Bisping Versus Kennedy Post-Fight Thoughts

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am so happy to have gotten it wrong.  Tim Kennedy won 4 of the 5 rounds against Michael Bisping. He did what only 2 other guys have done against the Brit--he took him down and kept him down for much of the fight.  He also landed some good punches en route to the unanimous decision win.

With the win, Tim Kennedy positions himself as a top contender in the middleweight division.  Unfortunately for him, two of the men who have defeated him are perched in the top 5: Jacare Souza and Luke Rockhold. Then there's also Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, and Anderson freaking Silva.  So to say that Kennedy has his work cut out for him is an understatement, to say the least.

All the same, I am excited for him.  He seems to have his head on straight and is no longer splitting his time between the Army and mixed martial arts.  Plus, he's training full time at the best gym in the world: Greg Jackson's. And although he lost to both Jacare and Rockhold, neither of those guys beat the heck out of him. He was competitive.

Plus, I can't help but root for the former Army Ranger and sniper. Having spent 9 years working with military families at Fort Bragg and having grown up as the son of a career Marine who served 2 tours in Viet Nam, I have a soft spot in my heart for our men and women in the military.  It's an incredibly tough gig they sign up for.

As for Bisping, he was game.  Kennedy's takedowns were simply better than he anticipated. I still think he beats a lot of 185 pounders.  In fact, I would love to see him against Francis Carmont or Gegard Mousasi. Either fight is intriguing and could spark some serious fire works.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't give props to K.J. Noons for his 30 second destruction of iron-chinned Sam Stout.  Great stuff, K.J.!  The same goes for Dustin Porier, who weathered an early storm by Akira Corassani and stopped him early in the second round.  If that wasn't enough, congratulations to Chad Laprise and Elias Theodorou for their season-winning efforts.  They are the 2 newest Ultimate Fighters on the UFC's roster.  Can't wait to see them in the future.

Until then.

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