you may know it best from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

And one of the U-F-C's rising stars practices his knockout punches and devastating submissions right here in Somerville.

Inside the dark building on Broadway, students learn the ways of Sityodtong, a form of Muay Thai kickboxing. It’s one of many fighting styles mastered and taught by Mark DellaGrotte.

“(Sityodtong) is a tricky style, what a boxer would call an elusive style or a finesse style,” said DellaGrotte. “It’s like Mike Tyson versus Oscar de la Hoya. One is a brawler, one is a technician.”

DellaGrotte's hot, hazy basement gym is typically packed with students, but few get as much attention as Dover native Kenny Florian.

The 31-year old Florian, once a soccer star at Dover-Sherborn high school and at Boston College, is now a master of the Octagon.

“It’s the same thing, kicking a soccer ball, kicking an opponent, it’s the same thing,” joked Florian at a recent mixed martial arts event in Wilmington.

Florian is one of six siblings who all trained in martial arts when they were younger. It wasn't until he and his brother saw the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time that they were drawn back.

“It was what we saw in the movies playing out. It was style versus style to see who was the best martial artist. That’s what really piqued my interest in martial arts again and led me to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and ultimately, mixed martial arts,” Florian said.

Brazilian jiu jitsu is a fighting style known for helping smaller men take down and defeat much larger opponents.

“I knew that you didn't have to be the most violent fighter to win, it was all technique and leverage,” said Florian.

His technique was so good; he quickly rose to the level of black belt. Soon, he had given up a job at a financial translation firm to train full-time. Then it was just a matter of getting discovered.

UFC President Dana White thought Florian looked so good in defeat at a local show; he offered him a spot on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show.

“It was a great example of life in general, where sometimes you think you have a loss, you have a setback, and sometimes it can lead to much greater things,” Florian said.

DellaGrotte added, “When Kenny seized the opportunity, he seized the moment and changed his life completely. He dedicated himself to the sport, and he’s unstoppable right now.”

Florian, fighting far out of his weight class at 185 pounds, defeated several opponents due in part to his vicious elbow strikes, making it all the way to the finals.

Since then, he's made his name fighting at 155 pounds in the lightweight division, going 7-2 inside the UFC Octagon, and 10-3 overall.

White said he is working to bring a big-time UFC event to the Garden by the end of this year. No one is looking forward to that more than Florian.

“It was always a dream just to think you could be the best fighter in the world and fight in your hometown. It definitely would be a dream come true,” said Florian.

Kenny Florian's next fight is set for April 2nd, live on Spike TV against another local fighter, Joe Lauzon of East Bridgewater. A win could set Florian up for a shot at the U-F-C lightweight championship.

Additional Links:

Mixed Martial Arts Slideshow

Kenny Florian’s Official Web Site

Sityodtong U.S.A.