Jeremy Kennedy comes into PFL 2 2019 as one of the more notable names in the featherweight class with a 13-1 record and the one loss coming to Alexander Volkanovski.
Uniondale, NY – Jeremy Kennedy has had a wild fight week ahead of PFL 2 2019. His weight-cut was just fine, but his opponent, Alexandre Bezerra, came in at a weight more fit for the lightweight division. This sparked a change on one day’s notice, as Kennedy will now face Luis Rafael Laurentino, whose opponent also missed weight.
This process could rattle some fighters, but it’s had the opposite effect on Jeremy Kennedy.
“It’s been pretty calming to me. I could see it throwing a lot of fighters off, but it’s been calming. I’ve dealt with it three or four times the last couple of years. I’ve weighed in two times without even getting a fight, this would have been the third so I’m just happy to have a fight, have an opponent. There’s a little stylistic change, but he’s dealing with the same thing. I have a similar body type to [Alexandre de] Almeida, but that doesn’t matter to me. I think this is a great fight for me. I see myself matching up well with the whole division. So whoever they want to put me in front of, I know how to beat them and I know my capabilities because I believe I’m one of the more well-rounded guys. My size just causes big problems for these guys. I feel like I can outstrike 90-percent of them, and I believe I’m a better grappler than 90-percent of them. And those two 10-percents, I’d outstrike them or submit them. I don’t see much of them being bigger than me. I have that. And cardio has always been a big thing for me. That’s what I pride myself on. I don’t see how these guys are going to find these little holes to beat me, whoever it is. The last-minute changeup, it sucks because I planned a whole camp around one guy, who’s an orthodox and now I’m fighting a shorter southpaw, but it doesn’t matter to me. Same verdict tomorrow, six points.”
With three fighters failing to make weight, Kennedy gave his thoughts on the “fight before the fight.”
“Weight-cutting is discipline to me. Especially if you’ve made it before. That’s what I don’t understand. [Alexandre] Bezerra must have been dealing with an injury or something because he came in last year on short notice and made it. Almeida’s made it however many times last season. That just shows a lack of discipline or you’re doing something wrong, or you thought you could get away with eating something you shouldn’t have been. That’s just not the case. The fight before the fight is the weight and that is one of the most important things you have to be able to do. That’s why I have OCD about it. I track my water for months, my calories, macros, everything to what I’m going to be working out that day, everything’s down to a science for me. So it’s never really a problem. I made weight last night. I slept at 146, didn’t have to sweat again. Now I’m feeling all energetic, talking the hell up. I’m good to go. I’m probably in the 60’s now, and I wanted to show that at the weigh-ins standing up to him like, ‘Hey, I’m nice and full and I’m a foot taller than you.'”
Check out the rest of the scrum in the video above and catch Jeremy Kennedy’s PFL debut tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN 2!
