Though Tim Kennedy has some desire to be fighting somewhere other than the UFC at this moment in his career, he’s still under contract to the organization. He hasn’t fought since September of 2014, but he’s reportedly readying for a return.
According to Wednesday’s UFC Tonight program on Fox Sports 1, Kennedy wants to fight the winner of next week’s UFC Fight Night 77 main event between Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort.
Kennedy, a longtime Strikeforce vet under Scott Coker, said this week he’d probably be fighting under him again in Bellator MMA if he wasn’t under contract with the UFC. He’s 3-1 in four UFC fights since Strikeforce was folded into the UFC, but he’s been unhappy with the organization for quite some time, especially in the wake of the Reebok deal.
Henderson and Belfort are fighting for the third time next week, main eventing the card in Brazil on Fox Sports 1. Henderson enters the card off a decisive stoppage over Tim Boetsch in June, bouncing back from a two-fight losing streak, while Belfort fights for the first time since a title loss to Chris Weidman.
Penick’s Analysis: Kennedy against either of them would work, but that’s all going to depend on what the UFC has in mind. He could still fight the loser given he’s coming off a loss, or the UFC could want him to fight someone else entirely. I’m not sure what to expect for him either way, as the relationship between him and the UFC has gotten a bit tenuous, and at this point he may simply look to fight out the rest of the deal and move on from there.
[Photo (c) Joshua Lindsey via USA Today Sports]
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