February 3, 2017 at 6:33 p.m.
Kenney wins flyweight title
Kenney wins flyweight title
LEMOORE, California — As Casey Kenney wiped away some of the blood leaking from the cut above his left eye, he did so with a smile. It was a small price to pay for glory.
Kenney did exactly what he said he would — “walk away with that belt” — Thursday night, forcing veteran Alvin Cacdac to tap out with a rear naked choke with 51 seconds remaining in the opening period of their flyweight championship bout at Tachi Palace Fights 30.
“It felt great,” said Kenney, who needed five sutures to close the cut and was also nursing an injured right hand. “I don’t even know. I’m still kind of soaking it all in.”
Kenney did exactly what he said he would — “walk away with that belt” — Thursday night, forcing veteran Alvin Cacdac to tap out with a rear naked choke with 51 seconds remaining in the opening period of their flyweight championship bout at Tachi Palace Fights 30.
“It felt great,” said Kenney, who needed five sutures to close the cut and was also nursing an injured right hand. “I don’t even know. I’m still kind of soaking it all in.”
The first three-and-a-half minutes of Thursday’s fight for the vacant title were mostly uneventful, with Kenney focusing on his kicks while Cacdac threw punches. A few of each landed, but none that seemed to do significant damage.
But Kenney had expected his opponent to try to drive him into the cage, and with 1:17 left in the first of five scheduled five-minute periods that’s exactly what he did.
It backfired.
Kenney had his back to the cage for only a moment before turning the tables on Cacdac and hitting him with a high knee and then an elbow to the face. Cacdac tried to counter with a hip toss of sorts, but he failed to gain control and Kenney took advantage.
The 2009 Jay County High School graduate jumped on Cacdac’s back, and by the time they hit the ground the rear naked choke was locked in.
It was over.
Eleven seconds later, Cacdac (17-13), a former champion in both Pacific Xtreme Combat and Dragon House, was tapping the mat to signal his submission.
“It’s hard to defend a choke like that with just one arm,” said Kenney, who had used his left leg to trap Cacdac’s left arm. “It fell right in as soon as I got on top, and I wasn’t letting go.
“I was just starting to find my rhythm when we ended up going to the ground. I trapped his arm and that choke was already in as soon as we hit, so I went for it.”
The victory kept Kenney’s undefeated streak in tact as he improved to 6-0 as a professional fighter. It marked his third consecutive victory by first-period submission — he beat Anthony Torres in 1:48 in Feb. 2016 and then took down Angel Hernandez in 3:44 in May — something he hopes will catch the eye of promoters at the next level. His goal is to move on to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) sooner rather than later.
As he waits for that opportunity, he’s thrilled to get congratulations from fans, especially from those in Jay County.
“It really does mean a lot,” Kenney said. “My Facebook is totally blown out from everybody … That means more than you can think. It’s just awesome to have that kind of support.”
But Kenney had expected his opponent to try to drive him into the cage, and with 1:17 left in the first of five scheduled five-minute periods that’s exactly what he did.
It backfired.
Kenney had his back to the cage for only a moment before turning the tables on Cacdac and hitting him with a high knee and then an elbow to the face. Cacdac tried to counter with a hip toss of sorts, but he failed to gain control and Kenney took advantage.
The 2009 Jay County High School graduate jumped on Cacdac’s back, and by the time they hit the ground the rear naked choke was locked in.
It was over.
Eleven seconds later, Cacdac (17-13), a former champion in both Pacific Xtreme Combat and Dragon House, was tapping the mat to signal his submission.
“It’s hard to defend a choke like that with just one arm,” said Kenney, who had used his left leg to trap Cacdac’s left arm. “It fell right in as soon as I got on top, and I wasn’t letting go.
“I was just starting to find my rhythm when we ended up going to the ground. I trapped his arm and that choke was already in as soon as we hit, so I went for it.”
The victory kept Kenney’s undefeated streak in tact as he improved to 6-0 as a professional fighter. It marked his third consecutive victory by first-period submission — he beat Anthony Torres in 1:48 in Feb. 2016 and then took down Angel Hernandez in 3:44 in May — something he hopes will catch the eye of promoters at the next level. His goal is to move on to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) sooner rather than later.
As he waits for that opportunity, he’s thrilled to get congratulations from fans, especially from those in Jay County.
“It really does mean a lot,” Kenney said. “My Facebook is totally blown out from everybody … That means more than you can think. It’s just awesome to have that kind of support.”
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