Canada’s Jeremy Kennedy finally got back in the cage at Bellator 253. The former UFC veteran and PFL fighter faced another UFC vet in Matt Bessette, earning a unanimous decision win.
“I worked on so much this year, that I wanted to show,” Kennedy said, noting that Matt Bessette was “a game opponent.” So while Kennedy felt he was out-striking Bessette and wanted the finish, “why give him a puncher’s chance?” Especially since he was capable of “turning the knob” to “really dominate.”
That dominance came from his wrestling, and right off the first takedown, Kennedy knew “oh man, I got him!” The rest of the round, he realized, “I can rinse and repeat this if I wanted.”
Kennedy was not going to call anyone out after the fight. But he’s a fight nerd, and said he could name drop all day. “The Henry Corrales’, the Adam Borics, the Perdro Carvalho’s — I know he just lost, but these that are just dropping out — Daniel Weichel. There’s all these guys in the grand prix that are falling out. It’s like, I match up with all of them. It’s fantastic.”
The Canadian believes that he can come into the Bellator featherweight division right away, and be a threat. But he’s also willing to build himself up, suggesting prospect Jay Jay Wilson as another potential opponent.
In terms of a return, “2021 is probably more realistic,” said Kennedy, given he’s been in camp in Las Vegas for months. “I’m so excited to go home and see my dogs, I haven’t seen them in three months. Haven’t seen my actual house, we were just newly married for three weeks when I took off. So I’m really looking forward to going home.” Which will include a two-week quarantine when he returns to Canada, and then Christmas. “I’ll be itching to come back to Vegas come January, I guarantee it. Hopefully, I’m looking for a February kind of thing [for his next fight].”
Watch the full Bellator 253 post-fight press conference with Jeremy Kennedy above.
