Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy was just another fighter in a long line of fighters calling out the UFC’s Michael Bisping a few weeks ago.
However, in the past few days, the bad blood has reached a high point between Kennedy and Bisping.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Matt Bishop picked Kennedy’s brain about why he has made this feud with “The Count” personal.
While this writer strongly suggests reading the interview in its entirety, the highlights from the conversation are plentiful.
Talking about Bisping’s most recent fight with Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, “The Hero” proclaimed:
“So I was watching that fight and dude, my blood just turned cold when I watched him knee Jorge in the head and then I watched him walk over to the corner and spit on them. I’m a martial artist, I’m a professional athlete, I’m a soldier and everything about that fight was disrespectful to everything I stand for.”
Just in case Kennedy was not clear enough with that statement, he added:
“He is everything I’m against. He cheats. And when I say cheats, I hate all cheaters. I hate guys that use steroids, I hate guys that grease, I hate guys that throw illegal punches, or say they got kicked in the groin so they can get a break, guys that throw illegal knees to the head. I hate them across the board equally.”
Still curious if Kennedy thought Bisping’s illegal knee to Rivera’s head was intentional?
“But the worst situation is when the cheater wins and now it’s like every single fighter out there is like, ‘Oh, I can knee a guy in the head and get a slap on the wrist and then I can go back in there and win the fight.’ That’s idiotic, it’s offensive and I personally take it as a big stain on the whole entire sport.”
Ouch, and Kennedy was not even close to done pouring the fuel on the fire from there.
Responding to Bisping’s comments to MMA Fighting (where he told Kennedy to go f**k himself), the Bronze Star recipient said it was going to take a lot more than that to rile him up:
“I’m an eight-year Green Beret, Ranger, sniper. I’ve been told a lot worse things to my face, so I’m not afraid to hear about it. I’d never say that to another person, I’d never say that to another colleague, I’d never say that to another fighter. So yet again, it’s just a demonstration of his character.”
When Bishop asked why Bisping had gotten under Kennedy’s skin to this extent, he responded:
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the sport that’s ever blatantly cheated as clearly as he has and then walks away with the win from it.”
Kennedy then basically said that he has a problem with everything Bisping says and does, as well as the way he fights.
With that in mind, how did Kennedy react to the possibility that Bisping is still a frontrunner to coach season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and fight for a number one contender spot at the conclusion of the show?
“That’s absolutely asinine. He cheated! He should be punished. He then spit on the corner. He should be banned! He shouldn’t be rewarded! It doesn’t make any sense.”
All right, so it’s probably safe to say Kennedy will not be TiVoing too many episodes of TUF next season if Bisping does indeed end up as a head coach.
Kennedy also went on to say that he had a real problem with guys in MMA “misbehaving and getting rewarded for it”.
“Here’s the problem, you know. Let me give myself a mohawk, dye it red and go out there and talk some smack and then I’ll be fighting for six figures. Or let me illegally knee a guy in the head, spit on his corner and then give me a spot on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’”
Clearly, Kennedy is not a big fan of UFC welterweight Dan Hardy either. He then clarified this discontent by adding:
“And then we’ll take Brian Stann a Silver Medal recipient, a war hero, a Marine captain. He’s had like 10 fights under the Zuffa banner between the WEC and the UFC but he’s fighting a newcomer to the promotion in Jorge Santiago. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Kennedy concluded this point by saying “let’s reward those that deserve rewarding”.
Is Tim Kennedy vs. Michael Bisping a real possibility for the first crossover fight between Strikeforce and the UFC?
Given the hype both fighters are giving it right now, coupled with the fact that Kennedy is willing to donate his fight purse to charity, this match up seems to be a distinct possibility in the near future.
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