“Always loving. Always loved. Always my little brother Kiki. Kirk Andrew Florian 6/22/83-9/11/16. Thank you all for sharing his picture/information. Go tell your loved ones that you love them,” Kenny Florian wrote on Instagram, confirming that his younger brother had passed away. Kirk was also a fighter, holding a 3-0 record as an amateur fighter, according to Mixed Martial Arts.
In 2008, Kenny wrote about his brother’s first fight.
“My brother Kirk competed in his first MMA fight a few weeks ago,” Kenny wrote on On The Mat. “He fought a tough opponent and in the Florian tradition fought up a weight class or two. He showed a good all around game, but ultimately won the fight on the ground by rear naked choke in the first round. Great job Kirk. You made us proud!!”
This comes just three days after the 40-year-old tweeted that his brother had “been missing since September 10 late eve.” The MMA community was shocked to hear about Kenny — who is a former title contender and currently is an analyst and commentator for the UFC, shared the news about his brother.
Saddest Deaths of 2016
Their other brother, Keith Florian also posted on Instagram (and shared on Facebook) following the heartbreaking death, writing “I love you and I’ll always miss you.” Keith and Kenny both teach at their Florian Martial Arts Center in Brookline, MA.
Our thoughts go out to the Florian family at this time.