American Soldier Tim Kennedy Executing “Malicious Sh*t” on Russians Doesn’t Sit Well With Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dagestani Fans

Donald Cerrone recently shared a story from his days training with former UFC middleweight, Tim Kennedy, at the ‘Jackson Wink MMA Academy’ that hasn’t sat well with the fans. Kennedy is notable for being one of the few fighters to hold the rare distinction of having served in the United States Army while still being an active professional MMA fighter.

In a video shared on X by the MMA Mania account, ‘Cowboy’ begins his story by stating, “My favorite thing about Tim Kennedy is he’s like as American as apple pie. So we’re at Jacksons and any of the Russian/Muslim fighters would come in, ol Timmy would take it upon himself to just takedown, smother and absolutely destroy these dudes.”

Cerrone described how Kennedy, who competed at 185 lbs in his UFC career, would dominate the physically imposing Russian fighters and revealed that he would, “He’d smile and laugh and just rub their face on the mat, like just doing malicious sh*t…”

‘Cowboy’ further went on to reveal that since he was a lightweight, he’d be enjoying himself on the sidelines while this was happening and that, “…he’d just annihilate them and I loved it.” Cerrone also stated that the sessions would usually end with both of them talking about how much they “hate” the Russians and since ‘Cowboy’ was a lightweight, he personally couldn’t have done what Kennedy did due to the size difference between the two.

However, the story has drawn considerable backlash from the MMA fandom who responded to the video by blasting Cerrone and Kennedy for their accomplishments and accused them of being “jealous” of the dominance that Russian fighters have displayed in the UFC. Here’s a look at what the fandom had to say.

MMA fandom slam Donald Cerrone and Tim Kennedy for their unwarranted “hate” against Russian fighters

Fans pointed out that with Russian fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, dominating the UFC, Tim Kennedy and Donald Cerrone would likely be frustrated at MMA’s current landscape

One fan brought up Kennedy and Cowboy’s MMA careers as a response to their statements by stating that neither of them ever managed to reach the heights of skill the Dagestani camp has demonstrated inside the Octagon  

An alternate scenario was also brought up by a fan who speculated how different the UFC’s “timeline” would look like if Nurmagomedov and his team went to Jackson Wink MMA instead of ending up in AKA with coach Javier Mendez

Another fan brought up Cerrone’s fight against Conor McGregor from UFC 246 in 2020 when he was stopped just 40 seconds in the very first round.

Others brought up the fact that while Cerrone never won a lightweight title in the UFC, the Dagestani camp has been at the top of the division, first with Nurmagomedov and now with Makhachev firmly cementing their place as champions

Fans also slammed Kennedy for his “hate” for the Russians as they pointed out that he was unable to translate his ‘dominance’ in the gym to the Octagon as he never held the UFC middleweight title

Kennedy’s record was also brought up by one fan as evidence of his “jealousy”

In conclusion, the story shared by Donald Cerrone not only brought to light his and Tim Kennedy’s questionable behavior but also highlighted the ongoing dominance and respect commanded by Russian fighters in the UFC. Fans were quick to voice their disapproval as they pointed out the stark contrast between Kennedy’s and Cerrone’s actions and the achievements of the fighters they targeted, emphasizing the former’s lack of success in comparison.

What are your thoughts on Donald  Cerrone’s story and Tim Kennedy’s behavior towards Russian fighters? Share them with us in the comments below! 

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