Jeremy Kennedy had already accepted that he wasn’t getting a title shot in his Bellator return, however an unlucky set of circumstances modified his fortune at a second’s discover.
Initially scheduled to combat James Gallagher on the upcoming Bellator card in Belfast on Friday, Kennedy felt like he couldn’t wait any longer for a possible title shot, so he jumped on the likelihood to combat once more. Within the meantime, he stored a watchful eye on Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, who booked a combat towards PFL champion Jesus Pinedo in February. Then the matchup fell aside simply days earlier than the occasion.
Pinedo needed to drop off the cardboard, and a last-minute effort to place PFL veteran Gabriel Braga within the combat was scrapped as nicely. That’s when Kennedy lastly received the decision he all the time needed.
“When Braga stepped in to do the PFL vs. Bellator factor, I assumed it was a greater matchup for Pitbull,” Kennedy instructed MMA Preventing. “I used to be rooting for Pitbull as a result of I knew I might be preventing him subsequent. I needed him to be coming off a win and never lose any inventory. I needed him to look his greatest.
“It was that Friday morning, weigh-in day in Saudi Arabia and late Thursday night time right here, and I received the decision, ‘Pitbull’s opponent shouldn’t be weighing in, he’s not preventing,’ and so they know Pitbull desires to combat regardless. ‘Would you have an interest?’ I used to be like, ‘Don’t even ask me! Simply say sure!’”
The one actual change for Kennedy was switching from three rounds to 5 rounds for a title combat, however he had already ready for an eventual showdown with Pitbull lengthy earlier than that.
Kennedy guarantees to be greater than able to take the title from the incumbent champion.
“I used to be already coaching for the combat, already coaching for that date,” he stated. “I received an even bigger combat, an even bigger opponent. It’s what I’ve been ready for. I used to be able to go for him and so the swap favored me, it benefited me. I used to be able to go.”
Kennedy attracts Pitbull at an attention-grabbing crossroads within the Brazilian’s profession; Pitbull appears to be like to bounce again from two straight losses, together with a first-round knockout he suffered in a short-notice combat towards Chihiro Suzuki in RIZIN. That combat happened at 154 kilos, which got here barely six weeks after Pitbull misplaced a lopsided determination to Sergio Pettis in a failed try and change into bantamweight champion.
So as to add to that, Pitbull turns 37 in July and has greater than 40 fights on his résumé.
Kennedy isn’t relying on a diminished model of Pitbull greeting him within the cage on Friday, although he expects to seek out out slightly shortly if the Brazilian actually has misplaced a step or not.
“Any time you see a man within the lighter weight lessons, getting up there within the 30s and the quantity of fights — that’s miles, that’s weight cuts, that’s coaching camps — no one is younger ceaselessly,” Kennedy stated. “Father time guidelines.
“[But] I don’t suppose his performances have [shown] he’s washed now or he’s shot or something. That combat in Japan, he had fought six weeks earlier down two weight lessons primarily after which a three-day discover [fight]. I believe Chihiro is a extremely, actually embellished kickboxer that no one actually knew about. In a hoop, quick discover, I don’t actually maintain a lot weight outdoors of bodily seeing him get harm, is nice for my confidence. He’s human.”
Reality be instructed, Kennedy hopes Pitbull continues to be the identical savage that knocked out future UFC title contender Michael Chandler in 61 seconds. It could imply much more to take the belt off that man than a husk of the fighter routinely referred to as the Bellator GOAT.
“I’ve all the time all alongside felt that I matched up nicely with him,” Kennedy stated. “Now I get to show that. Timing is the whole lot. I don’t suppose it’s finished him any favors. I’m anticipating the most effective however I might very nicely go on the market and blast proper by means of him, or it may very well be the [best] Pitbull, and he’s doing this factor and I’m in hassle and it’s a protracted, five-round combat. I nonetheless consider I’m higher than him in every single place.”
