Tim Kennedy is yet again without an opponent.
Currently ranked at #10 in the middleweight division, Kennedy remains a contender. After all, he has a decisive win over middleweight champ Michael Bisping. However, inactvity for the last 2 years has stopped him from breaking into the top 5. The middleweight division has had a lot of action recently, so let’s break it down and go over who Kennedy may return against.
Let’s back up a bit …
Tim Kennedy was originally scheduled to face Rashad Evans on the prelims at UFC 205. It was going to be Evans’ debut at 185 lbs, but also Kennedy’s anticipated return. Unfortunately, Evans had to pull out short notice due to an issue with his medicals.
At the time, it sounded like a formality. After all it was New York’s first time regulating professional MMA. I don’t think many batted an eye as UFC 205 was stacked with other great bouts.
The match up between Tim Kennedy and Rashad Evans was rescheduled one month later for UFC 206. This Toronto card was in desperate need of quality bouts. Kennedy vs Evans helped bring some strength to the struggling UFC 206 card.
But disaster struck again. News came out that Rashad Evans could not get licensed to fight in Toronto either due to issues with an MRI exam. Fans suspect possible brain damage, but Evans and his camp insisted that he’s healthy. Nevertheless, Tim Kennedy is without an opponent for UFC 206.
The UFC is supposedly looking for a replacement on 3 weeks notice.
Who will Tim Kennedy fight at UFC 206?
It doesn’t leave a lot of time, but I’m sure we’d all like to see Kennedy fight at UFC 206. When you look at the list of ranked middleweights though, there don’t seem to be a lot of options. Let’s go on down the list:
Top 15 UFC Middleweights:
- Yoel Romero – Unavailable, facing Michael Bisping for the middleweight title next year.
- Luke Rockhold – Unavailable, injured.
- Jacare Souza – Available, but will likely wait for a top contender.
- Chris Weidman – Unavilable, recently KO’d.
- Gegard Mousasi – Available, but recently fought. Sustained little damage in the process.
- Anderson Silva – Available, but likely looking for high-profile fights only.
- Robert Whittaker – Unavailable, booked vs Derek Brunson
- Derek Brunson – Unavailable, booked vs Robert Whittaker
- Vitor Belfort – Available, but likely needs a full camp.
- Tim Kennedy
- Krzysztof Jotko – Unavailable, just fought 3 rounds last weekend vs Thales Leites
- Thales Leites – Unavailable, just fought 3 rounds last weekend vs Jotko
- Uriah Hall – Unavailable, was just stopped last weekend vs Gegard Mousasi
- Dan Henderson – Available, but likely needs a full camp and is unofficially retired.
- Tim Boetsch – Available, but likely needs more time. Just defeated Rafael Natal at UFC 205.
Tim Kennedy vs ???
So who do you want to see Tim Kennedy face at UFC 206?
Assuming that the date holds, there are only a few options; Jacare Souza and Anderson Silva seem to be the most likely. However, if Kennedy is willing to hold off until a later date, then more options will be available.
Personally, I’d like to see Kennedy face Jacare Souza at UFC 206. Souza is one of the top contenders in the division, but a title shot probably won’t come his way for a while. This is because Michael Bisping said he can’t defend his title against Yoel Romero until Spring of 2017. If Souza sits out, waiting for a top 5 fighter, he’ll be on the sidelines for quite a while.
Jacare Souza makes sense as an opponent for Tim Kennedy. The two fought before in 2010 at a Strikeforce event, resulting in a unanimous decision win for Souza. A win for Souza would arguably put Souza next in line for the title after Romero gets his chance. However, a win for Kennedy would put him close to title contention as well.
