At Bellator Belfast on March 22, Jeremy Kennedy has the opportunity to join an elite number of Canadian athletes as world champions in mixed martial arts.
Canada has long been a hotbed of MMA, from pioneers like Carlos Newton to the legendary Georges St-Pierre, considered by many the greatest fighter of all time. Over in the PFL, Olivier Aubin-Mercier put Canada back on the map as a back-to-back champ, while in Bellator, the likes of Rory MacDonald and Julia Budd reigned in years gone by.
During the Bellator Belfast media call this week, Cageside Press asked Kennedy (19-3, 1NC) about what it was like to follow in the footsteps of MacDonald and Budd in Bellator.
“Rory was the next GSP, he kind of followed in those footsteps, he did well over in the UFC, and then he won titles in Bellator. For me to follow in that kind of lineage, GSP, Rory, me, it’s just the different eras I guess,” stated Kennedy. “GSP has come and gone, Rory has kind of come and gone, now it’s my turn. Win this belt, defend it, and hopefully bring Bellator to Canada.”
Kennedy has a tough task ahead, as the man who holds featherweight gold currently is Patricio Pitbull, one of Bellator’s biggest homegrown stars. To complicate matters, the fight essentially comes on short notice, after Pitbull’s planned bout at the PFL vs. Bellator Champions card last month fell through when Jesus Pinedo pulled out due to injury, and Gabriel Braga struggled with weight.
As to how the Bellator Belfast fight came together, “I was following along obviously because I was planning on meeting Pitbull later in the year. So I was following along with his opponents falling through, Pinedo and Braga, and I got a call late Thursday night, so it would have been their weigh-ins Friday, asking if I’m ready for five rounds instead, and for Pitbull,” Kennedy recalled. “And I said ‘of course, don’t even ask me, just say yes, get it done.'”
By the time Kennedy woke up the next morning, it was a “done deal,” he added. “We’re ready to go, to fight for the title now.”
What excites Jeremy Kennedy most about the fight? “Obviously the opponent. When I first got into Bellator, I’d had a career elsewhere, PFL, UFC. And all these guys, the bigger name guys were always on my list, in my mind. And Pitbull’s been at the top for a long time. So I’ve always thought I matched up well with him, and I always wanted to challenge myself with him. So as soon as I got in, that’s why I was asking for the [Adam] Borics, [Emmanuel] Sanchez, [Aaron] Pico, I wanted those staple names. And this is just the biggest staple name to have on my resume.”
Watch the full Bellator Belfast media call with Jeremy Kennedy and others above.
