Strikeforce: Tim Kennedy Earns More Respect In Defeat Than In Victory

by Justin Faux on Aug 22, 2010 11:32 AM EDT in MMA

Tim Kennedy following a cut sustained during the bout

When it was announced that the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship will be up for grabs in a bout between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza disappointment struck keyboard warriors from all over the world.

Ronaldo Souza, better known by his nickname "Jacare" is an accomplished Brazilian-Jiu Jitsu black belt. Many would argue he is the best grappler on the planet. Many considered him a heavy favourite to win gold in the United States upon his arrival.

Tim Kennedy, on the other hand, may not have been blessed with the god-given talent like his opponent but has shown that hard work will get you a long way. The native of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, juggled his time in the military with training to become the well-rounded mixed martial artist that we see today.

Recently, Kennedy decided it was time to put his military commitments aside and focus all his efforts on becoming a Champion.

Leading into his bout with Souza, not too many gave his a chance against the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion. I also believed Souza would walk back to the dressing room with that ten pounds of gold before it entered the championship rounds.

But Tim Kennedy entered the Strikeforce cage with the intent of proving the world wrong and fulfilling his life long dream of becoming a Champion. Throughout the fight Kennedy landed more strikes than Souza and actually took the accomplished grappler down to the mat on two separate occasions.

Following five rounds of explosive action, it was Souza's hand that was raised to the dismay of the Houston, Texas, crowd. They wanted their American soldier to leave victorious.

I cannot speak for the rest of the fight community, but Kennedy impressed me with his performance just hours ago.

In his past four victories, Kennedy has shown a well rounded skill set and a lot of promise for his future. Against Souza he showed the world that he has the heart of a champion and will be looking to get right back into the title mix.

Poll

Will Tim Kennedy become a Champion?

Yes

47 votes

No

41 votes

Not any time soon

31 votes

Isn't he a hockey player?

5 votes

124 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I voted “no”. I’m not super-impressed by Kennedy, while it was a close fight I felt Jacare landed the more powerful shots and rightfully got the decision. Being able to hang with Jacare on the feet isn’t all too impressive in my book, while the Brazilians striking has become pretty good it’s nowhere near elite levels. The take-downs don’t mean much to me as he wasn’t able to do anything with them, he was however able to stop the few attempts by Jacare so that shows decent wrestling at least.

Also I’m not American so the fact that Kennedy used to be a soldier of yours does not give him any extra points in my book, at all. His attitude in the post-fight interview complaining about judges while his face was all busted up also didn’t sit very well with me.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s obviously a very solid mid-level fighter, but I’m not convinced yet that he’s championship material.

by Horselover Fat on Aug 22, 2010 2:16 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks

Thanks for the comment,

I agree that Souza out-struck Kennedy, maybe not on paper but he was the more effective striker and its clear that he’s been working on his boxing because he looked much better than I thought anyone expected from him.

I think Tim Kennedy still has plenty of time left in his fight career, he’s still pretty young and has time to work on his flaws and come back a better fighter.

Oh and a side note, I’m Australian buddy :) lol

by Justin Faux on Aug 22, 2010 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Okay, so basically we agree then :P I agree he’ll probably continue to improve and become a better fighter, just not a fan of the guy personally. Also I just saw this interview on mmajunkie where he’s claiming he won the fight and that he wants a rematch. Meh..

Ah, sorry for calling you American! I’m Swedish myself, it’s pretty easy to just assume everyone around here is from the US. I’ll try to remember.

by Horselover Fat on Aug 23, 2010 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions