Casey Kenney
Casey James Kenney (born March 20, 1991)[4] is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competing in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and he was the former Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight champion and Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight and Bantamweight champion.
| Casey Kenney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Casey James Kenney March 20, 1991 Portland, Indiana, United States[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Reach | 67[2] in (170 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Tucson, Arizona, United States |
| Team | Rise Combat Sports MMA Lab[3] |
| Trainer | Chris Cariaso John Crouch |
| Rank | 2nd dan black belt in Judo[2] Purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| University | University of Indianapolis |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Kenney was born in 1991 to Brian Kenney and Roxanne Mosier in Portland.[5] He started training judo at the age of five, eventually becoming nine-time national champion and holds 2nd dan black belt in the sport.[2] Besides judo, Kenney started wrestling around the time he went to school.[6] Like in judo, Kenney excelled in wrestling too, winning multiple state championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.[2]
Kenney attended Jay County High School in Indiana. After high school, he took his first amateur mixed martial arts bout on a whim without prior training.[6] He went to study at University of Indianapolis, only to drop out after sophomore year to pursue his career in mixed martial arts.[6] In an effort to do so, Kenney moved to Tucson to train at the MMA Lab and turned professional in late 2014.[1][6]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Kenney fought most of his early professional fights primarily in the Tachi Palace Fights and Dragon House in California and Arizona.[7] After amassing a record of 6-0 and captured the Tachi Palace Flyweight title against Alvin Cacdac,[8] Kenney made two appearances in Dana White's Contender Series - Season - Season 1, Episode 2 web-series program on July 18, 2018, facing C.J. Hamilton where he won the fight via unambitious decision, but lost to Adam Antolin at Dana White's Contender Series - Season 1, Episode 8 on August 29, 2017.[1] Kenny went on to fought under Legacy Fighting Alliance for the next four fights and he became the Flyweight and Bantamweight Legacy Fighting Alliance champion prior signed with UFC.[1]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In his UFC debut, Kenney faced Ray Borg, replacing Kyler Phillips in six day notice, on March 30, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 2.[9] At the weigh-ins, Borg weighed in at 137.75 lbs, 1.75 pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit of 136 lbs.[10] He was fined 20% of his fight purse and his bout against Kenney proceeded at catchweight.[11] Kenny won the fight via unanimous decision.[12]
On December 29, 2018, Kenney faced Manny Bermudez on August 17, 2019 at UFC 241.[13] However, the UFC decided to move the bout to a catchweight bout of 140 lbs. due to the fighters cutting substantial weight the night before weigh-ins.[14] Kenny won the bout via unanimous decision.[15]
Kenney faced Merab Dvalishvili on February 15, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 167.[16] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[17]
Kenney faced Louis Smolka on May 30, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns.[18] He won the fight via a submission through a guillotine choke in round one.[19]
Kenney is expected to face Heili Alateng on September 26, 2020 at UFC 253.[20]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Tachi Palace Fights
- Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight Champion (One time)[1]
- Legacy Fighting Alliance
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 17 matches | 14 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 14–2–1 | Louis Smolka | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns | May 30, 2020 | 1 | 3:03 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 13–2–1 | Merab Dvalishvili | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2 | February 15, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 13–1–1 | Manny Bermudez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 241 | August 17, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | Catchweight (140 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 12–1–1 | Ray Borg | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje | March 30, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Catchweight (137.75 lbs) bout; Borg missed weight. |
| Win | 11–1–1 | Vince Cachero | KO (knee) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 62 | March 22, 2019 | 1 | 1:38 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Won the interim LFA Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–1–1 | Brandon Royval | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 53 | November 9, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Won the interim LFA Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–1–1 | Roman Salazar | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 44 | June 15, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 8–1–1 | Kendrick Latchman | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 31 | January 19, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Catchweight (130 lbs) bout. |
| Loss | 7–1–1 | Adam Antolin | Decision (split) | Dana White's Contender Series 8 | August 29, 2017 | 3 | 5:0 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 7–0–1 | C.J. Hamilton | Decision (unanimous) | Dana White's Contender Series 2 | July 18, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Draw | 6–0–1 | Bruno Silva | Draw (split) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 11 | May 5, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Alvin Cacdac | Submission (rear-naked choke) | TPF 30 | February 2, 2017 | 1 | 4:09 | Lemoore, California, United States | Won the vacant TPF Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Rafael Angel Hernandez | Submission (brabo choke) | TPF 27 | May 19, 2016 | 1 | 3:44 | Lemoore, California, United States | Catchweight (127 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Anthony Torres | Submission (armbar) | TPF 26 | February 18, 2016 | 1 | 1:48 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Victor Rosas | TKO (doctor stoppage) | TPF 25 | November 19, 2015 | 3 | 4:31 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Paul Amaro | Decision (unanimous) | Dragon House 20 | June 6, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | San Francisco, California, United States | Catchweight (130 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 1–0 | Elijah Muhammad | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Duel for Domination 10 | December 20, 2014 | 2 | 2:26 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Flyweight debut. |
References
- Bitter, Shawn (2019-03-28). "Welcome to the UFC: Casey Kenney". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- "Casey Kenney | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Ollie Carlson (February 11, 2020). "Casey Kenney compares coaches John Crouch and Chris Cariaso to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady". thebodylockmma.com.
- Mixed martial arts show results Date: May 30, 2020
- "Casey Kenney". athletics.uindy.edu.
- Dan Kuhl (May 4, 2017). "LFA 11's Casey Kenney: Work Ethic Galore". combatpress.com.
- "Casey Kenney | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Lee, Alexander K. (2019-03-22). "Casey Kenney expects LFA 'champ-champ' status to lead to UFC call". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Mike Bohn (2019-03-25). "LFA double champ Casey Kenney steps in vs. Ray Borg on short notice at UFC Philadelphia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
- "UFC on ESPN 2 weigh-in results: Barboza, Gaethje official, but Ray Borg misses". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Staff (2019-03-29). "UFC on ESPN 2 weigh-in results: Barboza, Gaethje official, but Ray Borg misses". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- "UFC Philadelphia: Casey Kenney wins unpopular decision over Ray Borg". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- "Manny Bermudez vs. Casey Kenney set for UFC 241 in Anaheim". MMA Junkie. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Alexander, Mookie (2019-08-16). "UFC 241 weigh-in results and video: Cormier (236.5), Miocic (230.5) come in lighter for rematch". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- Doherty, Dan (2019-08-17). "UFC 241 Results: Casey Kenney Hands Manny Bermudez First Loss". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Staff (2020-03-09). "Bantamweight clash between Casey Kenney and Merab Dvalishvili for UFC Rio Rancho". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2019-12-19.(in Dutch)
- Evanoff, Josh (2020-02-15). "UFC Rio Rancho Results: Merab Dvalishvili Dominates Casey Kenney". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- Mike Heck (2019-05-21). "Casey Kenney vs. Louis Smolka targeted for UFC event May 30". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- McClory, Mike (2020-05-30). "UFC Vegas Results: Casey Kenney Sinks In Guillotine, Submits Louis Smolka". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- Farah Hannoun (2020-07-19). "Casey Kenney vs. Heili Alateng added to UFC 253 lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- Sherdog.com. "Casey Kenney MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-03-09.