Bellator featherweight Jeremy Kennedy talks to MMA Junkie Radio about the PFL purchase, plans for his next fight under the new banner and more.
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What’s up junkie Nation Gorgeous George and goes are back reporting for Duty with Bellator and UFC veteran Jeremy Kennedy future pfl fighter what’s that and that’s true that’s true yeah yeah he’s back Jeremy how are you man I’m good man how are you good what a whirlwind year you got that
Fight in early in the year you got your hand raised you became a dad yeah and now the employer situation with the acquisition of pfl uh acquiring Bellator man your head must be spinning in 2023 it has been yeah it’s been uh it’s been in pretty
Much all year you know right after that last fight it was a title shot was lined up so it was kind of waiting on pit bull’s timeline and then he had a pretty funky year you know going down challenging at 35 and then the short notice thing in Japan and how that went
And then surgery and then they had a an intern thing scheduled for me and uh for December and and Viacom canceled that card so it was just back to back to back constantly getting pushed back and then now here we are with the merger and uh still kind of uncertainty on when things
Are starting back up again but uh I’ve just been in in Camp all year pretty much with with things right around the corner was supposed to be so that’s nice it’s actually kept me you know in the gym staying focused and keeping on my weight down and all that but uh still
Not idea all right so Jeremy at the end of the year pfl had their end of the year show Jesus penado won and what they were doing was was facing off the last Bellator Champion with the current Bellator uh Champion the one that had just won that season you saw Patricio
Versus penedo face off kind of leaves you I guess off to the side you know you were supposed to fight for the Bell Tor featherweight title it didn’t happen so what happens now what what do you want I always want to know what the fighter wants do you want to enter the season
And you know I guess the bright side is you stay busy you fight for a million dollars or do you want to just fight the winner of pen and Patricio or is that too risky because of uncertainty what’s going through your head yeah man it’s
It’s all pretty pretty new to me I mean like I said I’ve been up for a title shot all year that’s what I’ve been waiting for um it get kept get getting pushed back and then December like I said was an interm so we were close there card kind of fell through now
Pitbull’s ready to come back and I still thought that was the one that I was coming back to in the early in the in the year and then uh yeah they did the St and that kind of answered that question for me and I think they were
Just um they hadn’t had everything set up yet but I just think they were excited and they’re they were going with it you know that was an opportunity for them to uh square off these Champions who knows if it’s all going to be on one
Card still like if if they are going to be fighting at the beginning of the year or if they’re going to spread it out like like I’m not sure exactly what’s happening there and I mean it’s until I see like an official announcement it’s still there there’s a little bit of hope
You know maybe they are planning our champion vers Champion thing but that could be at near you know middle of the year or something like like that and that’ll still give these Bellator titles you know might not be those guys that are are fa facing off you know like at
The time that was the fight that they want but you know this is wishful thinking but I mean I end up getting that fight earlier and winning the belt and then now I’m fighting Pino you know so I don’t know what exactly happens I’m sure we’ll figure out some answers in
The next couple weeks as far as the tournament goes I mean it’s tough because i’ I’ve spent the last few years putting myself in this position and then now just to go back into a a tournament like that the activity is nice but I kind of feel like I’ve uh I’ve earned um
Throughout these couple years something big when whatever is next is going to be big you know so whether that be yeah I mean it’s it it leaves me in a tough spot for sure um I’m not really keen on waiting I’ve already waited this long um
And then now waiting for that fight to happen if it were to happen early in the year that’s still looking at you know next summer by the time I can fight again in in February 2023 into you know next summer is quite a long time especially when I’m healthy and I’m
Training and I’m you know I got a a baby now so I got I got to make some money here um so I I mean I gotta talk to Ali and and really figure out but I think right now he doesn’t really have an idea either you know nobody really has an
Idea I don’t think they’ve done much of the hiring on the Bellator side so I mean I’m not sure who to what what’s exactly going to happen just yet but I mean for me as long as it’s something big either title shot or or something big coming back like a big fight maybe
Even on that that pay-per-view card that uh Champions versus Champions if they want to put you know a couple Bellator High ranked guys against some some pfl big names that would be pretty cool um and then that would line myself up pretty good timeline with uh with
Pitbull but again every fight’s a risk and uh but at this point you know waiting is kind of I’m at my wits end on the on the waiting part okay um I wanted to ask you is there any form of an Unwritten rule where you at extreme Couture can
Even just pull ray sea aside and talk to him yeah I mean he’s always there so I mean I’m not not sure how formal or it can be but definitely having a an extra you know voice in his ear on on what I would like and and I have a great
Relationship with Ray but I know that also doesn’t you know run the business you know so they’re going to do what’s what’s best for them but uh I definitely think me being at extreme having a good relationship with Ray um will help definitely speed things up at least and
Um whether it be again kogan ends up staying on the Bellator side I have a great relationship with him as well um Ali has a great relationship with both so I know I’ll be taken care of it’s just more a matter of of waiting but again impatience is I’ve been patient
All year and and now I’m getting a bit impatient you know and you can see a lot of the other uh Bellator Fighters just with the uncertainty you know if there was a guaranteed something’s happening for me even if it was March or April or something like that not ideal but at
Least I knew 100% that that was happening then then I’ll would be okay with it but uh the uncertainty is what what’s the hardest part in this this sport in general right um have you ever chatted with Ray like that in the past you have been with pfl before bellor so
Has that has that ever happened here’s what I ask I don’t think it’s an outy question I’ll tell you why because in the UFC for example danne is always saying man I love it I mean he’ll criticize sometimes I remember he used to say Tyron Woodley blows up my phone
10 times a day but Tyron USS to get a lot of what he wanted because of that because the other side of Dana was like man I love people that are hungry and want want want so I’m wondering is Ray similar you know like have you felt him
To be that similar to Dane in that regard I mean definitely I I feel like cloes mes don’t get fed in this sport right so obviously having him right there U my my voice in his ear constantly that that’s going to help I mean since this acquisition he I haven’t
Really seen him I haven’t ran into him but I’ve like I said I saw him all the time during the pfl season I was still with Bellator and I’m I’m a fan of of the sport in general so like I liked following along the featherweight Division and we were always chatting
About what was next and what was happening and I got a good relationship with him so when I do see him I’m I’m gonna be bugging I’m seeing what what’s going on with the plan is for sure yeah I don’t blame you and you know here’s
The thing man so like I was telling Pettis yesterday we had him on the show do our a little bit of our research before every guest we know a lot about you guys as it is but it doesn’t hurt to scan it and certain things will just
Jump out it at you you know yeah and I was looking you’ve only had three losses in your career and but one of them was Avenged right yeah and but of those three those guys are like 90 and 10 so like that’s what I call Quality losses
Like you know everyone loses in this game but if you’re losing to chump change well then maybe that’s a little different than if you’re also just being matched up against Killers so I kind of see your point about well maybe I’m past the season long tournament I’ve earned
My stripes I’m not chump change you know like I get in there with the best yeah exactly and and I’ve and I I feel like I’ve earned that you know fighting anybody and and everybody um whoever is offered to me and and Su successful exactly I mean even the losses like you
Said I I avenge that one that I writed that wrong in um bosi one was tough again that was a learning experience and look at what he’s gone on to do and then there’s borx again which is a very close fight um I fought I know I adjustments I win that
Fight you know and so that’s even another one that I would like back um I’m not sure what his plan is or what what their plan is but again if it’s not a title um I would love to try to avenge another loss you know every fighter
Wants to have all their losses wiped off essentially so that’s another big one that that’s something big that would that would be worth the wait essentially yeah but yeah I mean it’s tough um but yeah like you said I mean that’s that’s where going back to the tournament is
It’s it’s hard and that grueling you know four fights in in not a year it’s it’s more like seven months you know so that’s a lot of weight cuts and and I’m a lot bigger of a guy now and as you get to the top of the division all these
Guys are are are just pushing the limit you know to be able to do that three or four times in a row would be hard as well um so I just I feel like like the the the Bellator route the title route the interm title whatever it it’ be
Championship ship fight is uh what I’m gunning for Jeremy so essentially you know we’ve all been in this position where you’re almost starting a new job right you’re doing the same thing just different setting different people all that stuff but come Fight Night does it feel more
Like uh like do you feel like you’ll be carrying all of your momentum with you or do you feel like in a way it is sort of like starting at a new job starting everything over again I mean it really depends on on where they go with this if
If Bellator does stay Bellator like they they they’ve said and a lot of the division stays and not a lot of them go over to the tournament then then I do feel like I’m just continuing that momentum and building on because it’s still the same roster and I we might get
A few of the Bellator I mean the pfl guys and who aren’t really interested in the the the tournament and they come over so then that just grows the division even more um and that momentum still there where if it and it kind of gets dissolved or fizzled out then then
It almost is starting again because you have so many more Fighters and different opponents that that I haven’t really you know right now in the Bellator division I’m pretty familiar and I’ve either fought or been close to fighting or studied all these guys um so if it were
To to get really merged merged then you almost are starting starting fresh but that doesn’t change anything I still I still carry my own my skill set over and it’s just a whole different list of victims essentially Jeremy is there one aspect of Bellator that you hope continues and I’ll give
You an example you know like the grand PR or uh even the shape of the gloves or even a Bert Watson right screaming in their ear uh venues that Bellator goes to is there any like one aspect that you really really hope continues um there’s actually a few I mean the little ones
That don’t really matter like I mean obviously I loved everything to do with with Bellator the glove sizes and all that that was cool and the the team you know Bert and but everybody behind scenes kogan Jane all all of them um but I I really hope there is still a
Relationship with Japan I’ve been dying to get over there um and they they have said that they would like to keep that relationship um and that would be like the only real result of me ever fighting out there and that was a goal when I first started this this whole thing was
That I would love to fight in Japan you know so that that’s obviously one and then elbows they got to be able to keep elbows wherever we go that’s a huge part part of my game and that’s another reason why I wouldn’t really want to go
Into the the season again just because I do value elbow so much and it’s such a big part of the game that I mean I just hope wherever we go and whatever the brand name is under our fights that uh they keep that rule set you know I was thinking they did say
Bellator is going to run eight events yeah throughout 2024 in concurrently as pfl’s doing everything they’re doing they got pfl Europe going on they have the regular season with playoffs going on and then they also got the pay-per-view Series yeah there is a lot to consider
There but just to be clear you did say you would be willing to take another high-profile uh Contender if they do run pitbull versus penado and borx seemed attractive to you running running that back maybe yeah I mean on the Bellator side that that’s the one that that looked good to me just
Because I I need some upside as well just it’d be tough to to wait all year be be given this title shot and then all the circumstances that happen and then come back to just another number one Contender fight against another another guy you know where yeah at least with
With uh borx that that’s a chance to avenge my own loss and then if it if it’s a pfl side that’s that that puts me on the big card the big lights the pay-per-view wherever that is and that’s another big fight another big card against a fresh face a fresh division
That eventually I we will be crossing over anyway so you know like the the the bigger names in in pfl ideally or or borx on that uh rematch just to avenge my loss but uh pitpull man that’s that’s the one I’ve been thinking about all
Year so that’s it’s still a hard pill to swallow and everything else isn’t as exciting I’m trying to trying to excite it you know so uh we’ll have to see when the time comes and they actually uh have some names and some some idea of what’s what direction we’re going right and so
How about this question um you won against Aaron Pico and you were fighting well up until when he got injured but he’s won since then he’s a popular name at any point the same way you want to write the ship about avenging a loss would you want to fight him and I guess
Leave no doubt to any naysayer that’s out there that says well the shoulder went out or whatever yeah yeah oh I mean and I know that that fight’s always on the table as well I mean again we don’t know the last time he fought he was he
Was saying he was he wanted that ttle shot and he was willing to sit and wait and uh I’ve done the waiting so I know I know where he’s at but uh again that would be probably one of the ones I’m talking about about you know waiting
This whole year I mean he’s had two fights since then and then while I’ve been waiting for my title shot then just to come back for that same fight that I had you know without any kind of title line on it I mean that was what we were
Aiming for the interm title at the end of the year and that was great that was that’s something that that that makes it work worth it you know so if they want to slap an interm title on that or or something to do with the title I mean
That’s that I’m always up for that as well but just to come back for another number one Contender fight is pretty hard you know like I’ve done three of them already me me and him the first time was build as a number one Contender the the way it went you know obviously
They wanted another one Pedro was a number one Contender I won that one and then the whole thing with the title happened so I mean to come into another a year later and another number one Contender fight against the same guy you know that’s right not not exciting
Essentially you know I know that fight’s still there and it’s going to happen because we need to we need to close that chapter but I know me and him are probably the two best in the division anyway so whoever gets a chance at Pitbull we’re we’re taking that title
And defending against each other essentially is the way I’m looking at it but again things things are always changing here and he might be in that in that tournament we don’t we I don’t really know what what’s going on to his side borck might be in that tournament
Now like he might be off the table so I don’t really know what the other guys are are doing but on the on the on the Bellator side side borx is the one I I I really want and on the pfl side I mean I
Don’t know you have you have the the I don’t want to call anybody out essentially but you have like the Bubba Jenkins the Brenan lochain the bragas like those guys like everyone who went who did well in this SE this last season right are all the ones that that I want
Yeah all right last question pfl’s with usada now yeah has that already have you guys been informed of anything in terms of that like have you already joined that or are you waiting for the email that tells you hey welcome you know where’s your whereabouts the intro or
Whatever have you heard anything there no I I mean I know they’re under usada and I’ve been through usada when I was with the UFC so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for me um yeah but I still think it’s gonna probably take through the holidays to get you know contracts
In order um whether that’s new contracts or our Bellator existing ones still work or there’s nothing in my contract for a tournament structure or anything like that anyway so I don’t know if we’re going to have to to figure out that side of things and then the drug testing and
The the anti-doping that’s probably all going to be coming in the next couple weeks here and then we can figure it out from there but I mean I like it I’m glad they’re that they’re they’re doing something you saw when they they did the show in uh in Vegas what what the
Athletic commission did to that whole division you know or a couple so I’m glad that they’re cleaning it up and then in a tournament format like that you know it’s it’s important to have everybody safe and clean like I mean I don’t know if you remember but my my run
In the pfl tournament was riddled with a lot of the the peeds too so both guys I fought in in the one night both tested positive after fighting in Vegas that’s right yeah yeah so I mean I’m I’m happy with it I’m on board um okay yeah so
We’ll see what there I’m gonna squeeze in one moreor as well I’m gonna squeeze in one more aside from that night in Chicago you know we knew that by then I guess there was no 302 planned yeah we felt like it was over and and then they
They made the announcement a few Mondays ago have you heard anything from either Coker kogan or anyone there just uh Hey as you’ve all heard the news is out there Thanks for the Memories thanks for your service we’ll be in touch anything has there been any form of closure that
Way or on the flip side from pfl welcome former Bellator fighter or just is there anything uh not too much like formally like that I think a lot of everyone was just on the same page once they made that announcement you know that’s where got all the information from um and
There wasn’t much more to say especially for the Bellator side it was It was kind of out of their hands and I’m sure the employees didn’t want it to end you know it was the higher ups of viacon paramont Paramount that sort of stuff that uh
Shut everything down so I mean I’m sure they were all bummed and trying to make sense of it themselves to try to reach out to me I didn’t take anything personally or anything like that and I mean a lot of them might stay so it
Might not be a good buy you know so I think that’s another thing is there’s a lot of uncertainty on who’s going to be be staying and coming on board and uh I might still see a lot of them there might still be a Bert Watson and you
Know kogan and and whatnot the whole team so Coker you you know I don’t know but uh I didn’t I didn’t hear anything like that a lot of it was relayed through uh my manager Ali and uh I mean there’s yeah it’s it’s definitely a a unique thing happened you know so like
That’s it’s a pretty big deal with especially how big bellor was and how big pfl is and and how many people are working in behind the scenes and how many fighter Bellator has it’s just uh it’s it I mean it’s new for everybody and I think everyone’s trying to figure
It out you know and and that’s what pfl was kind of throwing a lot of ideas around with that announcement but not everything stuck you know like we don’t know if is cyborg fighting leam mcord or is she fighting Lissa Pacho or Kayla Harrison like we we don’t know that
They’ve kind of announced all three of them um yeah and that that champion vers Champion I don’t know is that going to be all together because then the Bellator cards they they also announced that with those eight cards each co-main and Main is gonna have a title fight and
So if you have all the Champions fighting on one card how do you you know continue on for the rest the next few months after that so I mean I think they’re they’re buckling down and figuring everything out now and then we’re going to find out soon can’t wait that’s two big rosters
Merging some big fights out there and you’re at the top of the there in that way class so yeah anyway if we don’t see you happy holidays Merry Christmas congrats to the the Kennedy family your new addition and uh I suppose next year we’ll hopefully be talking about an
Upcoming fight so see you at the gym my man thank you very much
2 Comments
Who?
Underrated fighter but he needs to get some damn fights in. Broski pretty much fights one time a year