February 17, 2020 at 5:41 p.m.
Kenney drops first UFC bout
Kenney drops first UFC bout
RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — He entered his first two UFC fights as the underdog and came away victorious.
He couldn’t extend the streak to three.
Jay County High School graduate Casey Kenney suffered his first UFC defeat Saturday, falling by unanimous decision to Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili in UFC Fight Night 167 at Santa Ana Star Center.
The judges gave Dvalishvili the nod in the bantamweight bout, 30-27, 30-25, 29-28.
“He did good on his part implementing his game plan,” said Kenney. “I still think in my eyes I landed the better shots. But he controlled that body lock for a good amount of time …
“I still didn’t feel like I didn’t do what I wanted to do. I still feel like I went out there and implemented my game plan, did a lot of really good things. It’s just he happened to be a step ahead on a couple things.”
The loss was Kenney’s first in UFC after opening his career with victories over then-No. 3 flyweight Ray Borg, who fought later Saturday and beat Rogerio Bontorin by unanimous decision, and previously unbeaten Manny Bermudez. It was just the second defeat of his professional career overall.
The previous loss came to Adam Antolin as part of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in August 2017 in a controversial split decision. Kenney’s reaction Saturday was different from after the fight he thought he had won over Antolin, as he clapped respectfully and congratulated Dvalishvili after the result was announced.
“It felt like a loss,” said Kenney. “And I’ve said it all along, ‘If you beat me, props to you.’ I’ll own it and get back to the drawing board. …
“Props to him. He did his thing and got the win.”
Kenney (13-2-1) and Dvalishvili (10-4) fought a fairly even fight standing up, but it was the latter’s work on the mat that put him in control.
A takedown machine, Dvalishvili recorded a dozen in the three-round fight and got stronger in that area as the match went on. His 12 takedowns set a UFC bantamweight division record and is tied for fifth-most in a UFC fight.
He outscored Kenney 11-0 on significant strikes while on the mat over the course of the last two rounds.
Dvalishvili attempted and connected more strikes than Kenney, according to UFC’s official stats, recording a 114-47 advantage on total strikes and a 63-45 advantage on significant strikes.
Kenney, who entered the fight as the No. 15 bantamweight in UFC but also as an underdog on the betting lines, and Dvalishvili battled in a closely contested first round, first feeling each other out with kicks before Dvalishvili recorded his first takedown with 2:20 on the clock. Kenney got up a minute later and connected with a few fists at the 30-second mark.
But a Dvallishvili takedown with 1:45 on the clock in the second period set the tone for the rest of the fight. Kenney was never able to escape, and then Dvalishvili recorded seven takedowns in the final period and spent the last 1:05 in control and throwing shots at Kenney’s head.
“I think I had too much of a ‘try to put him away with one shot’ mentality for that fight,” said Kenney, adding that Dvalishvili’s wrestling skills were superior to some of his previous opponents. “I think I should have touched a little bit more when I was on my feet, just touched him instead of trying to take his head off with every shot.
“I think I needed to get back to my roots a little bit too. His top pressure and controlling me, that’s his specialty, but if I would have took him down and controlled him like I normally do, that would have been, I think, a little bit of a game-changer.”
The win was the third in a row for Dvalishvili, a 29-year-old from Tblisi, Georgia, following back-to-back losses to open his UFC career.
Kenney had won six straight heading into Saturday night’s bout.
He said he’s already been in contact with his manager, who asked if there was anything Kenney needed.
His answer?
“Just another fight as soon as possible,” said Kenney, who flies out today to be the corner man for his friend Kyle “Boom” Reyes for a fight Friday in Krasnodar, Russia. “I think I get back in there pretty quick. This is what I do.
“I’m going to go to the gym … and continue what I normally do. That’s getting better and getting back to work.”
He couldn’t extend the streak to three.
Jay County High School graduate Casey Kenney suffered his first UFC defeat Saturday, falling by unanimous decision to Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili in UFC Fight Night 167 at Santa Ana Star Center.
The judges gave Dvalishvili the nod in the bantamweight bout, 30-27, 30-25, 29-28.
“He did good on his part implementing his game plan,” said Kenney. “I still think in my eyes I landed the better shots. But he controlled that body lock for a good amount of time …
“I still didn’t feel like I didn’t do what I wanted to do. I still feel like I went out there and implemented my game plan, did a lot of really good things. It’s just he happened to be a step ahead on a couple things.”
The loss was Kenney’s first in UFC after opening his career with victories over then-No. 3 flyweight Ray Borg, who fought later Saturday and beat Rogerio Bontorin by unanimous decision, and previously unbeaten Manny Bermudez. It was just the second defeat of his professional career overall.
The previous loss came to Adam Antolin as part of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in August 2017 in a controversial split decision. Kenney’s reaction Saturday was different from after the fight he thought he had won over Antolin, as he clapped respectfully and congratulated Dvalishvili after the result was announced.
“It felt like a loss,” said Kenney. “And I’ve said it all along, ‘If you beat me, props to you.’ I’ll own it and get back to the drawing board. …
“Props to him. He did his thing and got the win.”
Kenney (13-2-1) and Dvalishvili (10-4) fought a fairly even fight standing up, but it was the latter’s work on the mat that put him in control.
A takedown machine, Dvalishvili recorded a dozen in the three-round fight and got stronger in that area as the match went on. His 12 takedowns set a UFC bantamweight division record and is tied for fifth-most in a UFC fight.
He outscored Kenney 11-0 on significant strikes while on the mat over the course of the last two rounds.
Dvalishvili attempted and connected more strikes than Kenney, according to UFC’s official stats, recording a 114-47 advantage on total strikes and a 63-45 advantage on significant strikes.
Kenney, who entered the fight as the No. 15 bantamweight in UFC but also as an underdog on the betting lines, and Dvalishvili battled in a closely contested first round, first feeling each other out with kicks before Dvalishvili recorded his first takedown with 2:20 on the clock. Kenney got up a minute later and connected with a few fists at the 30-second mark.
But a Dvallishvili takedown with 1:45 on the clock in the second period set the tone for the rest of the fight. Kenney was never able to escape, and then Dvalishvili recorded seven takedowns in the final period and spent the last 1:05 in control and throwing shots at Kenney’s head.
“I think I had too much of a ‘try to put him away with one shot’ mentality for that fight,” said Kenney, adding that Dvalishvili’s wrestling skills were superior to some of his previous opponents. “I think I should have touched a little bit more when I was on my feet, just touched him instead of trying to take his head off with every shot.
“I think I needed to get back to my roots a little bit too. His top pressure and controlling me, that’s his specialty, but if I would have took him down and controlled him like I normally do, that would have been, I think, a little bit of a game-changer.”
The win was the third in a row for Dvalishvili, a 29-year-old from Tblisi, Georgia, following back-to-back losses to open his UFC career.
Kenney had won six straight heading into Saturday night’s bout.
He said he’s already been in contact with his manager, who asked if there was anything Kenney needed.
His answer?
“Just another fight as soon as possible,” said Kenney, who flies out today to be the corner man for his friend Kyle “Boom” Reyes for a fight Friday in Krasnodar, Russia. “I think I get back in there pretty quick. This is what I do.
“I’m going to go to the gym … and continue what I normally do. That’s getting better and getting back to work.”
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