Per records obtained by Cageside Press shortly after Kenney’s arrest, the fighter was facing a full six charges, including class 2 felony kidnapping and class 4 felony assault/strangulation, and disorderly conduct-fighting.

Phoenix PD provided an incident report to Cageside Press that detailed an interaction between police and Kenney on July 22, 2024 stemming from a welfare check for the victim. At the time, the victim, who had been in a relationship with Kenney, alleged that she had been subjected to a series of assaults over a 13-hour period. The victim, who we are not naming for privacy reasons, alleged being punched, slapped, bitten, and head-butted during the incident, but was able to send text messages to her mother asking for help.

Per a new report by MMA Fighting, Casey Kenney has now been handed a 180-day jail term after pleading down to an aggravated assault charge, a class six felony for domestic violence. His incarceration began October 30 and will include substance abuse and domestic violence offender treatment. He will be subject to three years of probation following release.

Kenney, now 34, finished his two-and-a-half year UFC stint with losses to Song Yadong and Dominick Cruz. He holds wins over Ray Borg and Nathaniel Wood, and outside the UFC, Brandon Royval.

The post Ex-UFC Bantamweight Sentenced to Jail Time Over Aggravated Assault appeared first on Cageside Press.

Phoenix PD confirmed the arrest to Cageside Press.

Arrest records show Kenney was booked on Aug 16 in Maricopa County. The mother of the alleged victim, Esther Reyes, took to social media to speak on it. In order to protect her privacy we will not be posting the victim’s name.

Kenney is facing six charges including class 2 felony kidnapping and class 4 felony assault/strangulation, and disorderly conduct-fighting, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.

“As I posted this morning Casey has been arrested. I got the news on Friday. I was advised not to say much, but over the weekend my DM’s were pretty much full of people already knowing about the situation. I was like wow,” Reyes said on her Instagram story.

“It’s amazing how people react to the news that excites me and just finally makes me feel like justice will be served. Just seeing how many people care about it to be looking out for it and telling me, ‘Hey, I’m not sure if you know, but this is what we know.’ Sending me screenshots and just being very supportive towards my daughter and myself. I appreciate it and I thank you guys.”

A Phoenix PD report provided to Cageside Press detailed an interaction between police and Kenney on July 22 stemming from a welfare check for the victim.

According to the report officers spoke with Kenney who denied seeing the victim the night before and that she had been out partying with friends. Kenney denied the victim being in his home at the time officers arrived.

Later the same day officers responded to an emergency call to the home and made contact with the victim. The victim informed officers that her and Kenney had been in a relationship before which had recently ended.

According to the report Kenney had called the victim saying he was willing to pay for damages to her vehicle, but the victim was out with friends that night. She agreed to meet Kenney later when she was done for the night.

After a short back-and-forth with Kenney, including Kenney asking to reconcile the relationship, the victim denied the request. Kenney’s behavior became violent and aggressive according to the victim and what ensued were a series of alleged assaults in a 13-hour period.

The report details the victim alleged being punched, slapped, bitten, and head-butted as part of the assaults. The victim was able to send messages to her mom asking for help before deleting them.

Finally the next day, after the police made their first contact with Kenney and then left, she was able to escape out the front door to her mother which is when the police became involved again.

The victim was assessed for injuries and markings to her arms, lips, and left ear were noted in the report. Following that the victim expressed wanting to press charges.

This wasn’t the first time officers were called to Kenney’s home as officers responded to a call on June 23 where Kenney allegedly dragged the victim by the hair in his home.

Kenney, 33, has not fought since 2021 where he dropped a decision to Song Yadong. Prior to that he lost a decision to former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 259.

A conference call has been scheduled for Aug 22 with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug 26 in Phoenix, AZ.

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Footage released by Twitter/X account Parry Punch News on Tuesday captures Esther Reyes, the mother of Kenney’s girlfriend, confronting the fighter, after initially telling the camera, “the last time he hit my daughter, he hit her because she let the dog out. He’s in love with that dog.”

Police had already been on scene prior to the encounter. Attending Kenney’s Phoenix-area home, Casey initially agrees to speak to the mother, before becoming upset that she had contacted the police. “You just had the police come around. I don’t want to talk to you. You lied to the police.”

“Why did you hit her?” Reyes questions, with Kenney replying “wow, wow” before his girlfriend appears, sending the mother into a frenzy. “What the f*ck happened to my daughter?” she cries as the women flee the home.

Later, the women are scene sitting in a vehicle, with Reyes shouting “look what you did to my daughter!” and threatening to pepper spray Kenney, while Kenney paces outside his home alongside his dog.

“How does this motherf*ck get away with this?” she questions on the video, panicked. In a call apparently with 9-1-1 operators, the mother suggests that officers had already responded but been unable to locate her daughter. They return to the scene afterwards, interviewing Kenney’s girlfriend, which her mother also records from a distance.

Phoenix PD replied to a request from Cageside Press seeking information about the incident with a brief statement.

“On July 22, 2024 around 12:15 P.M., officers responded to an unknown trouble call in the area of 2300 W Waltann Lane. Officers located an adult female victim with visible abrasions reporting a domestic violence assault,” the statement read. “The female was treated by paramedics and interviewed by investigators. No contact was made with the suspect at that time. This case is still active.”

Phoenix PD provided a case number; Cageside Press has requested a copy of both bodycam footage and any incident report available.

Kenney (16-4-1) posted a 5-3 record with the UFC from 2019 to 2021, with losses to Merab Dvalishvili, Dominick Cruz, and Yadong. He remains on the promotion’s active roster, per their official website.

The bantamweight previously made headlines after appearing on Sean O’Malley’s podcast (h/t MMA Mania), when asked if he would “smash” Megan Anderson, a former UFC women’s featherweight title challenger. While initially saying “probably not,” Kenney later called the former Invicta champ a a “5 a.m.-er, 4 a.m.-er,” and added “just us two hanging out, like, ‘f*ck it, let’s do it.’”

Kenney later apologized over the comments, on his since-suspended Twitter/X account. “I’m sorry this upset you,” he wrote back in January 2021. “I will be more careful with my words. I was just answering a question and thought it was all a joking matter. I see I was wrong and I’m sorry. Best of luck with training camp and your fight.”

Anderson later revealed in an interview with Ben “The Bane” Davis that the two had crossed paths at the UFC PI, saying that Kenney “f*cking h*t himself and ran the other way.”

The post Investigation Ongoing in Alleged Domestic Violence Incident Involving UFC’s Casey Kenney appeared first on Cageside Press.

Derrick Lewis

Derrick Lewis has beaten almost everyone in the heavyweight division including the champion, Francis Ngannou. Prior to his loss this past weekend, he was on a four fight win streak. His next fight should still be a number one contender’s fight. This would be Jon Jones’ ideal time to make his heavyweight debut. Jones has already been offered a fight with Stipe Miocic. If Jones wants to take more time off and Miocic wants to take a fight in the meantime, a fight between him and Lewis would be just as good.

Lewis’ next fight: Jon Jones 

Pedro Munhoz

His loss this past weekend makes Munhoz 1-3 in his last four fights. Munhoz came into the fight ranked number nine in the division. This loss will likely push him right outside the top ten. His next fight should be a trilogy fight with Jimmie Rivera. Both men have a win over one another and Rivera is currently ranked number 13 in the division. Not to mention their most recent fight was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus.

Munhoz’s next fight: Jimmie Rivera 

Michael Chiesa

Michael Chiesa’s stellar run at welterweight finally hit a speed bump at UFC 265, in the form of Vicente Luque. Chiesa had his moments on the ground, but was ultimately caught in a d’arce choke. The loss won’t set him too far back, but he will need a couple of wins to get back in contention. After releasing a respectful and contemplative statement following the loss, Chiesa knows exactly what to work one. Once he’s ready, another big fight should be in order. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is also coming off a disheartening loss, and has been a staple of the 170lb division for years. It makes sense to pair them up.

Chiesa’s next fight: Stephen Thompson

Angela Hill

Angela Hill lost a decision to Tecia Torres this past weekend at UFC 265. That loss makes her 3-3 since 2020. She’s only won once in her last four fights, against Ashley Yoder earlier this year. Hill should be looking to fight an up and coming fighter like Montserrat Ruiz. Ruiz is 1-2 in the UFC and has half of the professional experience of Hill. This would be a perfect test for Hill to see if she still has what it takes to compete in the UFC.

Hill’s next fight: Montserrat Ruiz 

Casey Kenney

Casey Kenney lost a split decision to Song Yadong in a very close fight this past weekend. A lot of fans felt Kenney should have walked away with the victory. The loss puts Kenney on a two fight skid as he also lost another split decision to Dominick Cruz earlier this year. It is very possible the UFC will throw Kenney in there with another veteran of the sport in his next fight. Someone with a good record that is currently ranked outside of the top 15. A guy like Davey Grant.

Grant is 4-4 in the UFC but has a professional record of 13-5. Eight of those 13 wins have been submissions and he has never been knocked out. All three of his last three fights have won performance bonuses. A perfect chance for Kenney to prove he belongs in the top 15 while making good money doing it.

Kenney’s next fight: Davey Grant 

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The bantamweight standouts kicked off Saturday’s UFC 265 PPV card in Houston, Texas.

Song made a point to leave a dent with each shot that he landed and kept Kenney on his heels. He found his range early and got Kenney’s rhythm down right away. Kenney was a step slower for the first round, until he was able to drop Song with a straight left hand that led to a clinch exchange on the cage.

The second round saw a more desperate Kenney who began to push the pace more and pressure Song. Song did not backup for very long as he began to stand his ground and exchange with Kenney.

Starting to heat up in RD 2 🔥 #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/JxX53FOYMy

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021

In the third round both men showed desperation trading body kicks and shots. Song led with combos as best as he could with Kenney answering. Kenney did begin to slow down and with about a minute left shot in for a takedown and ended the fight on top looking for strikes.

In the end the judges gave Song the nod.

Both men were looking to bounce back from recent setbacks: Yadong had dropped a decision to Kyler Phillips in his last outing; Kenney had done the same against Dominick Cruz.

Official Result: Song Yadong def. Casey Kenney by split decision (28–29, 29–28, 30–27) 

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MMA Junkie was first to report the news that Song Yadong and Casey Kenney will fight on August 7 at UFC 265. Kenney would confirm the news on social media.

Yadong (16-5-1) is coming off his first UFC loss. That saw him drop a unanimous decision to Kyler Phillips at UFC 259 in March. Before that loss, he defeated Marlon Vera in his only fight in 2020 and fought to a majority draw with Cody Stamann. The Chinese fighter had his No. 14 ranking taken by Phillips.

Kenney (16-3-1) had his three-fight win streak snapped against former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz on the same card Yadong suffered his loss on. Kenney had a fantastic 2020 going 3-0 with wins over Louis Smolka, Heili Alateng, and Nathaniel Wood.

A win for either fighter might get them back into the bantamweight top 15 rankings.

UFC 265 does not have an official location or venue announced currently. The card as it stands looks like this:

• Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena – for the UFC women’s bantamweight title
• Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
• Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz
• Song Yadong vs. Casey Kenney
• Johnny Muñoz Jr. vs. Jamey Simmons
• Drako Rodriguez vs. Vince Morales
• Victoria Leonardo vs. Melissa Gatto

The post Song Yadong vs. Casey Kenney Set For UFC 265 appeared first on Cageside Press.

A fight’s a fight, at the end of the day, but there’s often times a deeper meaning in terms of divisional relevance, and individual careers. And to that end, Cruz vs. Kenney was brimming with storylines. If Kenney could pull off the win, for one, he could very much capture a career defining moment. But it the end, he fell just short.

Perhaps trying to surprise Kenney, Cruz shot for a takedown early, but was unsuccessful. The ex-champ then landed a kick to the lead leg of Kenney. Kenney landed a spinning kick to the body, and Cruz fired off a head kick, which Kenney ate. A Cruz right hand near the mid-way point of the frame tripped Kenney up momentarily, however. Another right hand would hit home for Cruz, whose footwork was as impressive as ever. Kenney landed a kick to Cruz’s leg, but at least through the opening round, the few leg kicks he landed were not enough to slow Cruz down.

Kenney’s most effective leg kick had come late in round one. In the second frame, Kenney got his kicks going early. Cruz shot for a takedown, but couldn’t land it. A head kick from the future Hall of Famer was blocked. Cruz set up another takedown attempt with a kick; again, the takedown was stuffed. Kenney, meanwhile, was backing Cruz up, and caught him more than once. Cruz, then hit home with his left hand. With 90 seconds remaining in the second round, Cruz moved in with a combination, landing several times. Late in the round, Kenney would look for a standing guillotine, but was nowhere close. Still, he had kept pace with Cruz through two rounds — a win in itself.

Dominick Cruz opened round three with a takedown attempt. While Kenney defended with a guillotine, Cruz just had to wait it out. He’d land some shots to the body, but although Cruz moved to half-guard, Kenney was able to power right up. Still, a strong start to the round, with the possibility of the fight being even after two. Things opened up as the round wore on, with both men landing some clean punches in exchanges. A takedown in the final minute likely secured the round for Cruz — and possibly the fight.

They're opening up in the final minutes! 🍿 #UFC259 pic.twitter.com/aFm08wLFvR

— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021

Official Result: Dominick Cruz def. Casey Kenney by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

The post UFC 259 Results: Dominick Cruz Edges Casey Kenney in Very Close Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

That’s because it comes against former bantamweight champ and future Hall of Famer Dominick Cruz.

Kenney (16-2-1) is the unranked up-and-comer heading into the bout. But after going 3-1 in 2020, and capturing three straight wins, he has the opportunity of the lifetime Saturday night. The chance to break into the mainstream and most certainly land himself in the top 15 of the stacked bantamweight division.

“Sometimes when opportunity knocks, you need to capitalize it, and I feel like that’s what I did in 2020,” Kenney said during the UFC 259 media day. “So here we are.”

Much has been made over the years about Cruz’s unique fighting style and absolutely stellar footwork. Even his fellow fighters have taken note. Kenny agrees that Cruz is unique — but maybe a little less so these days.

“Any fighter that I prepare for, first thing I do is prepare myself. Sharpen everything that I have and everything that I’ve been working for, and working towards. Obviously, at this level, we’ve got to take in the fact that guys like Dominick Cruz are a little bit unique,” explained Kenny. “I think he was very unique 5, 10 years ago, but guys switching stances, doing their footwork, all that stuff— that is something that I’ve been seeing my whole career almost.”

With that in mind, the path to victory for Kenney may have been laid by Cruz’s last opponent, Henry Cejudo. Cejudo found great success with leg kicks, for starters. “Dominick, he didn’t look much different in his last couple fights. Like the the Garbrandt, the Cejudo, the Dillashaw [fights], compared to you know, 5-10 years ago, it looks like the same type of guy,” Kenney observed. “Obviously, he’s got a high fight IQ. I’m expecting maybe some some curveballs in there as well. But Dominick has his style, and it really hasn’t changed much in the last 5-10 years.”

Casey Kenney faces Dominick Cruz at UFC 259 this Saturday, March 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post UFC 259’s Casey Kenney: Dominick Cruz’s Style “Hasn’t Changed Much” In Last 5 to 10 Years appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I sharpen what I have, focus on myself,” Kenney told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “I was waiting for some awe factor, but I’m treating him just like everyone else,” Kenney continued. It’s “not any different fighting Dominick Cruz. Maybe when I get in there, it’ll feel a little different. But I put in the work, put in the time, it’s exactly where I should be.”

Dominick Cruz has only competed once since losing his belt to Cody Garbrandt in 2016. A TKO loss to Henry Cejudo was Cruz’s most recent appearance, early in 2020. Kenney is a high rising prospect, 5-1 since joining the UFC, most recently defeating Nathaniel Wood at UFC 254. At only 29, Kenney was asked if he is right where he wants to be.

“I thought I’d get here a little bit sooner,” Kenney laughed. “Everything happens for a reason, I’m happy with my journey, I’m still trying to write history.”

The 29-year old contender believes a win over Dom Cruz gets him closer, but not at a title shot just yet. Kenney has some exciting names on his mind, once finished with Cruz, to add to the resume on his way to the hopeful title shot.

“There is a few more before we start talking about a title shot,” Kenney explained. “But I think if you beat a former champion, there’s a handful of other former champions in the division,” Kenney continued. “I knock off a few other former champions this year, then we can talk about a title.”

“Got a couple names in mind. Beat a former champion, let’s go after another former champion. Dillashaw, Garbrandt, Aldo, really anybody.” Kenney stated. “I’m on the former champion kick, or legend tour. I guess [Frankie] Edgar is on that list too.”

Watch our full interview with UFC 259’s Casey Kenney above. The event takes place this Saturday, March 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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There’s no denying the drawing power of much of the UFC’s PPV main event slate to begin 2021. March itself is making a decent argument for shelling out $140 for two events, and five title fights.

There are couple of events between the PPVs, too. They, along with the non-title fight match-ups at UFC 259 and UFC 260, offer plenty in addition to the battles for big gold belts throughout the month.

These fights, while not main events, stand-out among the rest on the promotion’s March slate. Of course, that’s as of this writing. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that a fight isn’t happening until (both of, see: Chas Skelly) the fighters are locked in the cage.

Depending on the shade of glasses, every fight could be considered interesting on paper. But these are non-main event match-ups that stand-out from the rest, checking all of the boxes that make us tune in each week.

UFC 259: Blachowicz-Adesanya on March 6

You’re going to be hearing a lot about UFC 259. Breaking news: It’s real, real good. Yeah, any event with three title-fights has an edge on nearly every other UFC event in the promotion’s history. But, the aspect of March’s first pay-per-view that puts it over the top is the incredible depth throughout the card.

How does a battle between striking-centric top-five ranked light heavyweights sound? In a bout that could decide who gets the winner of the main event of UFC 259 at some point, Thiago Santos is slated to fight Aleksandar Rakic. While Santos is coming off of back-to-back losses, he does hold a win over current champion Jan Blachowicz. For Rakic, it’s another test to see if he’s ready to join the title-picture. The 29-year-old is 5-1 in the UFC, going 2-1 in his last three bouts, most recently defeating Anthony Smith last August.

All of this is very disrespectful to Glover Teixeira, who is currently the #1 ranked UFC light heavyweight. He’ll be serving as the backup for Blachowicz-Adesanya, but the odds of the promotion putting the 41-year-old in a title-shot in 2021, with other solid options available, seem slim.

The pandemic didn’t slow down bantamweight Casey Kenney. The former two-division LFA champion fought four times in 2020, ending the year on a three fight winning streak. Former UFC 135-pound title holder Dominick Cruz has been much less active, to put it lightly.

Cruz, 35, has fought once in the last four-plus years. That one fight was a second-round TKO loss to fellow former champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 249. The match-up is a major step-up for Kenney, who is currently outside the bantamweight rankings. It’ll be Cruz’s first non-title fight since UFC 178 in 2014.

Bantamweight is great, but lightweight might be the promotion’s deepest division. Evidence: Drew Dober isn’t ranked, and is fighting #14 Islam Makhachev. In other divisions, their current runs would have them well within the rankings.

Makhachev has won six straight bouts, earning a 7-1 record in the UFC. He didn’t fight in 2020, after COVID disrupted a match-up with Rafael Dos Anjos. Then, Makhachev had to get over a staph infection in November. His return to action comes against Dober, who is in the best form of his career. Dober has won three straight fights, earning back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses. He’s recorded a 6-1 record in his last seven fights, with the lone loss coming against Beneil Dariush in March of 2019.

After consecutive title-fight losses to Deiveson Figueiredo in 2020, fan-favorite Joseph Benavidez is back at UFC 259. Still holding on to the #2 spot in the flyweight rankings, Benavidez is looking for a quick return to the title-picture with a win over third-ranked Askar Askarov.

The undefeated Askarov wants into the title-picture himself, after being passed over for title-fights throughout 2020. The former ACB flyweight champ is 2-0-1 since joining the promotion, earning back-to-back victories over Tim Elliott and Alexandre Pantoja in 2020, after drawing with Brandon Moreno in his promotional debut in September of 2019.

Again: this card is good.

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