May 4, 2017 at 5:23 p.m.
Kenney to fight Friday
Kenney to fight Friday
It took Casey Kenney just over four minutes to win the Tachi Palace Fights flyweight championship Feb. 2.
He’s been eager to get back in the cage ever since.
The 2009 Jay County High School graduate will get that opportunity Friday night when he takes on Bruno Gustavo Aparecido da Silva as part of Legacy Fighting Alliance 11 at Comerica Theater in Phoenix.
“They’re one of the top shows out there,” Kenney said. “The stage I’m going to be fighting on is definitely the biggest that I’ve ever fought for … It’s a great opportunity.”
The Portland native who fights for Rise Combat Sports out of Tuscon, Arizona, stayed undefeated in earning his first career title in February. After an uneventful first few minutes in the fight for the vacant belt, Alvin Cacdac attempted to drive Kenney into the cage.
The strategy failed, as Kenney quickly turned the tables, caught Cacdac with a high knee and then an elbow to the face, avoided an attempted hip toss and then locked in a rear naked choke. Eleven seconds later, the bout was over.
Kenney walked away with a cut over his left eye and a broken bone in his right hand, but those injuries healed quickly and he put his focus on his next fight.
That opportunity comes Friday against da Silva, who has an 8-3-1 career record and is coming off of a loss to Adalta Prado. Prior to that defeat, the Brazilian fighter had won five consecutive fights.
“I’d like to just stay on my feet, pick him apart and get an early, first-round knock out,” said Kenney, who will have a reach advantage over the 5-foot, 4-inch, tall da Silva. “That would be my perfect fight.”
“(I’ve been) adding some new weapons to my arsenal, expanding my striking game a little bit. I was new to this striking thing coming into mixed martial arts and stuck to basics a lot. The basics work in almost every sport. But every now and then you have to switch up the rhythm, switch up the pace.”
A win would extend Kenney’s perfect professional record to 7-0 and put him in line for a shot at the vacant LFA flyweight title. He’s also hoping a victory could be his ticket to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the top tier organization in his sport.
He’s been on a tear of late, having won each of his last three fights by first-round submission. Only one of his bouts, a June 6, 2015, victory by unanimous decision over Paul Amaro, has gone the distance.
Friday’s fight will be Kenney’s first on national TV, as it will be aired on cable network AXS TV. (For those who do not get that network as part of their cable package. The Greazy Pickle in Portland will be showing the bout.) He is in the fourth fight on the card that begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
“It’s right along the lines of where I need to go, trying to get to the ultimate goal, which is the UFC. A couple wins over back-to-back tough opponents puts me in pretty good contention.
“I’m set. I’m excited. I feel like this is a little step up in my career. I’m ready to showcase to the world why they should be watching me.”
He’s been eager to get back in the cage ever since.
The 2009 Jay County High School graduate will get that opportunity Friday night when he takes on Bruno Gustavo Aparecido da Silva as part of Legacy Fighting Alliance 11 at Comerica Theater in Phoenix.
“They’re one of the top shows out there,” Kenney said. “The stage I’m going to be fighting on is definitely the biggest that I’ve ever fought for … It’s a great opportunity.”
The Portland native who fights for Rise Combat Sports out of Tuscon, Arizona, stayed undefeated in earning his first career title in February. After an uneventful first few minutes in the fight for the vacant belt, Alvin Cacdac attempted to drive Kenney into the cage.
The strategy failed, as Kenney quickly turned the tables, caught Cacdac with a high knee and then an elbow to the face, avoided an attempted hip toss and then locked in a rear naked choke. Eleven seconds later, the bout was over.
Kenney walked away with a cut over his left eye and a broken bone in his right hand, but those injuries healed quickly and he put his focus on his next fight.
That opportunity comes Friday against da Silva, who has an 8-3-1 career record and is coming off of a loss to Adalta Prado. Prior to that defeat, the Brazilian fighter had won five consecutive fights.
“I’d like to just stay on my feet, pick him apart and get an early, first-round knock out,” said Kenney, who will have a reach advantage over the 5-foot, 4-inch, tall da Silva. “That would be my perfect fight.”
“(I’ve been) adding some new weapons to my arsenal, expanding my striking game a little bit. I was new to this striking thing coming into mixed martial arts and stuck to basics a lot. The basics work in almost every sport. But every now and then you have to switch up the rhythm, switch up the pace.”
A win would extend Kenney’s perfect professional record to 7-0 and put him in line for a shot at the vacant LFA flyweight title. He’s also hoping a victory could be his ticket to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the top tier organization in his sport.
He’s been on a tear of late, having won each of his last three fights by first-round submission. Only one of his bouts, a June 6, 2015, victory by unanimous decision over Paul Amaro, has gone the distance.
Friday’s fight will be Kenney’s first on national TV, as it will be aired on cable network AXS TV. (For those who do not get that network as part of their cable package. The Greazy Pickle in Portland will be showing the bout.) He is in the fourth fight on the card that begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
“It’s right along the lines of where I need to go, trying to get to the ultimate goal, which is the UFC. A couple wins over back-to-back tough opponents puts me in pretty good contention.
“I’m set. I’m excited. I feel like this is a little step up in my career. I’m ready to showcase to the world why they should be watching me.”
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