Tag: Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy Requests Random Drug Testing for Fight with Yoel Romero at UFC 178

First, it was Vitor Belfort’s elevated levels of testosterone in February. Next came Wanderlei Silva’s refusal to be tested in May. It all came to a climax only Shakespeare could pen when Chael Sonnen tested positive for human growth hormone, among a f…

First, it was Vitor Belfort‘s elevated levels of testosterone in February. Next came Wanderlei Silva’s refusal to be tested in May. It all came to a climax only Shakespeare could pen when Chael Sonnen tested positive for human growth hormone, among a few other banned substances, in June—UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy had seen enough.

“They randomly test three dudes and all three fail,” Kennedy first told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “All in my weight class. All dudes I could potentially be fighting. I went from just being vocal about drug use, to saying to myself, ‘I have to make a stand about this.'”

Kennedy’s set to duke it out with former Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero at UFC 178 in Las Vegas. He won’t be taking any chances this time around—he wants random testing leading up to his middleweight clash. 

Though Kennedy isn’t necessarily accusing Romero of cheating the sport, the recipient of the Army’s Bronze Star Medal with the “V” device isn’t so sure about any of the other fighters currently competing under the Zuffa banner. 

“The first time [the NSAC] randomly tested people, everybody failed,” Kennedy told Okamoto. “Imagine what that looks like across 450 athletes. Are we talking about 60 or 70 percent? I really believe it’s somewhere in that range of fighters that are using.”

Kennedy went to Twitter to reiterate what his request was truly all about

This isn’t the first time that a high-profile UFC fighter has publicly requested extensive drug testing before a fight. Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre first requested testing by VADA—the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association—leading up to his bout with current UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Jon Jones also went ahead and requested random testing prior to his championship fight with Glover Teixeira at UFC 172. 

Though the UFC has already agreed to open up the checkbook to fund the testing—which comes out to a whopping $45,000 per fight—Kennedy originally offered to pay for his half of the bill. 

“Whatever it takes to ensure we are moving forward toward having a clean sport, which we are nowhere near right now,” Kennedy told Okamoto. “Something has to change.”

Currently ranked sixth in the UFC’s middleweight division, a decisive victory over an up-and-coming fighter in No. 11 Yoel Romero could put Kennedy a few inches closer to a highly coveted opportunity at UFC gold. A decisive victory against performance-enhancing drugs at UFC 178, and all future events, could inch Kennedy and the UFC a bit closer to a highly coveted opportunity to wield credibility and transparency. 

 

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA. 

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Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero Booked for UFC 178 Co-Main Event


(Still not as scary as this photo. via Kennedy’s Instagram.)

A battle between top middleweights Tim Kennedy and Yoel Romero has just been added to UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II in the co-main event slot, which must mean that it is only a matter of time before an injury moves it into the *main* event slot. Regardless, the active duty Army Ranger and the Cuban powerhouse have been booked for a fight that could earn the winner a shot at middleweight champion Chris Weidman. “Middleweight champion Chris Weidman.” Still feels kind of weird to write that.

Kennedy is on the heels of a dominant, if less-than-thrilling victory over Michael Bisping at the TUF Nations Finale, which saw him completely neutralize the Brit with his takedown-oriented offense and ground-n-pound. Methinks Kennedy will have a tougher time doing the same against Romero, a hulking middleweight and Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling who, like Kennedy, will be riding a four fight win streak into their matchup at UFC 178.

Following vicious KO wins over Clifford Starks, Ronny Markes, and Derek Brunson in his first three UFC appearances, Romero most recently bested TUF 11 alum Brad Tavares via unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 11 back in April.

Predictions, please.

–J. Jones


(Still not as scary as this photo. via Kennedy’s Instagram.)

A battle between top middleweights Tim Kennedy and Yoel Romero has just been added to UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II in the co-main event slot, which must mean that it is only a matter of time before an injury moves it into the *main* event slot. Regardless, the active duty Army Ranger and the Cuban powerhouse have been booked for a fight that could earn the winner a shot at middleweight champion Chris Weidman. “Middleweight champion Chris Weidman.” Still feels kind of weird to write that.

Kennedy is on the heels of a dominant, if less-than-thrilling victory over Michael Bisping at the TUF Nations Finale, which saw him completely neutralize the Brit with his takedown-oriented offense and ground-n-pound. Methinks Kennedy will have a tougher time doing the same against Romero, a hulking middleweight and Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling who, like Kennedy, will be riding a four fight win streak into their matchup at UFC 178.

Following vicious KO wins over Clifford Starks, Ronny Markes, and Derek Brunson in his first three UFC appearances, Romero most recently bested TUF 11 alum Brad Tavares via unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 11 back in April.

Predictions, please.

–J. Jones

Yoel Romero vs. Tim Kennedy Set for UFC 178

UFC 178 will be the setting of an important middleweight fight, as Strikeforce veteran Tim Kennedy takes on Cuban Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero. This was reported by Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday.
The important midd…

UFC 178 will be the setting of an important middleweight fight, as Strikeforce veteran Tim Kennedy takes on Cuban Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero. This was reported by Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday.

The important middleweight tilt will likely be on the main card, seeing as Romero and Kennedy are arguably top-10 fighters in the weight class. The event takes place September 27 in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight title rematch between champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.

Kennedy (18-4) is undefeated in the UFC at 3-0. The outspoken former Green Beret owns UFC decision victories over jiu-jitsu ace Roger Gracie and title challenger Michael Bisping. He also possesses a massive knockout victory over Rafael Natal.

Kennedy is known for his powerful wrestling and brute strength. His most recent outing saw him outhustle and outmuscle Bisping, utilizing wrestling and heavy top pressure to defeat the brash Brit.

Romero (8-1) is undefeated in the UFC at 4-0. All four of those wins also coincide with Romero’s drop to the middleweight division, as he competed as a light heavyweight in Strikeforce and other regional organizations.

Romero is also known for his powerful wrestling and brute strength, though it has been incredibly violent striking that has been cashing his checks lately.

Until his last fight against Brad Tavares, which went to a decision and saw him use his wrestling more, Romero had three straight vicious knockouts. After a flying knee that downed Clifford Starks, Romero destroyed Ronny Markes and Derek Brunson with his concrete hands.

This fight sees two very different styles collide. Both are wrestlers by trade, though Romero has wrestled at a very high level as an amateur. He was a silver medalist for Cuba in Olympic wrestling during the 2000 Sydney Games.

On the feet, one has to believe Romero has his biggest advantage. He has been downing guys left and right with his jaw-rattling strikes and consciousness-stealing power.

All things considered, this bout should be very interesting. It could also push the winner extremely close to a title shot.

Stay tuned with Bleacher Report as more information comes in on UFC 178.

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UFC Booking Alert: Michael Bisping to Face Cung Le in August, Hector Lombard vs. Dong Hyun Kim Booked as Well


(We don’t regret choosing this image. / Photo via Getty)

Michael Bisping has been booked to fight Cung Le on August 23rd, in the main event of a Fight Night card that takes place at the Cotai Arena in Macau. This booking was announced at the UFC 173 post-fight presser.

Le won his last match with a sudden, dramatic KO victory over Rich Franklin. Despite such a win, the 42-year-old isn’t exactly a threat to Bisping, who’s coming off a disappointing decision loss to Tim Kennedy. Looks like the UFC wants its British meal ticket back in the win column as soon as possible.

Get the details on the co-main event, and where the fight card will air after the jump.


(We don’t regret choosing this image. / Photo via Getty)

Michael Bisping has been booked to fight Cung Le on August 23rd, in the main event of a Fight Night card that takes place at the Cotai Arena in Macau. This booking was announced at the UFC 173 post-fight presser.

Le won his last match with a sudden, dramatic KO victory over Rich Franklin. Despite such a win, the 42-year-old isn’t exactly a threat to Bisping, who’s coming off a disappointing decision loss to Tim Kennedy. Looks like the UFC wants its British meal ticket back in the win column as soon as possible.

The co-main event of this Fight Night card will feature a bout between Dong Hyun Kim and Hector Lombard. Kim is on  a four-fight winning streak. Most recently, he knocked out John Hathaway with a gorgeous spinning back elbow. Lombard is only on a two-fight win streak but has looked equally if not more impressive. Since dropping to welterweight, he’s smashed Nate Marquardt and sent Jake Shields out of the UFC.

It’s a shame these matches will only air on Fight Pass.

VIDEO: Highlights From Tim Kennedy’s Win Over Michael Bisping at the TUF Nations Finale

(Props: FOX Sports. As usual, feel free to mute the audio so you don’t have to listen to those dipshits.)

Tim Kennedy may have been bummed out that he didn’t get a finish against Michael Bisping last night at the TUF Nations Finale, but his unanimous decision victory officially launches him into the UFC’s middleweight title contender picture. Aside from a rather bizarre second round, where Kennedy was content to back up against the fence and get punched in the face, the American vet controlled Bisping with takedowns — securing full mount on several occasions — and even out-boxed Bisping as the fight wore on. The judges turned in scores of 49-46 x 2, and 50-45 from one judge who was either in the bathroom or asleep during round two.

You can watch highlights from the fight above, and check out full results from the event right here. Some other notes from the event…

– The Fight of the Night award went to the entertaining scrap between Dustin Poirier and Akira Corassani, which Poirier won via TKO early into round two. The two Performance of the Night bonuses went to Ryan Jimmo and KJ Noons, who both turned in savage first-round knockouts during the FOX Sports 1 Prelims. (Watch Jimmo’s here and Noons’s here.) All four fighters received $50,000.


(Props: FOX Sports. As usual, feel free to mute the audio so you don’t have to listen to those dipshits.)

Tim Kennedy may have been bummed out that he didn’t get a finish against Michael Bisping last night at the TUF Nations Finale, but his unanimous decision victory officially launches him into the UFC’s middleweight title contender picture. Aside from a rather bizarre second round, where Kennedy was content to back up against the fence and get punched in the face, the American vet controlled Bisping with takedowns — securing full mount on several occasions — and even out-boxed Bisping as the fight wore on. The judges turned in scores of 49-46 x 2, and 50-45 from one judge who was either in the bathroom or asleep during round two.

You can watch highlights from the fight above, and check out full results from the event right here. Some other notes from the event…

– The Fight of the Night award went to the entertaining scrap between Dustin Poirier and Akira Corassani, which Poirier won via TKO early into round two. The two Performance of the Night bonuses went to Ryan Jimmo and KJ Noons, who both turned in savage first-round knockouts during the FOX Sports 1 Prelims. (Watch Jimmo’s here and Noons’s here.) All four fighters received $50,000.

– Kennedy wants to fight Mark Munoz next, if Munoz beats Gegard Mousasi in Berlin on May 31st, and he thinks he might have broken his hand in round one: “I’ll get an x-ray tomorrow. I kind of had to stop being a p*ssy in the second round, like, ah, my right hand really hurts… screw it, I’ll just hit him with it. So the second round was me just not being a p*ssy and just getting my sh*t together and starting hitting him again. We’ll find out tomorrow.”

– If you watched the broadcast last night, you may have noticed how empty the Colisée Pepsi looked. There was a report circulating on twitter saying the attendance in the building was just 1,200. Following the event, Dana White said the attendance was 5,029, which seems impossible, but there you go. The complete post-fight press conference is below.

Also, this:

TUF Finale Fight Video: Watch Highlights from Tim Kennedy vs. Michael Bisping

It wasn’t pretty, but that won’t show up on Tim Kennedy’s record sheet.
The decorated U.S. Army Ranger moved to 3-0 as a UFC fighter Wednesday night when he outworked a rusty Michael Bisping to take a unanimous-decision victory in the main event of the…

It wasn’t pretty, but that won’t show up on Tim Kennedy’s record sheet.

The decorated U.S. Army Ranger moved to 3-0 as a UFC fighter Wednesday night when he outworked a rusty Michael Bisping to take a unanimous-decision victory in the main event of the finale of The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia.

Both men began the fight looking to establish their respective (and divergent) styles: Bisping relies on a fleet-footed point-kickboxing game, while Kennedy’s attack is predicated on power wrestling. Kennedy won the early exchanges, scoring on both of his takedown attempts, according to UFC stat provider FightMetric, and countering Bisping‘s jab with right hands over the top.

As the fight wore on, Kennedy appeared to lose steam, while Bisping worked to turn up the heat with his kickboxing. However, Kennedy’s counterstriking led to some tentativeness from Bisping, who had difficulty finding his range and scoring points in part because of a reluctance to throw his jab. Still, Bisping had a clear speed edge and used it to damage Kennedy with kicks and punches.

The fourth round proved pivotal, as Kennedy landed two big right hands that hurt Bisping and probably did more damage than any other sequence in the fight. Yes, it was that kind of fight.

Kennedy salted away the victory with a big takedown early in the fifth, which proved to be the bout’s last major piece of offense.

On the night, Kennedy passed Bisping‘s guard 11 times, which is the most Bisping has ever allowed, according to Michael Carroll of FightMetric:

After the bout, Kennedy told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage that we was unhappy with his performance, despite the win.

“I’m furious,” he said. “I finish fights, but I didn’t finish the fight tonight. He took my best shots.”

Despite Kennedy’s apparent fury, it still goes down as a win, and it moves the 34-year-old to 18-4 as a pro. Bisping, fighting for the first time in a year because of an eye injury that required emergency surgery, drops to 24-6 on his career.

 

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter.

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