UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregorOct 31, 2016 by Jim Edwards
Tim Kennedy Will Quit if UFC 205 Doesn't Put Him in Title Talk
Tim Kennedy Will Quit if UFC 205 Doesn't Put Him in Title Talk
UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy says he will walk away from UFC if he doesn't get title push after beating Rashad Evans
The past few weeks have been full of confusion in the middleweight division with both Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz being linked to title shots against the current champion Michael Bisping.
While all this has been going on, several top contenders are readying themselves for bouts which could push their own claims with Luke Rockhold facing Jacare Souza, Chris Weidman taking on Yoel Romero, and Gegard Mousasi now facing Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night Belfast.
One man who isn't mentioned above is Tim Kennedy, someone who already has a win over Bisping in 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale in Quebec, Canada.
Despite taking two years away from competitive action, Kennedy feels hard done by not being one of the names to be mentioned in the title picture and feels that the division itself really needs to be sorted out.
"The division's a mess, man. It's a disaster," Kennedy told Submission Radio. "It's anybody's chance to get that next title fight and everybody wants it because, especially for me, Michael Bisping is the easiest fight in the division.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLupKVvFHG9/" hide_caption="0"]
"The current champion of the division. If you go down that list, from Chris Weidman, to Jacare, to Luke Rockhold, Derek Brunson -- that would be my number two, three, four, and five right there. I don't put Yoel Romero in there, because I think he's a cheater and he shouldn't even be in the UFC."
Kennedy added that he feels another fighter, Derek Brunson, is also being overlooked.
"The likes of Vitor Belfort, the Lyoto Machida, they're so past prime, those four guys would walk through them," Kennedy said. "Derek Brunson, even though he's a dark horse and I don't even know where he's ranked right now -- somewhere between seven and nine -- he should be up in the top five.
"Trust me, I was just training with him here at Jackson's, he should be up in the top five. It's a mess. They're talking about Nick Diaz coming back to the middleweight division and GSP, who has been out of this sport, maybe in retirement for the past few years, coming back and getting an automatic title shot."
Having taken 26 months away from the Octagon, Kennedy returns at UFC 205 where he takes on fellow American Rashad Evans. Kennedy is planning a big return and said he's going to make people take notice.
"I'm gonna go fight Rashad, I'm gonna beat him in a very, very clear decisive fashion, and Michael Bisping, he has not wanted to utter my name for the past year," Kennedy said. "He's been winning, and he might be calling out 47-year-old men that he has losses to, but who he's not mentioning, is me -- the guy that beat him up for 25 minutes.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMAXIRpFCio/" hide_caption="0"]
"So, if he wants to stand there and really be a champion, stop calling out dudes that have been retired for a few years, stop calling out a 47-year-old man. Why don't you fight a guy that beat the brakes off of you and on November 12 at Madison Square Garden is going to make a huge statement in the division."
Should Kennedy not get himself into the title talk, the 37-year-old made a bold claim and stated that UFC 205 could well be the very last time we see him inside the Octagon.
"There's a really good chance that after this fight you'll never see me again -- well, in the Octagon," Kennedy said. "I'm just getting started in my work outside of the Octagon, where you're going to probably see me a lot more. But after November 12, when I beat Rashad, if whoever the matchmaker is going to be in December for the middleweight division, if they're not talking about me being in the mix, about me as a potential match up against Michael Bisping for the title, then what's the point?"
"If I'm not going to be in the mix for a title shot at this point in my career, where I have a win over the champion -- what am I, like six and one in the last seven fights, with 'knockout of the night,' 'fight of the night,' and my only loss was a super dumb controversial decision, I think we've got a lot of other things to do."
While all this has been going on, several top contenders are readying themselves for bouts which could push their own claims with Luke Rockhold facing Jacare Souza, Chris Weidman taking on Yoel Romero, and Gegard Mousasi now facing Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night Belfast.
One man who isn't mentioned above is Tim Kennedy, someone who already has a win over Bisping in 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale in Quebec, Canada.
Middleweight is a mess of a division
Despite taking two years away from competitive action, Kennedy feels hard done by not being one of the names to be mentioned in the title picture and feels that the division itself really needs to be sorted out.
"The division's a mess, man. It's a disaster," Kennedy told Submission Radio. "It's anybody's chance to get that next title fight and everybody wants it because, especially for me, Michael Bisping is the easiest fight in the division.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLupKVvFHG9/" hide_caption="0"]
"The current champion of the division. If you go down that list, from Chris Weidman, to Jacare, to Luke Rockhold, Derek Brunson -- that would be my number two, three, four, and five right there. I don't put Yoel Romero in there, because I think he's a cheater and he shouldn't even be in the UFC."
What about Brunson?
Kennedy added that he feels another fighter, Derek Brunson, is also being overlooked.
"The likes of Vitor Belfort, the Lyoto Machida, they're so past prime, those four guys would walk through them," Kennedy said. "Derek Brunson, even though he's a dark horse and I don't even know where he's ranked right now -- somewhere between seven and nine -- he should be up in the top five.
"Trust me, I was just training with him here at Jackson's, he should be up in the top five. It's a mess. They're talking about Nick Diaz coming back to the middleweight division and GSP, who has been out of this sport, maybe in retirement for the past few years, coming back and getting an automatic title shot."
Taking out Rashad
Having taken 26 months away from the Octagon, Kennedy returns at UFC 205 where he takes on fellow American Rashad Evans. Kennedy is planning a big return and said he's going to make people take notice.
"I'm gonna go fight Rashad, I'm gonna beat him in a very, very clear decisive fashion, and Michael Bisping, he has not wanted to utter my name for the past year," Kennedy said. "He's been winning, and he might be calling out 47-year-old men that he has losses to, but who he's not mentioning, is me -- the guy that beat him up for 25 minutes.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMAXIRpFCio/" hide_caption="0"]
"So, if he wants to stand there and really be a champion, stop calling out dudes that have been retired for a few years, stop calling out a 47-year-old man. Why don't you fight a guy that beat the brakes off of you and on November 12 at Madison Square Garden is going to make a huge statement in the division."
Calling it quits?
Should Kennedy not get himself into the title talk, the 37-year-old made a bold claim and stated that UFC 205 could well be the very last time we see him inside the Octagon.
"There's a really good chance that after this fight you'll never see me again -- well, in the Octagon," Kennedy said. "I'm just getting started in my work outside of the Octagon, where you're going to probably see me a lot more. But after November 12, when I beat Rashad, if whoever the matchmaker is going to be in December for the middleweight division, if they're not talking about me being in the mix, about me as a potential match up against Michael Bisping for the title, then what's the point?"
"If I'm not going to be in the mix for a title shot at this point in my career, where I have a win over the champion -- what am I, like six and one in the last seven fights, with 'knockout of the night,' 'fight of the night,' and my only loss was a super dumb controversial decision, I think we've got a lot of other things to do."