Jeremy Kennedy Explained

Jeremy Kennedy
Other Names:JBC, The Bandit
Birth Name:Jeremy Michael Fitz-Kennedy[1]
Birth Date:16 September 1992
Birth Place:Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality:Canadian
Weight:145lb
Weight Class:Lightweight
Featherweight
Bantamweight
Reach:71inches
Stance:Orthodox
Fighting Out Of:Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Team:Revolution MMA
Xtreme Couture (2018–present)[2]
Rank:Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Bibiano Fernandes[3]
Years Active:2013–present
Mma Kowin:7
Mma Subwin:2
Mma Decwin:10
Mma Koloss:3
Mma Decloss:2
Mma Nc:1
Sherdog:104645

Jeremy Michael Fitz-Kennedy (born September 16, 1992) is a Canadian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. In addition to competing for Bellator, Kennedy has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Background

Kennedy was born and raised in Fleetwood, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.[4] He started training boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 13 to put up with his older brother.[5] [6] He graduated from Fleetwood Park Secondary School.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before joining the UFC, Kennedy held both the Battlefield Fight League Amateur and Professional Featherweight Championships while amassing an amateur record of 8–1 and a professional record of 8–0.[7]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kennedy made his promotional debut on August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox 21 against Alessandro Ricci.[8] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[9]

Kennedy was briefly tabbed as a short notice replacement to face Mirsad Bektic on October 8, 2016, at UFC 204.[10] Subsequently, after his participation was publicly confirmed, Kennedy indicated he was injured and unable to take the fight.[11] He was replaced by Russell Doane.[12]

Kennedy next faced Rony Jason on March 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 106.[13] He won the bout by unanimous decision.[14]

Kennedy faced Kyle Bochniak on July 22, 2017, at UFC on Fox 25.[15] Kennedy won the fight via unanimous decision.[16]

Kennedy was scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski at on 19 November 2017.[17] However, Kennedy pulled out of the fight on October 5 citing a back injury.[18]

The bout with Volkanovski was rescheduled and took place on February 11, 2018, at UFC 221.[19] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.[20]

Brave CF

Kennedy's contract with the UFC ended after the Volkanovski bout and Kennedy grew tired of the contract negotiations for renewing, eventually leading him to sign with a new promotion - Brave CF.[21] Kennedy headlined Brave 14 against Danyel Pilo on August 18, 2018.[22] He won the fight via knockout in round one.

Kennedy was expected to face Marcos Galvão at PFL 8 for the alternate spot in the Professional Fighters League's 2018 featherweight tournament. Due to a misunderstanding when making the contract with Brave CF, Kennedy assumed he was eligible to compete in other organizations' events. Just before Kennedy's fight, Brave CF officials contacted PFL to deny him from fighting.[23] Briefly after the news surfaced, Brave CF officials revealed that Kennedy had signed a bout agreement to fight Marat Magomedov at Brave 18 on November 16, 2018.

Kennedy headlined Brave 21 against Magomedov on December 28, 2018. He won the fight via TKO in the third round.[24]

PFL

In 2019, Kennedy joined the Professional Fighters League as an entrant in their 2019 Featherweight tournament. He was scheduled to face Alexandre Bezerra in the opening round, but Bezerra missed weight and was replaced by Luis Rafael Laurentino.[25] Kennedy lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

In the second round of PFL 2 regular season, Kennedy faced Steven Siler at PFL 5 on July 25, 2019.[26] He won the fight by unanimous decision and advanced to the playoffs.

In the quarterfinals, Kennedy faced Luis Rafael Laurentino at PFL 8 on October 17, 2019. He won the fight via second-round knockout and advanced to the semifinals contested later on the same day.[27] In semifinals Kennedy lost to Daniel Pineda via first round submission and was eliminated from the tournament. However, Pineda tested positive for a banned substance and the result was overturned to no contest.[28]

Bellator MMA

Kennedy signed with Bellator MMA in October 2020.[29] He made his promotional debut against Matt Bessette at Bellator 253 on November 19, 2020.[30] Kennedy won the fight by unanimous decision.

Kennedy faced Ádám Borics on April 9, 2021, at Bellator 256.[31] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[32]

Kennedy faced Emmanuel Sanchez on December 3, 2021, at Bellator 272.[33] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[34]

Kennedy was scheduled to face Aaron Pico on April 15, 2022, at Bellator 277.[35] However, due to unknown reasons, Kennedy withdrew 8 days before the event.[36]

The bout against Aaron Pico was rebooked for October 1, 2022 at Bellator 286.[37] After Pico hurt his shoulder midway through the first round, the bout was stopped after the first round by the doctor.[38]

Kennedy faced Pedro Carvalho on February 25, 2023, at Bellator 291.[39] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[40]

Kennedy was scheduled to face James Gallagher on March 22, 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 1.[41] However, at the beginning of the month, Kennedy was rescheduled for a Bellator Featherweight Championship bout against reigning champion Patrício Pitbull.[42] Despite cutting Pitbull and stumbling him, he lost the bout in the third round as Pitbull landed a flurry of punches and knees on Kennedy.[43]

Kennedy was scheduled to face Jesus Pinedo on November 29, 2024, at PFL 10.[44] However, Pinedo withdrew from the bout due to missing weight by six pounds and was replaced by Gabriel Alves Braga on one day's notice.[45] Braga won the bout against Kennedy by unanimous decision.[46]

Mixed martial arts record

|-|Loss|align=center|19–5 (1)|Gabriel Alves Braga |Decision (unanimous)|PFL 10 (2024)||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ||-|Loss|align=center|19–4 (1)|Patrício Pitbull|TKO (knees and punches)|Bellator Champions Series 1||align=center|3|align=center|4:07|Belfast, Northern Ireland||-|Win|align=center|19–3 (1)|Pedro Carvalho|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 291||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Dublin, Ireland||-|Win|align=center|18–3 (1)|Aaron Pico|TKO (shoulder injury)|Bellator 286||align=center|1|align=center|5:00|Long Beach, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|17–3 (1)|Emmanuel Sanchez|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 272||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-|Loss|align=center|16–3 (1)|Ádám Borics|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 256 ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States ||-|Win|align=center|16–2 (1) |Matt Bessette|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 253||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-|NC|align=center||Daniel Pineda|NC (overturned)|rowspan=2 | PFL 8 (2019)|rowspan=2 | |align=center| 1|align=center| 4:00|rowspan=2 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center| 15–2|Luis Rafael Laurentino |TKO (punches)|align=center|2|align=center|1:24||-|Win|align=center|14–2|Steven Siler|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 5 (2019)||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States ||-|Loss|align=center| 13–2|Luis Rafael Laurentino |TKO (punches)|PFL 2 (2019)||align=center|1|align=center|0:23|Uniondale, New York, United States||-|Win|align=center| 13–1|Marat Magomedov|TKO (punches)|Brave CF 21||align=center|3|align=center|1:08|Jeddah, Saudi Arabia||-|Win|align=center| 12–1|Danyel Pilo|KO (elbows)|Brave CF 14||align=center|1|align=center|2:02|Tangier, Morocco||-|Loss|align=center| 11–1|Alexander Volkanovski|TKO (punches and elbows)|UFC 221 ||align=center|2|align=center|4:57|Perth, Australia||-|Win|align=center| 11–0|Kyle Bochniak|Decision (unanimous)| ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Uniondale, New York, United States||-|Win|align=center| 10–0|Rony Jason|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Fortaleza, Brazil||-|Win|align=center| 9–0|Alessandro Ricci|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada||-|Win|align=center| 8–0|Drew Brokenshire|Decision (unanimous)|Battlefield Fight League 43||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada||-|Win|align=center| 7–0|Mario Pereira|Decision (unanimous)|Battlefield Fight League 34||align=center|5|align=center|5:00|Richmond, British Columbia, Canada||-|Win|align=center|6–0|Andre Da Silva|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Battlefield Fight League 32||align=center|2|align=center|3:15|Richmond, British Columbia, Canada||-|Win|align=center|5–0|Matthew Middleton|Submission (Peruvian necktie)|Chiang Mai FC 4||align=center|1|align=center|2:35|Chiang Mai, Thailand||-|Win|align=center|4–0|Viktor Larsson|TKO (punches)|Songkran MMA Festival||align=center|2|align=center|0:00|Hua Hin, Thailand||-|Win|align=center|3–0|Natthapol Thanaruethai|KO (punches)|Chiang Mai FC 2||align=center|1|align=center|3:58|Chiang Mai, Thailand||-|Win|align=center|2–0|Blake Shearing|TKO (doctor stoppage)|Fivestar Fight League 10||align=center|2|align=center|2:11|Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada||-|Win|align=center|1–0|Dan Lin|Decision (unanimous)|Battlefield Fight League 24||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Penticton, British Columbia, Canada|

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2019_Results/10-17-19MMA.pdf Mixed martial arts show results Date: October 17, 2019
  2. Web site: The best loss of his life: How Jeremy Kennedy found himself on a path toward $1 million. May 22, 2019. Myron Medcalf. ESPN.
  3. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy - Official UFC Profile. UFC.com. July 30, 2017.
  4. Web site: MMA all the way: UFC dream comes true for Fleetwood-raised Jeremy Kennedy. Tom Zillich. September 7, 2016. Surrey Now-Leader.
  5. Web site: Get Acquainted with UFC Fighter From Surrey; Jeremy "JBC" Kennedy. March 3, 2017. Amar Mirchandani. 604now.com.
  6. Web site: Surrey MMA fighter Jeremy Kennedy signs with the UFC. Jon Hernandez. CBC.ca. August 6, 2016.
  7. Web site: UFC Vancouver: Surrey's Jeremy Kennedy eager to show and prove . themmareport.com. E. Spencer Kyte. 2016-08-24. 2016-08-24.
  8. Web site: Alex Ricci signs with the UFC, replaces Josh Emmett against Jeremy Kennedy at UFC on FOX 21. themmareport.com. Staff. 2016-08-19. 2016-08-19.
  9. Web site: UFC on FOX 21 results: Jeremy Kennedy stays unbeaten, tops Alessandro Ricci by unanimous decision. mmajunkie.com. Ben Fowlkes. 2016-08-27. 2016-08-27.
  10. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy replaces Arnold Allen in next week's UFC 204 main-card opener. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2016-10-01. 2016-10-01.
  11. Web site: Replacement Jeremy Kennedy injured; yet another replacement needed for next week's UFC 204. mmajunkie.com. Dann Stupp and John Morgan. 2016-10-01. 2016-10-01.
  12. Web site: Russell Doane steps in to face Mirsad Bektic on five days' notice at UFC 204. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2016-10-04. 2016-10-04.
  13. Web site: UFC Fight Night 106 update: Rony 'Jason' to face Jeremy Kennedy in Brazil. sherdog.com. Tristen Critchfield. 2017-01-24. 2017-01-24.
  14. Web site: UFC Fight Night 106 results: Big third vaults Jeremy Kennedy past Rony Jason in hostile territory. mmajunkie.com. Steven Marrocco. 2017-03-11. 2017-03-11.
  15. News: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Kyle Bochniak slated for UFC on Fox 25 in Long Island. sherdog.com. Tristen Critchfield. 2017-05-24. 2017-05-24.
  16. News: UFC on FOX 25 results: Jeremy Kennedy's grappling shines to remain undefeated. 2017-07-22. MMAjunkie. 2017-07-23. en-US.
  17. News: Volkanovski earns UFC Fight Night berth. 2017-08-24.
  18. News: Jeremy Kennedy suffers back injury; out of UFC Sydney. mma-today.com. Nolan King. 2017-10-05. 2017-10-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212409/https://mma-today.com/exclusive-jeremy-kennedy-suffers-back-injury-ufc-sydney. 2017-10-06. dead.
  19. News: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Alex Volkanovski added to UFC 221 in Perth. mma-today.com. Nolan King. 2017-12-21. 2017-12-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104850/https://mma-today.com/exclusive-jeremy-kennedy-vs-alex-volkanovski-added-ufc-221-perth. 2017-12-22. dead.
  20. News: UFC 221 results: Alex Volkanovski destroys Jeremy Kennedy with second-round TKO. 2018-02-11. MMAjunkie. 2018-02-11. en-US.
  21. Web site: Featherweight prospect Jeremy Kennedy explains why he's no longer on UFC roster. June 16, 2018. Marc Raimondi. mmafighting.com.
  22. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Danyel Pilo headlines Brave 14 in Morocco. Guilherme Cruz. July 12, 2018. mmafighting.com.
  23. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy explains nightmarish last-minute withdrawal from PFL 8. Alexander K. Lee. October 10, 2018. mmafighting.com.
  24. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Marat Magomedov headlines Brave 21 . Guilherme Cruz. mmafighting.com. November 27, 2018.
  25. Web site: PFL 2019, Week 2 weigh-in results: One fighter pulled for 2019 season. 22 May 2019 . MMA Junkie.
  26. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy Not Focusing on Points In Second PFL Appearance. Cole Shelton. sherdog.com. July 23, 2019.
  27. Web site: PFL 2019 8 Results: Schulte, Radzhabov, Palmer and Pineda Advance to Finals. October 17, 2019. combatpress.com.
  28. Web site: PFL's Daniel Pineda fined, suspended and has wins overturned after drug test failure. Mike Bohn. mmajunkie.com. January 22, 2020.
  29. Web site: 2020-10-01. Former UFC featherweight Jeremy Kennedy joins Bellator roster. 2020-10-02. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  30. Web site: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Matt Bessette added to Bellator 253. Farah Hannoun. October 30, 2020. MMAjunkie.com.
  31. Web site: Brand . Jeremy . Jeremy Kennedy takes on Adam Borics at Bellator 256 . 27 February 2021 . 26 February 2021.
  32. Web site: Anderson . Jay . Bellator 256 Results: Striking the Difference As Adam Borics Defeats Jeremy Kennedy . Cageside Press . 10 April 2021 . 9 April 2021.
  33. Web site: 2021-10-28. Bellator 272 adds Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Jeremy Kennedy, three other fights. 2021-10-29. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  34. Web site: Anderson. Jay. 2021-12-03. Bellator 272: Jeremy Kennedy Wrestles His Way Past Emmanuel Sanchez. 2021-12-04. Cageside Press. en-US.
  35. Web site: 2022-02-17. Aaron Pico set to return at Bellator 277 vs. ex-UFC fighter Jeremy Kennedy. 2022-02-17. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  36. Web site: 2022-04-07 . With Jeremy Kennedy out, Aaron Pico needs new opponent for Bellator 277 . 2022-04-07 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  37. Web site: Okamoto . Brett . 2022-08-09 . Bellator rebooks Pico-Kennedy bout for October . 2022-08-09 . ESPN.com . en.
  38. Web site: Dewar . Val . 2022-10-01 . Bellator 286: Aaron Pico Dislocates Shoulder, Jeremy Kennedy Picks Up TKO Win . 2022-10-02 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  39. Web site: Stevenson . Andy . 2022-11-04 . Pedro Carvalho vs Jeremy Kennedy Target for Bellator Dublin on Feb 24 . 2022-11-04 . SevereMMA.com - UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Irish MMA . en-GB.
  40. Web site: Rush . Dylan . Bellator 291: Jeremy Kennedy Takes Clear Decision Over Pedro Carvalho, Calls for Title Shot . Cageside Press . 26 February 2023 . 25 February 2023.
  41. Web site: Stevenson . Andy . 2024-02-08 . Breaking: James Gallagher vs Jeremy Kennedy Added to Bellator 302 in Belfast . 2024-02-08 . SevereMMA.com - UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Irish MMA . en-GB.
  42. News: 2024-02-29 . Bellator Belfast: Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire to defend featherweight title against Jeremy Kennedy . 2024-02-29 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  43. Web site: Anderson . Jay . 2024-03-22 . Patricio Pitbull Retains, Overcomes Cut to Finish Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator Belfast . 2024-03-24 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  44. Web site: Guillen . Adam . 2024-11-12 . PFL reveals massive full fight card for 2024 World Championship event in Riyadh on Nov. 29 . 2024-11-13 . MMAmania.com . en.
  45. Web site: Gabriel Braga Takes on Jeremy Kennedy After Pinedo’s Weight Miss. bvmsports.com. BVM Sportsdesk. 2024-11-28. 2024-11-29.
  46. Web site: Gabriel Braga edges out Jeremy Kennedy in competitive decision win. pflmma.com. Thomas Albano. 2024-11-29. 2024-11-29.

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