Tim Kennedy: From Armed Forces to Arm Force

Tim Kennedy prepares to face Jacare Souza for the Strikeforce Middleweight title at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21

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Tim Kennedy (12-2) is no stranger to the bright lights. He just submitted veteran South African grappler Trevor Prangley no more than a month ago at Strikeforce: Live. Quickly approaching is his next match-up, co-headlining a stacked August 21st Strikeforce card that features two title fights: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal versus Rafael Cavalcante, and Kennedy versus Ronaldo Souza, Strikeforce’s resident master of tying people into knots. Tim Kennedy appears to be just the individual to vie for resident master of submissions. At 12-2, his last two victories were via blood chokes, including a rear naked choke of Prangley – Prangley’s signature move. He’s currently on a four fight win streak, three straight in Strikeforce.

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However, Souza brings a far more refined and storied skillset to the bout, far exceeding that of any opponent Kennedy has faced so far. As BJJ world champion five times over, Souza is arguably the best BJJ practitioner in MMA today. Kennedy has his plate full, especially given the fact that Souza has only lost once since 2004, and that was to Gegard Mousasi by a rare and spectacular upkick KO.

Tim Kennedy is no stranger to adversity, either. He’s been knocking heads in pro bouts since 2001. “Fourteen fights in like, ten years…” you ask – that’s a bit of a thin record. Indeed, Kennedy didn’t fight at all in 2004, 2005 or 2008. But that’s because he was too busy sniping enemy combatants in Iraq, or teaching long-range assassination to other snipers in the US Army’s Special Forces. In other words, he’s a combat veteran, with a Bronze Star to boot.

It is difficult to predict what the future holds for Kennedy. He is a classic example of the “modern warrior” touted as the new breed by MMA pundits. His is a fascinating mix of career, fight camp, fight record and strengths. One of many fighters who cut their teeth in the IFL, Kennedy trains at “The Pit” under the auspices of Chuck Liddell and John Hackleman. In a camp that has its foundations in striking, two grapplers are stealing the limelight: Kennedy, of course, and his training partner, Jake Shields. Shields, of course, recently vacated the Strikeforce middleweight belt after being courted by the UFC. This of course works strongly to the advantage of Kennedy. With such a well-rounded resume, Kennedy might only have to depend upon his grappling defense to keep from being submitted by Souza, and use his no-doubt effective boxing skills to acquire, minimally, a decision victory.

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Not to mention, Strikeforce’s pending middleweight tournament will not include Kennedy or Souza. Will it include Dan Henderson? Hopefully – or perhaps he is slated to take on the winner of either title fight on August 21st. Regardless, expect to see Tim Kennedy challenging the big names. Even if he’s flown relatively low on the radar for the last ten years, Tim Kennedy should have nearly the same ring as Jake Shields by the time the dust settles on August 21st.

By Roy Kok
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer