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Tim Kennedy May Offend Some People with Insensitive Tweet About UFC 158

Former Strikeforce veteran Tim Kennedy is never one to shy away from speaking his mind. He’s routinely one of the more outspoken and honest fighters in the sport.However, his latest punchline in regard to UFC 158’s main event may get him in a bit of ho…

Former Strikeforce veteran Tim Kennedy is never one to shy away from speaking his mind. He’s routinely one of the more outspoken and honest fighters in the sport.

However, his latest punchline in regard to UFC 158‘s main event may get him in a bit of hot water with the UFC and his new boss Dana White.

Whether you find this joke to be funny is irrelevant. Even if you do have a sense of humor as Kennedy points out in a follow-up tweet, the joke is incredibly insensitive to Native Americans.

Epidemics of smallpox devastated the Native American population when European settlers came to the Americas. Kennedy explains his actions to fans who replied to his original tweet.

It’s one thing to make a joke like this in the company of friends or family. I think we can all admit to making crass jokes in private. But Twitter has quickly become a national stage for media, and this kind of humor doesn’t belong on it.

I’m not saying Kennedy or any other fighter for that matter has to be boring or give the same spiel that many other professional athletes give. But Kennedy has to consider that he is now known as a UFC fighter, and as such there is a certain degree of professionalism one must exhibit.

Kennedy not only represents himself as a fighter but now the UFC as well. And as we’ve seen in the past from racy Twitter comments (see Miguel Torres), the promotion takes its public image seriously.

He doesn’t have to act like a “straight as an arrow” kind of guy, but with the UFC becoming more well known in national media, this kind of comment is exactly what opponents of the UFC and MMA are looking to use against them.

Let’s not make it any easier for them.

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Johny Hendricks Reports Hand Is Not Broken, Now Awaiting Showdown with GSP

Georges St-Pierre is a wanted man and the fighter who is hunting for his title looks to be at full health after a slight scare following his fight in Montreal last weekend. Johny Hendricks feared that he possibly broke his hand in the first round when …

Georges St-Pierre is a wanted man and the fighter who is hunting for his title looks to be at full health after a slight scare following his fight in Montreal last weekend.

Johny Hendricks feared that he possibly broke his hand in the first round when he was facing former UFC interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 158.

After the fight, Hendricks remarked that he would likely head to the doctor on Monday, but that nothing would stop him from his ultimate goal of facing Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title later this year.

“There’s always ways to work around it, so I will. Nothing’s going to hold me back,” said Hendricks at the UFC 158 post fight press conference.

Luckily for Hendricks once he returned home from the fight, the swelling in his hand had gone down dramatically so he delayed the doctor’s visit another day. By Tuesday morning, the swelling had gone down even more and the final determination was no broken hand and no need to visit the doctor.

In addition to Hendricks’ own Twitter message, representatives from his management at Team Takedown additionally confirmed the good news to Bleacher Report on Tuesday, as well and sending along a picture of his hand two days after the swelling had gone down.

“The swelling had gone down a lot yesterday when he woke up,” the statement read. “Today it looks and feels even better so he didn’t feel it was necessary to go to the doctor. It’s feeling much better”

It now looks like Hendricks will be able to avoid any time off to deal with a hand injury and get back into training right away to begin preparation for his eventual showdown with St-Pierre later this year.

As far as a timeline goes for the fight to happen, that remains unknown at this time.

Following his win over Nick Diaz at UFC 158, St-Pierre remarked about the long training camp and how he hasn’t had much rest since returning from his knee surgery last year. St-Pierre’s immediate plans included a vacation far away from Montreal to allow his mind and body time to recover.

There will be no rest for the weary, however, now that Hendricks has a healthy hand and a goal in mind of taking out St-Pierre and capturing the UFC welterweight title by year’s end.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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UFC 158 Medical Suspensions: All Fighters from GSP vs. Diaz Card Facing Time off

UFC 158 took place on Saturday, March 16 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. In the evening’s main event, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre retained his title with a dominating performance over Nick Diaz, while in the co-main event, J…

In all 12 fights that took place on the card, each fighter will receive at least seven days off via medical suspension. The longest suspension from the event was handed down to Nate Marquardt. Marquardt was knocked out in the first round of his bout against Jake Ellenberger, and as a result, he will get 60 days off.

Below is the full list of medical suspensions from the event. Suspensions were obtained by B/R via email from the Quebec Boxing Commission:

Georges St-Pierre: 28-day rest period

Nick Diaz: 28-day rest period

Johny Hendricks: 14-day rest period

Carlos Condit: 14-day rest period

Jake Ellenberger: seven-day rest period

Nate Marquardt: 60-day medical suspension

Chris Camozzi: 14-day rest period

Nick Ring: 14-day rest period

Mike Ricci: 14-day rest period

Colin Fletcher: 14-day rest period

Patrick Cote: 14-day rest period

Bobby Voelker: 14-day rest period

Darren Elkins: seven-day rest period

Antonio Carvalho: 30-day medical suspension

Jordan Mein: seven-day rest period

Dan Miller: 30-day medical suspension

John Makdessi: 14-day rest period

Daron Cruickshank: 45-day medical suspension

Rick Story: seven-day rest period

Quinn Mulhern: 30-day medical suspension

TJ Dillashaw: seven-day rest period

Issei Tamura: 45-day medical suspension

George Roop: 14-day rest period

Reuben Duran: 45-day medical suspension

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Does Hendricks Have a Chance Against GSP if He Can’t Land the Left Hook?

Johny Hendricks truly is one hell of an athlete. The gusto this man brings into the cage is admirable to the fullest, and it has quickly endeared him to a growing legion of fans across the globe. He shows up in solid shape and puts forth offensive effo…

He can wrestle, he can box, he’s savvy enough to avoid the danger of submissions and as we learned at UFC 158, he can take a huge shot, flush on the chin and keep it moving with little signs of physical angst.

Hendricks is as tough as they come, and while it may not have yielded the results “Bigg Rigg” had hoped for (it was quite obvious he was eyeing the knockout), his decision nod over Carlos Condit erased any doubt that Hendricks is the real deal number one contender to Georges St-Pierre’s title.

Hendricks has now toppled Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Martin Kampmann and Carlos Condit—four top-10 ranked welterweights—in succession. That’s an accomplishment no contender has managed in the past. Not even Fitch, during his impressive 8-0 run upon entering the UFC managed to eliminate four top-ranked foes in succession.

Hendricks deserves the title shot and if Dana White lives up to his word, he’ll get it soon enough.

But after witnessing his bout with Condit, one must really ponder: does Hendricks have a legitimate chance at dethroning the champion?

Before you leap to say of course, this is MMA and anything can happen, take into account Hendricks’ strengths and his weaknesses.

He’s a wrestler by trade with iron in his fists. However, is he a superior wrestler in the confines of the cage than GSP? Personally, I don’t believe so. Does he hit harder than St-Pierre? Absolutely, but he’s got to land to put the champion in danger, and St-Pierre is inarguably the most elusive welterweight on the UFC’s roster. It’s extremely difficult to hit GSP with a flush power punch.

In terms of overall diversity, I think Hendricks may be a step behind the champion as well. GSP’s top control, submission game and cardio are noticeably superior to that of Hendricks and his footwork puts every other welterweight on the planet to shame. St-Pierre is also a master of assembling the perfect game plan needed to nullify his opponent’s strengths.

Hendricks has one plan: move forward, throw bombs and if the leather fails to land, shoot the take-down and work from top position.

I think Hendricks is an amazing fighter with a personality that I’m personally drawn to. I think he’ll be around cleaning clocks for years to come. I don’t, however, believe he has the required offensive and defensive depth to become the UFC’s new welterweight champion.

What say you?

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Would You Prefer to See Nick Diaz Retire?

Nick Diaz is making it a habit of announcing retirement plans in the immediate wake of virtually any loss sustained.He voiced such thoughts after dropping a decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, and issued an echo following his unanimous decision loss …

Nick Diaz is making it a habit of announcing retirement plans in the immediate wake of virtually any loss sustained.

He voiced such thoughts after dropping a decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, and issued an echo following his unanimous decision loss to champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158—an opinion that’s since been refuted by Diaz’s trainer Cesar Gracie, who spoke on the MMA Hour yesterday noting that, “He wants big fights. Like, guys in the news that people are talking about. He wants big fights to motivate himself.”

I get it, I really do: Diaz is highly frustrated in those agonizing moments of defeat. The dejected feeling that comes with losing anything competitive in nature aches. It digs deep, saddens you and infuriates simultaneously.

Diaz’s pain is the same pain felt by any man to invest weeks on end in the gym, doing everything possible to prepare yourself to enter a cage with a smile and exit with a victory. But not everyone allows their emotions to pour from their mouths with reckless abandon.

I think Diaz could benefit from a little sports psychology and maybe some public relations advice. That may actually tweak his personality so much that his bad boy appeal diminishes, but I doubt it. This man is magnetic.

We’re all dying to see what Diaz will do or say next, and that—coupled with some stellar skills as a fighter—is what keeps people forking out money to see the Stockton representative enter the cage to wage war.

But after repeated announcements and hints at exiting the sport, questions start to roam the mental cavities. Is the world tired of hearing Diaz cry wolf? Would the world prefer to bypass future tirades and see the man hang his gloves up for good?

Personally, I’d like to see Diaz compete for another decade. I think he’s got the tools to be a perennial top-10 welterweight and pick up plenty of big wins inside the Octagon, and his persona is absolutely fascinating. If this man had a reality show, ratings would be off the charts.

So, the obvious question isn’t whether or not I would prefer to see Diaz retire. I’ve addressed that clearly. I want to see the man continue on in his march for greatness as a professional fighter.

The question is: would you prefer to see Diaz exit the sport at this point in his career?

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GSP vs Diaz: Where Does It Rank Among 2013’s UFC Main Events?

Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz waged war in the days leading up to the main event of UFC 158. The bout was fueled by bad blood and animosity, and fight fans were promised a different, darker side of the reigning welterweight champion. We wer…

Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz waged war in the days leading up to the main event of UFC 158.

The bout was fueled by bad blood and animosity, and fight fans were promised a different, darker side of the reigning welterweight champion.

We were fooled.

Instead of a bloodbath, viewers were treated to another “business as usual” performance by GSP, resulting in a decidedly lackluster main event.

Making matters worse, Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks amplified the evening with a Fight of the Year candidate just moments before Diaz and GSP set foot inside the Octagon.

The moment was perfect.

The fight itself was not.

In fact, the featured bout at UFC 158 was the worst main event thus far in 2013.

To be fair, 2013 has met—and exceeded—expectations so far, and GSP vs. Diaz stands as the only real disappointment.

GSP proved once again that he can take down his opponents at will, avoid submissions and rack up enough points to earn the judges’ nod.

It’s getting old, and, especially whenever the fight was billed to be so much more, the result is not satisfying anymore.

GSP‘s dominance is clear, and the fact that he manhandles his opponents for 25 minutes is mind-boggling, but you can only re-watch your favorite movie so many times before it starts collecting dust on the shelf.

With the unanimous-decision victory, GSP broke the UFC record for consecutive cage time without a finish, a mark that now stands at 150 minutes.

I don’t necessarily need a finish, either; I just want to see some variety, some semblance of the champ trying to finish a fight.

As it is, though, GSP did what GSP always does at UFC 158, and the result was an utter disappointment.

It was the worst main event of 2013 thus far, and, with the way the rest of the year is shaping up, it might just stand until December.

Unless GSP fights again, of course.

For fans of MMA, heavy metal or general absurdity, Follow @HunterAHomistek

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