Tim Kennedy (fighter)
Introduction '''Timothy Fred Kennedy''' (born September 1, 1979) is an American soldier and retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001 until 2016, he has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, the WEC, ShoMMA, HDNet Fights, and represented the Chicago Red Bears in the IFL. Kennedy is one of the few fighters to simultaneously serve in the United States Army and fight professionally. He is also a television host, producer, and entrepreneur.
Background Kennedy grew up the second son of three children in a Christian family in Atascadero, California. He is of Irish descent. As a youth, Kennedy's mother placed him in cooking and piano lessons. To offset her influence on him, Kennedy's father enrolled Tim and his brother in boxing lessons, wrestling teams, and Japanese ju-jitsu classes.
Military career Tim Kennedy joined the Army on January 4, 2004, and completed Basic Combat Training, Advanced Individual Training, Airborne School, Special Forces Assessment and Selection and the Special Forces Qualification Course. Kennedy was featured in Dick Couch's book about Green Beret selection called ''Chosen Soldier'' under the moniker "Tom Kendall". In 2007, he completed Ranger School and was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, where he served on Operational Detachment Alpha. During this time he was also a sniper, sniper instructor, and the principal combatives instructor for C Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. Kennedy deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) multiple times.In August 2009, Kennedy transitioned from active duty to the Texas Army National Guard, joined 19th Special Forces Group and served in the position of Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, and has continued to serve with the Texas Army National Guard since then.Among Kennedy's multiple awards are the Army's Bronze Star Medal.On April 16, 2017, Kennedy announced his reenlistment into the U.S. Army Special Forces, praising the leadership of Secretary of Defense  James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
Mixed martial arts career ===Early career===Kennedy began training at Dokan School of Martial Arts in Atascadero, California under Terry Kelly and Barry Smith. He first started fighting in 1996, amassing a record of 30–1 over the next five years. In 1999, Kennedy began training with Chuck Liddell, Jake Shields, Gan McGee, and John Hackleman at The Pit in San Luis Obispo. In 2003 he entered and won a one-night tournament at ''Extreme Challenge 50'', winning all three of his fights. In 2004 he joined the Army. Kennedy only fought once in 2006.He then fought for the now defunct International Fight League in 2007, and did not fight in 2008 due to Army deployments overseas. During this time he wrote a three part series of "Letters from a Foreign Land" that chronicled his time in combat.===Strikeforce===Kennedy returned to mixed martial arts in 2009 with a win over Nick Thompson at ''Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg'' in Kent, Washington. He followed this up with an impressive win over Zak Cummings in the main event of ShoMMA 3.Kennedy fought Trevor Prangley on June 16, 2010, at Strikeforce: Los Angeles. He won via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in the first round.Since his move to Austin, Texas, Kennedy has been training at Competitive Training Center and with BJJ black belt Phil Cardella at the Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Austin Association.Kennedy lost a 5-round decision to Ronaldo Souza for the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21, 2010.He was expected to face Jason Miller again on March 5, 2011, at Strikeforce 32.However, Miller was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Melvin Manhoef. He  won via submission in the first round. He returned in July 2011 to face Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson. He won the bout via unanimous decision. He faced Luke Rockhold on July 14, 2012, for the Strikeforce Middleweight championship at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.Kennedy was expected to face Trevor Smith on November 3, 2012, at Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir. However, the event was cancelled due to injuries to headliner Frank Mir, as well to co-headliner and middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. This bout eventually took place on January 12, 2013, at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine. Kennedy won via submission in the third round.===Ultimate Fighting Championship===In January 2013, the Strikeforce organization was closed by its parent company Zuffa. A list of fighters scheduled to be brought over to the Ultimate Fighting Championship was released in mid-January and Kennedy was one of the fighters listed.Kennedy faced Roger Gracie on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162, he defeated Gracie via unanimous decision after defending Gracie's submission attempts and standing up with Gracie, out striking him.Kennedy was expected to face Lyoto Machida on November 6, 2013, at UFC Fight For The Troops 3.However, Machida was pulled from the bout in favor of a matchup with Mark Muñoz on October 26, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 30, after Muñoz's original opponent, Michael Bisping was forced out of their bout with an injury. Kennedy instead faced Rafael Natal in the event headliner. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win also earned him his first ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus award.For his third fight with the promotion, Kennedy faced Michael Bisping on April 16, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. He won the fight via unanimous decision.Kennedy faced Yoel Romero on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178.He lost the fight via a 'technical knockout' (TKO) in the third round. Kennedy nearly finished Romero in the final seconds of the second round but Romero was saved by the bell. Yoel Romero, his cornermen, the referee and the UFC cutman have all been criticized for their actions resulting in a 28-second delay after the scheduled start for the third round. Romero later responded to the controversy, stating that Kennedy illegally held his glove during the attack which prevented Romero from being able to block the punches that rocked him. Despite the loss, Kennedy earned a ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award.After two years away from the sport, Kennedy was expected to face Rashad Evans on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205, the first UFC card at Madison Square Garden. However, on November 8, Evans was pulled from the fight after an undisclosed irregularity was found during his pre-fight medical exam. In turn, Kennedy was removed from the card as well. The bout was rescheduled to take place a month later at UFC 206.Once again, Evans was unable to obtain medical clearance to compete on the card and was pulled from the bout on November 21.Kennedy faced Kelvin Gastelum. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.On January 17, 2017, Kennedy released a social media statement announcing his retirement from MMA. In the post he admitted that he no longer desired to fight professionally and thanked those closest to him for their support. He also thanked the US Army, claiming that there was 'no greater moment' than his victory in the main event of UFC: Fight for the Troops 3.In 2019, Kennedy was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life Kennedy is a co-owner of Ranger Up, a military-based clothing company. He is also the owner and “MF”CEO of Sheepdog Response a tactical training and self-defense company. He is a co-founder and board member of Save Our Allies, an organization aiming to rescue and help Americans and their allies in conflict regions around the world.In 2020, Kennedy opened an Acton Academy, a K-12 charter school built off of the Acton School of Business model.
Film and television career Kennedy's first major host role was part of the History Channel television series ''Hunting Hitler'', which explores alternative theories about Adolf Hitler's death. He most recently hosted the show on Discovery Channel ''Hard to Kill'', in which he attempted to explore a day in the life of the world's most dangerous occupations. He helped co-produce the TV documentary ''Warriors'' in 2014 and produced ''Not a War Story'' in 2017; he also produced and hosted ''Iron Dragon TV''. He's made appearances on ''Deadliest Warrior'' and ''The Ultimate Soldier Challenge''.Kennedy portrayed himself in the Indie film ''Range 15''. He also played Mario and was a producer in the short thriller ''Slaves''. He's also done several military advisor roles & stunt coordinator positions notably with Range 15 as well as works on ''Steve-O: Guilty as Charged'', and short film ''Next to You''.
Military awards Kennedy's awards include:     File:Combat Infantry Badge.svg106px106px16px106px90px106px75px125px 105px100pxBadgeCombat Infantryman Badge1st rowBronze StarMeritorious Service MedalArmy Commendation Medal 2nd rowArmy Achievement MedalArmy Good Conduct Medal Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal3rd rowNational Defense Service MedalAfghanistan Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal 4th rowGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalNCO Professional Development Ribbon 5th rowArmy Service RibbonNATO Medal NATO Medal BadgesUnited States Army Special Forces Parachutist BadgeExpert Marksmanship badge TabsSpecial Forces TabRanger TabBadgeUnited States Army Special Forces
Championships and awards *'''Extreme Challenge'''**Extreme Challenge Middleweight Tournament winner*'''Ultimate Fighting Championship'''**Fight of the Night (One time)**Knockout of the Night (One time)
Mixed martial arts record Loss18–6Kelvin GastelumTKO (punches)UFC 20632:45Toronto, Ontario, Canada Loss 18–5 Yoel Romero TKO (punches) UFC 178  3 0:58 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 18–4 Michael Bisping Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy  5 5:00 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Win 17–4 Rafael Natal KO (punches) UFC: Fight for the Troops 3  1 4:40 Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States  Win 16–4 Roger Gracie Decision (unanimous) UFC 162  3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  Win 15–4 Trevor Smith Submission (guillotine choke) Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine  3 1:36 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States  Loss 14–4 Luke Rockhold Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy  5 5:00 Portland, Oregon, United States  Win 14–3 Robbie Lawler Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson  3 5:00 Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States  Win 13–3 Melvin Manhoef Submission (rear-naked choke) Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson  1 3:41 Columbus, Ohio, United States  Loss 12–3 Ronaldo Souza Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Houston  5 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States  Win 12–2 Trevor Prangley Submission (rear-naked choke) Strikeforce: Los Angeles  1 3:35 Los Angeles, California, United States  Win 11–2 Zak Cummings Submission (North-South choke) Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings  2 2:43 Bixby, Oklahoma, United States  Win 10–2 Nick Thompson TKO (submission to punches) Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg  2 2:37 Kent, Washington, United States  Win 9–2 Elias Rivera KO (punches) IFL: World Grand Prix Finals  1 2:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States  Loss 8–2 Jason Miller Decision (unanimous) HDNetFIGHTS: Reckless Abandon  3 5:00 Dallas, Texas, United States  Win 8–1 Ryan McGivern Submission (guillotine choke) IFL: Chicago  2 1:25 Chicago, Illinois, United States  Win 7–1 Dante Rivera TKO (submission to punches) IFL: Atlanta  2 2:29 Atlanta, Georgia, United States  Win 6–1 Héctor Urbina KO (punches) Fight Fest 7  1 1:28 Cleveland, Ohio, United States  Win 5–1 Cruz Chacon TKO (punches) Extreme Challenge 50  2 1:21 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States  Win 4–1 Jason Miller Decision (unanimous) Extreme Challenge 50  3 5:00 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States  Win 3–1 Ryan Narte TKO (punches) Extreme Challenge 50  1 1:22 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Win 2–1 Mack Brewer TKO (punches) WEC 5: Halloween Havoc  1 1:03 Lemoore, California, United States  Win 1–1 Jody Burke Submission (forearm choke) IFC: Warriors Challenge 16  1 0:44 Oroville, California, United States Loss 0–1 Scott Smith TKO (doctor stoppage) IFC: Warriors Challenge 15  1 2:53 Oroville, California, United States
Books published Kennedy, T., & Palmisciano, N. (2022). ''Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself''. Atria Books.
See also * List of Strikeforce alumni* List of male mixed martial artists
References
External links * *