Issue 144
August 2016
Tim Kennedy’s MMA career has stalled after he clashed with the chain of command
Both inside the Octagon and out in some war-torn foreign land, Tim Kennedy is a leader. Ranked in the top 10 at 185lb since he beat new UFC champion Michael Bisping, he’s one of the leading middleweight fighters on the planet – or at least he was.
It’s been almost two years since Kennedy last fought, and he believes his mouth is to blame. The former Sergeant First Class in the Special Forces, who served multiple times in Iraq and Afghanistan, challenged twice for the Strikeforce title before he made his UFC debut. But that was back when he saw eye-to-eye with his bosses.
Kennedy has been highly critical about UFC fighter pay and its Reebok sponsorship deal. And now he believes he’s paying the price by no longer being offered fights. By biting the hand that feeds him, his fighting career at least has gone AWOL.
“While they may not be able to shut me up, and maybe I’m not smart enough to shut up, myself, I’m still going to say what I’m going to say, and maybe that’s why I’m still on the shelf,” Kennedy said of the situation recently.
Away from the cage, working in private security – “amongst other things”, Kennedy admits he’s making far more cash than he ever could in mixed martial arts. He also says those things are “far more intense and exciting” than life inside the cage anyway. But that doesn’t mean he’s done for good.
“I’d love to fight again. But I won’t change. I won’t censor myself. I’m going to speak my mind and that’s gotten me in trouble in both my military and athletic career. But I’m not going to change who I am.”
Uniform support
Fanbase on base
Nothing gives Tim Kennedy more pride than representing the military when he steps into the cage: “Knowing I have military personnel stationed all over the world rooting for me makes me proud. It gives me power. It means I’ve done everything right thus far. And it means I’ve not done anything to let them down, and I’m not going to. I just go out there an be the best I can be.”
...
