Fourteen and no

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The opponent’s record didn’t faze him.

Neither did his weight advantage.

Neither, apparently, did his submission prowess.

Casey Kenney didn’t shy away from any of it Saturday night as he handed Manny “The Bermudez Triangle” Bermudez his first professional loss by a unanimous decision in a catchweight bout during UFC 241 at the Honda Center.

The Jay County native knocked off Burmudez, a submission specialist who went into the fight at 14-0, by a 29-28 margin on all three judge’s scorecards.

“I am the real deal,” said Kenney during the post-fight press conference. “Give me big fights, big cards. I’m here to say.”

The official UFC stats showed a close fight, with Bermudez holding a slim 59-56 advantage in total strikes while Kenney led 43-37 in significant strikes. It was Kenney’s work from the stand-up position in the first round and from the ground in the second that lifted him to the victory.

Kenney (13-1-1) connected on several kicks early and caught Bermudez with a combination of punches about 30 seconds into the fight. He was taken down at the 3:55 mark, but managed to get out and then returned to his roots to put Bermudez on his back with a judo toss at the 2:25 mark. He finished off the round with a few knees to the body, a combination of punches and a kick.

“The judo toss at the beginning, that’s where I started,” said Kenney, a nine-time national judo champion who trained during his youth at Judan Judo in Portland. “It’s been a while since I’ve tossed somebody. That was for the heart right there.”

Most of the second round was contested on the mat, with Bermudez in control first until Kenney scrambled to the top position at the 3:50 mark. He connected on a couple of shots to the head 25 seconds later, and then went for a choke at the 2:55 mark.

“It was tight. I was holding on for dear life for that,” said Kenney. “I didn’t have the best position, but my arm was underneath and I was squeezing. He started reacting like it was tight.”

Bermudez was able to turn out of the hold 20 seconds later, but Kenney stayed mostly in control for the rest of the round.

Stats showed the fight in Kenney’s favor in both the first round (21-14 strikes and 18-11 significant strikes) and second round (20-7 and 14-6, respectively), leading to him taking a more conservative approach in the third.

After trading punches early, Kenney got a takedown with a trip at the 3:20 mark, only to have Bermudez use the fence to help him reverse control. But the Massachusetts-based fighter who had recorded 11 submissions in his 14 professional fights was never able to find an opening against Kenney.

“In the third round, I may have been able to explode a little bit to get out more but that’s what he was looking for. He was looking for me to make a mistake,” said Kenney. “I felt like I won the first two rounds, so I was playing it extra safe there … I didn’t want to make some dumb mistake and get caught in a submission.”

The bout was originally scheduled for the bantamweight division (135 pounds), but the night prior to weigh-ins it was shifted to catchweight and set at 140 pounds. Bermudez and Kenney weighed in Friday at 140 and 139, respectively, but Kenney said by the time of the fight he was giving up about 20 pounds to his opponent.

“I said all week, ‘If he comes in 20 pounds overweight … I’m fighting,’” said Kenney. “I train with guys who are big. I was prepared for him to be big. … If he was 150 pounds and weigh-ins, I’m here to fight. That’s what I do.”

Bermudez had never been taken past the second round in his previous three UFC fights and had not gone the distance since a November 2016 split decision victory over Saul Ameida. Five of his previous six fights before stepping into the cage with Kenney had ended by first-round submission.

Kenney, meanwhile, extended his winning streak to six in a row since his lone loss, a controversial split decision against Adam Antolin during Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Five of those fights have gone the distance, and his UFC resume now features victories of the then-third-ranked fighter in the flyweight division and an undefeated prospect who is expected to now make the move up to featherweight (145 pounds).

“I’m here for the long haul and I’m here to be the best in one of the hottest weight classes in the UFC right now,” he said, referencing the bantamweight division. “I’ve faced two of the toughest grapplers in the division.

“Let me bang with somebody.”