Kenny Florian (Pictures) has his critics. He has his stalkers, too.

Two and a half years after he fought in the finals of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter," the Boston lightweight is still in the spotlight.

Anyone in his position would be both loved and hated. Florian just focuses on fighting, striving to silence critics and win fans with each bout. As for stalkers, well, he changes his phone number.

"There is always going to be people that you can't please or … will always find something to criticize you about," Florian said. "Even Fedor (Emelianenko) has some haters out there, and he's the best fighter in the game. But that's just the way it is."

Since his loss to Diego Sanchez (Pictures) in "The Ultimate Fighter" 1 finale, there's not been much to criticize about Florian's fighting. He's 5-1, his only defeat being a hard-fought decision dropped to lightweight champion Sean Sherk (Pictures), and his wins including a dominating victory over Sam Stout (Pictures).

Florian headlines again Wednesday, when he takes on Din Thomas (Pictures) on a Spike TV-broadcast UFC Fight Night card at The Palms in Las Vegas.

"Nobody can really say anything bad about Din," Florian said. "He's on a roll, he's in the prime of his career, he's got the talent and the team to train with. And this is just another opportunity to change around the minds of the people who hate on me."

Most recently Florian was criticized for a comment some perceived as a shot at Sherk. After he had stopped Alvin Robinson (Pictures) in the first round, Florian told UFC interviewer Joe Rogan that he was a lightweight that finished fights. In the bout before Florian's, Sherk had gone the distance with Hermes Franca (Pictures).

However, Florian clarified that the comment wasn't aimed at the lightweight champion.

"I actually planned on saying that after the fight," he said. "In my head I always envision myself finishing fights, and I had planned on saying that regardless of what happened that night with the Sherk fight."

That's part of being in the spotlight, though. Fans are watching you. They're listening.

In fact, for a time, one fan was even tracking Florian.

"I had just moved into a new place in Boston, and I must have been in the place for maybe a month when this girl started calling me," he recalled. "She would just keep calling and calling. I had no idea who she was and I actually thought it was a joke, but she was actually serious. She knew my exact address. She knew exactly how long it would take her to drive from her place in Pennsylvania to get to my house. It got kind of freaky, and I had to change my number, everything."

Critics, try beating that.

Stalkers aside, Florian understands the importance of his upcoming showdown against Din Thomas (Pictures).

"He's an intelligent guy who's been in the game a long time, and I think very highly of his skills," Florian said of the Floridian. "I think talent-wise that he could be one of the best in MMA, period. He has beaten some of the best guys out there, and I know this is a big test for me. It's a pleasure to be fighting him, and I think it would do a lot for my career if I could get a win against him."

Especially now. Sherk could be stripped soon of the lightweight title after testing positive for steroids, and a win over Thomas would catapult Florian into contention for the potentially vacant championship.

But Florian isn't thinking about a title shot. He isn't thinking about critics who are waiting for him to lose or strangers who have his address. He's focused on delivering a performance against Thomas that no one can criticize.

"The real point of a fight is to take the judges and the referee out of the equation and finish the guy," Florian said. "That's the only way to really prove that you truly are the better fighter, and everybody loves a finish."