What’s been a busy month so far for military mixed martial arts news was supposed to peak Saturday night with the UFC debut of a former Army sniper. Why that didn’t happen, plus some notes you may have missed from the military MMA scene over the last few days: Todhunter ‘feeling better’ after missing UFC 188 The 40-pound weight cut faced by Andrew “The Sniper” Todhunter to make 170 pounds for first UFC fight took such focus that preparing for his opponent, Russian Albert Tumenov, was a secondary — if that — concern. The former soldier told Army Times he was “in the 180s” on Wednesday afternoon, but by…
Browsing: Tim Kennedy
Army Sgt. 1st Class Tim Kennedy will fight in front of a decidedly friendly crowd tonight at Fort Campbell, Ky., in the main event of the third UFC “Fight for the Troops” card. Kennedy (16-4) will battle fellow 185-pounder Rafael “Sapo” Natal (17-4-1). That’s “Natal.” With a “T”: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOTscXtjK0k[/youtube] Honest mistake — after all, Kennedy’s been busy in the run-up to tonight’s fight, continuing his stellar history of media-darling-ness: After his initial opponent, Lyoto Machida, was moved off the card to replace the injured Michael Bisping in an earlier event, Kennedy Twitter-bombed nearly the entire UFC roster, seeking a replacement.…
The third in our series of Tim Kennedy posts will be the shortest: The soldier-grappler was to fight former 205-pound UFC champ Lyoto Machida in the main event of “UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3” at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Nov. 6. Then an injury to another fighter shuffled the UFC’s schedule, and Kennedy was left without an opponent. That triggered a series of Tweets from Kennedy that called out a good chunk of the UFC’s 185-pound division. Eventually, matchmakers selected Rafael “Sapo” Natal, according to our good friends at MMAJunkie.com — who’d been ID’d previously…
Wanted: Middleweight martial artist willing to step into cage in front of loud group of soldiers at Kentucky military installation, fight Texas National Guardsman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and hasn’t been knocked out in 20 professional bouts. Experience a plus. Medical insurance probably also a good idea. Tim Kennedy had been set to headline “UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight For the Troops 3” at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Nov. 6 against Lyoto Machida, a former 205-pound champion set to drop to 185 pounds in what would be the biggest fight of Kennedy’s career. But late last week,…
Ten quick hits’ worth of military-related sports news before Congress tries to make all the academy football teams wear the same uniform (non-football news after the jump): 1. Bobsled-bound? Option quarterbacks need to be versatile, but former Army signal-caller Trent Steelman is taking things to a new level. Already under contract with the Baltimore Ravens, Steelman’s now in the running for a spot on the U.S. Olympic bobsled team, according to Army football guru Sal Interdonato. Steelman’s father told Interdonato that the Army officer performed well in the U.S. Bobsled Combine recently and will be participating in further qualifying events…
Whenever possible, it’s best to let Army Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy’s Twitter account speak for itself: [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/TimKennedyMMA/status/255497717458026496″] The middleweight fighter has read the same reports other MMA fans have seen in recent days — rumors that Showtime may sever ties with the Strikeforce promotion, leaving the group without a TV home and without much chance of survival. Kennedy’s set to fight Trevor “Hot Sauce” Smith at the promotion’s Nov. 3 card in Oklahoma City. But that card is now without a main event (Frank Mir’s injury left heavyweight Daniel Cormier without an opponent) or a semi-main (middleweight champ Luke…
Five quick shots of military-themed MMA news. 1. Kennedy’s next fight. Army sniper Tim Kennedy will return to the ring Nov. 3 in Oklahoma City to face Trevor “Hot Sauce” Smith under the Strikeforce banner, our good friends at MMAJunkie report. Kennedy (14-4) fell to Luke Rockhold in a Strikeforce middleweight title fight in July and looks to rebound against Smith, whose 10-2 record includes nine wins by submission. Smith dropped his last Strikeforce fight to Gian Villante in 65 seconds via TKO, but that was at the 205-pound class; he and Kennedy will square off at 185 pounds. 2.…
A dirty dozen military-themed sports links from a busy weekend (non-MMA notes after the jump): 1. Kennedy recap. Special Forces soldier Tim Kennedy lost in his second try at the Strikeforce middleweight title Saturday night in Portland, Ore., falling to Luke Rockhold via five-round unanimous decision — the same way he lost his 2010 title bout against Rolando “Jacare” Souza. Read the After Action review, with video, here. Click here for full coverage from our good friends at MMAJunkie. 2. Now what? Read Sherdog’s suggestions for Kennedy’s next fight, including what could be a make-or-break rematch with Souza. 3. From…
First, click below to see how former Marine Brian Stann put Alessio Sakara’s lights out after about 2 1/2 minutes of action Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of UFC on FUEL TV 2. Then, click through for four quick hits on the fight and Stann’s future: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifWMMlM_brE&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Three quick hits to feed your Friday combatives needs. 1. He’s Ron Burgundy? If you’re under a rock, you may have missed this week’s bulletin that Will Ferrell will return to the newsdesk in a sequel to “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” (If you’re under a rock and don’t watch TBS, here’s the official announcement, complete with jazz flute). What’s this have to do with combatives, aside from the close-combat skills exhibited when Brick killed that guy? Allow champion MMA tweet-sender Army Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy to explain: I know everyone is talking about @_RonBurgund and ANCHORMAN 2. Wait…
