Kenney moving up the ranks

TUSCON, Ariz. — It didn’t take Casey Kenney long to make the move from opening his career as an unknown to becoming a main-event talent.
In just his sixth mixed martial arts fight, Kenney will be part of the featured attraction Friday when he takes on Oscar Sanchez in the main event of Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA at The Plaza in Las Vegas.
“It feels great. I couldn’t ask for more really,” said Kenney, a Portland native and 2009 Jay County High School graduate. “The Tuff-N-Uff organization I’m fighting for is one of the top amateur organizations in the nation. And, of course, what fighter doesn’t want to fight in Las Vegas.”
Kenney has made a name for himself since opening his MMA career with an eight-second victory over Lupe Valencia for the vacant 135-pound Bad Boy Promotions title in November. He has breezed through four fights since then, including a submission win June 28 over Jonathon “Jo Jo” Salazar, to push his record to a perfect 5-0.
He’ll put that mark on the line against Sanchez, who also boasts an undefeated record at 4-0, and said he isn’t changing much about his strategy from previous fights.
“My plan is to come out very strong,” said Kenney, who beat Salazar on a rear naked choke. “That’s definitely something I’m looking forward to doing in this fight too, coming out and pushing the pace. A fast pace can break people.”
Kenney described Sanchez, who trains at Torres Gym in Las Vegas, as a solid all-around fighter who also likes to force the action. But whereas the former two-time state medalist wrestler and world champion judo competitor would prefer to stay technical, his opponent is more of a brawler.
Sanchez has earned one of his wins by unanimous decision, one by a second-round knockout and two in the first round, including an 18-second knockout of Jason McKnight in his most recent fight May 17.
As Kenney prepares for the battled of the unbeaten, a typical day of training includes a morning session to work on either grappling or martial arts (muay thai, jiu jitsu, etc.). He follows that up with either a 5-mile run or a weight-lifting session, and then shifts to his day job — managing the Rise Combat Sports gym. And then in the evening there is another training session on boxing, wrestling or sparring.
While the skills he learned growing up at Portland’s Judan Judo and as an elite wrestler at Jay County High School help him in combat, Kenney said knowing how to prepare has been his biggest advantage.
“I think just competing at such a high level at those sports for that long a time, I learned how to train right, learned how to diet. Just mental toughness basically,” he said. “My mindset that I got from competing at a high level at those sports has helped me the most in MMA.”
It’s a demanding physical sport, but mindset can be everything.
“If your mind is not there, you might as well forget it,” Kenney said.
That state of mind has led him to the top of the card for the event put together by Tuff-N-Uff, a leader in amateur MMA events.
The organization’s alumni include current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, UFC veteran Shonie Carter and Ryan Couture, the son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.
“We pride ourselves on putting on the best amateur MMA fights in the nation, and this card will be no exception with Oscar Sanchez taking on Casey Kenney in the main event,” said Tuff-N-Uff CEO Jeff Meyer in a press release.
While Friday will mark the biggest fight of his young career, Kenney said he’s trying not to put it on a pedestal. He just wants to focus on the things he knows and take Sanchez out of his comfort zone.
“I’m ready,” said Kenney. “I’m ready to fight.”