Tag: Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy Regrets Showcasing Bjorn Rebney

The Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) has remained rather silent as of late, after debuting this past November with an All Star cast of members from the sport of MMA such as Cain Velasquez, Donald Cerrone, TJ Dillashaw, and Tim Kennedy. That silence was broken earlier today (Mon. January 23, 2017) when Kennedy joined

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The Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) has remained rather silent as of late, after debuting this past November with an All Star cast of members from the sport of MMA such as Cain Velasquez, Donald Cerrone, TJ Dillashaw, and Tim Kennedy. That silence was broken earlier today (Mon. January 23, 2017) when Kennedy joined MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

Kennedy who serves as the President for the MMAAA, and announced his retirement from MMA competition recently, admitted that bringing on former Bellator MMA CEO Bjorn Rebney may have been a mistake, as it took attention away from the message the association is trying to get across:

“It was a mistake during the announcement to have him be a public presence,” Kennedy said. “We obviously regretted that. But he will still be somebody that the board members will go to and ask, ‘As a promoter, did you do this?’”

Kennedy and the fighter board will serve as the key decision makers when it comes to the association’s day-do-day activities, while Rebney is serving strictly in an advisory role as it pertains to how promoters operate, and has no true authority:

“I need that information and he will be the guy that I am going to ask those questions to,” Kennedy said. “But he has no authority and he has no position within the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association and he has no vote.”

“He’s never been a part in a sense that he has any authority or ability to affect anything,” Kennedy said. “The only people that can vote are board members and the only ones people that can be board members are fighters. His role has not changed. But I regret that he was a distraction.”

It was also mentioned that Kennedy has visited some of the most well recognized camps in MMA, such as Jackson-Wink, and the visit was well received by the fighters; making the future of the MMAAA look rather bright if they continue to get some of the biggest names in the sport on its side.

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MMAAA: Tim Kennedy Plays Down Bjorn Rebney’s Role in the Organisation

When the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) was announced in November last year, the influence of its members forced the world of MMA to sit up and pay attention. Former MMA legend Georges St. Pierre joined two other former (but both active) champions in heavyweight Cain Velasquez and bantamweight T.J Dillashaw. Additionally, the fan favorite Donald Cerrone […]

When the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) was announced in November last year, the influence of its members forced the world of MMA to sit up and pay attention. Former MMA legend Georges St. Pierre joined two other former (but both active) champions in heavyweight Cain Velasquez and bantamweight T.J Dillashaw. Additionally, the fan favorite Donald Cerrone […]

MMA Personalities Address New President Donald Trump via Social Media

Various renown names in MMA including Cody Garbrandt, Vitor Belfort and Hector Lombard took to social media in their reaction to the new president of the U.S.A, Donald J. Trump.

Trump’s inauguration today ensured that there was a buzz on the social media platform. Various names across the world of MMA had their say on the man of the hour, with the majority of tweets and Instagram posts supporting the 45th president of the United States.

While politics and sports should usually be kept apart, some of the world’s biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts sent their congratulations to the new man inside the White House, or at least were diplomatic in response to his “swearing in” as president:

https://twitter.com/Cody_Nolove/status/822496713336242176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/NikLentz/status/822469445947981825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPfu89jjRr4/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPfvWxRAwLs/

https://twitter.com/EddieWineland/status/822513165858721793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/TimKennedyMMA/status/822516045193867264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/NikLentz/status/822512347591933959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/patrick_cote/status/822491491822080000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Various renown names in MMA including Cody Garbrandt, Vitor Belfort and Hector Lombard took to social media in their reaction to the new president of the U.S.A, Donald J. Trump.

Trump’s inauguration today ensured that there was a buzz on the social media platform. Various names across the world of MMA had their say on the man of the hour, with the majority of tweets and Instagram posts supporting the 45th president of the United States.

While politics and sports should usually be kept apart, some of the world’s biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts sent their congratulations to the new man inside the White House, or at least were diplomatic in response to his “swearing in” as president:

Tim Kennedy Retires At Age 37

Have you ever had one of those things you knew was coming but when it happened you still didn’t feel like you were prepared? That’s how we feel about Tim Kennedy’s post on facebook. In the recent post, Kennedy announces his retirement at the tender age of 37 and gives his reasons as why this should be the end. It’s the age old story, when the body won’t react as fast as the mind wants, and the things you once did you cannot do anymore. In this heartfelt letter, Kennedy thanks everyone involved in his MMA career and even calls out some legendary fighters by name. Robbie Lawler, why you gotta hit so hard?

The post Tim Kennedy Retires At Age 37 appeared first on Cagepotato.

A true class act

Have you ever had one of those things you knew was coming but when it happened you still didn’t feel like you were prepared? That’s how we feel about Tim Kennedy’s post on facebook. In the recent post, Kennedy announces his retirement at the tender age of 37 and gives his reasons as why this should be the end. It’s the age old story, when the body won’t react as fast as the mind wants, and the things you once did you cannot do anymore. In this heartfelt letter, Kennedy thanks everyone involved in his MMA career and even calls out some legendary fighters by name. Robbie Lawler, why you gotta hit so hard?

I’m not always the sentimental type but if this doesn’t make you feel something you might be a sociopath or a Russian spy. Either way, enjoy.

Probably one of the best retirement speeches we have ever read. If you followed it all the way to the end you’ll notice he alluded to the Mixed Martial Arts Athelete’s Association when he mentioned some of the young fighters like Paige Vanzant and securing their futures. So it seems Kennedy will still be on the scene.

Not many people can walk the line between crazy and class act, and Tim Kennedy did just that. Range on Mr. Kennedy, Ranger on.

The post Tim Kennedy Retires At Age 37 appeared first on Cagepotato.

Tim Kennedy Retires From MMA With Emotional Statement

After 16 years of fighting, Tim Kennedy has called it quits on his MMA career… Tim Keenedy’s comeback from two years away did not go well. Facing Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 206, Kennedy was thoroughly and eventually finished with strikes. Having been absent since his crushing and somewhat controversial loss to Yoel Romero, the US

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After 16 years of fighting, Tim Kennedy has called it quits on his MMA career…

Tim Keenedy’s comeback from two years away did not go well. Facing Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 206, Kennedy was thoroughly and eventually finished with strikes. Having been absent since his crushing and somewhat controversial loss to Yoel Romero, the US military veteran had an uphill battle in Gastelum. Although we’d seen him surpass obstacles like this in the past, the now-37-year old was simply not up to the task.

Announcing his retirement on Facebook today, Tim Kennedy gave an emotional statement:

Tim Kennedy Retires

Sitting in the ER at Saint Michael’s hospital in Toronto, Canada after my fight, I looked up at my buddy Nick Palmisciano who had ridden in the ambulance with me. This wasn’t our first time in this situation. I’d been here a few times in our past decade together. Sometimes for wins and sometimes for losses. The end result always looked the same: Nick carrying five bags that should have been split among three corners and me and my face are bleeding and swollen. “That’s it man,” I said. “We’re all done.”
We had talked about it a lot over the past few years. I’d spoken to Nick, to my wife Ginger, and to Greg Jackson and Brandon Gibson ad nauseam about the coming end. No matter how hard I trained, I knew this ride wouldn’t last forever. But saying it out loud definitely brought me both sadness that this chapter was complete and overwhelming relief that it’s a decision I could make without worrying about taking care of my family.

I had just lost to Kelvin Gastelum, a really respectful and hard-working young fighter who went out and did all the things I consider myself good at, but did them better. He actually reminded me of me when I was younger, except I was kind of a jerk back then. As losses go, I was kind of happy I lost to a guy like him.
A lot of my coaches, friends and fans immediately tried to build me up again. “Kelvin has the right skillset to beat you and it was your first fight back.” “You had ring rust.” “You’re still a top 10 middleweight.” I appreciated their comments and I don’t think they are wrong. I know I am still a good fighter. I know I was away a while. But they didn’t feel what I felt, and that’s being 37. I felt like I was in slow motion the entire match. I felt tired for the first time ever in a fight. I’m the guy that once graduated Ranger School – a place that starves you and denies you sleep for over two months – and took a fight six days later in the IFL and won. I’m the guy that is always in shape. And I was for this fight. I worked harder than I ever have before for this fight. But I wasn’t me anymore. My brain knew what to do but my body did not respond. I’ve watched other fighters arrive here. I’ve watched other fighters pretend they weren’t here. I will not be one of them.

I want to thank the military community for their support. I’ll never be able to explain how much you motivated me and how much I always tried to make you proud. I’ve been a professional fighter for two decades, but there was no greater moment for me than winning the main event of Fight for the Troops 3. You made me invincible that night. I will keep fighting for you all until the day I die.
I want to thank all of my coaches, from the old Days working with John Hackleman and Chuck Liddell, to all my military buddies who trained with me while I was on active duty, to Greg Jackson, Mike Winkeljohn, and Brandon Gibson now. That you all thought me worthy of the investment of your time means more than you will ever know.

I want to thank all of my opponents. Iron sharpens iron and every great victory or crushing defeat occurred because there was someone who trained hard and had the courage to meet me across the cage. I want to call a few guys out in particular. To Luke Rockhold and Jacare: you guys gave me two grinding fights that asked for everything I had. You both made me better and I hope I did the same for you. I hope the two of you keep that Strikeforce chip on your shoulders and get back on top. To Robbie Lawler: you hit me harder than anyone ever has. Seriously, that really hurt. To Roger Gracie: My training for your fight reminded me that I love the gi. Thank you for that. To Rafael Natal: It took tremendous guts to take the Fight for the Troops fight. I will always appreciate you for that and cheer for you every time you fight. To Michael Bisping: I’ve never wanted to beat anyone more than I wanted to beat you, and that motivated me to provide the best version of myself. Best of luck to you going forward, Champ.

Finally to my wife: I don’t deserve you and you don’t deserve what I’ve put you through. I could lie to you and tell you it’s all over, but we both know I have already moved onto another super dangerous thing to fill my time, so I’m going to leave it just at “thank you and sorry” for now.
So with that, to all of you fighters out there, I am not going anywhere. I love fighting and will always have the heart of a figher. I am committed to growing our sport and taking care of those who are a part of it. As sad as it is for me to walk away, the only thing sadder would be for me to stay because I had no other choice in order to feed my family. Someday the Kelvin Gastelum’s and the Yair Rodriguez’s and the Paige VanZant’s will be sitting in their respective emergency rooms with their respective Nick’s talking about it being over. And when that day comes, I want to make sure their future is secure.

I love you all. Thanks for listening. And thank you most of all for giving me the opportunity to do what I love for all these years.

The post Tim Kennedy Retires From MMA With Emotional Statement appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vitor Belfort Rumored For Brazil

He may be campaigning for yet another shot at 170 pounds, but Kelvin Gastelum may be adding another top-ranked middleweight to his record early next year. The rising 185-pound fighter, who was forced to go up to middleweight after he badly missed the welterweight limit of 171 pounds once again prior to his scheduled bout with

The post Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vitor Belfort Rumored For Brazil appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

He may be campaigning for yet another shot at 170 pounds, but Kelvin Gastelum may be adding another top-ranked middleweight to his record early next year.

The rising 185-pound fighter, who was forced to go up to middleweight after he badly missed the welterweight limit of 171 pounds once again prior to his scheduled bout with Donald Cerrone at November 12’s UFC 205, promptly took a short-notice bout with longtime veteran Tim Kennedy and parlayed it into the biggest win of his MMA career.

According to a report from Combate, however, Gastelum may have the opportunity to top even his win over Kennedy if rumors prove true he will face former UFC champ Vitor Belfort at the March 11, 2017 Fight Night event from Fortaleza, Brazil. The rumored bout is the only one to have been discussed for the card.

If it indeed proves true, Belfort will have an uphill climb to get back to the nigh-indestructible form he once exhibited during a torrid, TRT-enhanced run to a title shot in 2013. Belfort has lost two straight and three of his last fights by TKO, absorbing one-sided defeats to Ronaldo Souza and Gegard Mousasi at UFC 198 and UFC 204 this year. He seemed to hint at retirement following his loss to “The Dreamcatcher” in Manchester in early October, but rapidly backtracked on the a cryptic social media post to say he would fight on.

Putting the proverbial train back on the tracks will be a challenge against Gastelum, however, The Ultimate fighter (TUF) 17 winner whose only losses came to current welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley and Neil Magny, each by split decision. His weight management issues his most glaring obstacle, Gastelum also owns wins over former welterweight champion John Hendricks and former middleweight title contender Nate Marquardt.

Securing a win over a time-tested legend like Belfort would certainly plant Gastelum in the thick of the talented middleweight talent pool, making a third run at welterweight – where he’s missed weight three times – extremely unlikely.

Stay tuned for more news and updates about this bout and the March 11 card from Fortaleza.

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