Kennedy leaves MMA at 37 years old. (Photo: Getty Images)
Middleweight Tim Kennedy announced this Tuesday (17) that he is opting out of MMA. Through a large text published on his social networks, the former soldier thanked his fans and professional colleagues for their affection, but remembered his last fight, when he was knocked out by Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 205, in November 2016, to state that his body, at 37 years old, no longer matches the way he would like, and, therefore, the decision to hang up the gloves would be the most coherent one at the moment.
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“I felt like I was in slow motion the whole game. I felt tired for the first time in a fight. I'm the guy who's always in shape. I worked harder than ever for this fight. But I wasn't me anymore. My brain knew what to do, but my body didn't respond. I watched other fighters get here. I saw other fighters pretend like they weren't here. I will not be one of them.”
“I want to thank all my opponents. Iron sharpens iron and every major victory or crushing defeat occurred because there was someone who trained hard and had the courage to meet me in the octagon. I want to call out a few guys in particular. For Luke Rockhold and Jacaré: you gave me two fights that asked for everything I had. They both made me better and I hope I did the same for you. I hope you both keep that Strikeforce belt on your shoulders and get back to the top. For Robbie Lawler: you hit me harder than anyone ever had. Seriously, that really hurt. For Roger gracie: My training for your fight reminded me that I love jiu-jitsu. Thank you for that. For Rafael Natal: He had a lot of courage to accept the fight in the troops. I will always thank you for that and cheer for you every time you fight. For Michael Bisping: I never wanted to beat anyone more than I wanted to beat them, and that motivated me to provide the best version of myself. Good luck moving forward, champ. (…) I love you all. Thanks for listening. And thank you more than anything for giving me the opportunity to do what I love for all these years”, wrote the now former fighter.
Tim Kennedy leaves MMA with a professional record of 18 wins and six losses. In Ultimate, he accumulated three triumphs and two setbacks: he won Roger gracie, Rafael Sapo e Michael Bisping in sequence, but was knocked out by Yoel romero e Kelvin Gastelum on your most recent appointments. He even challenged for the now-defunct Strikeforce belt on two occasions, against Ronaldo Jacare e Luke Rockhold, but ended up being surpassed in both.
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