Late takedown helps Kenney get UFC win

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Casey Kenney knew he was in a close fight.

He knew he had to do something to secure the final round.

To make that happen, he went back to his roots.

Kenney, a former Jay County High School wrestler and a double black belt, recorded a third-period takedown that may well have been the difference in the fight as he defeated Nathaniel Wood by a 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 unanimous decision Saturday as part of UFC 254 on Fight Island.

The fast-paced slugfest that had MMA Twitter buzzing improved Kenney to 5-1 in the UFC and was selected as fight of the night, earning both he and Wood a $50,000 bonus. Performance of the night honors — those also bring a $50,000 bonus — went to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Magomed Ankalaev.

“I’ve been waiting for one of those,” said Kenney, adding he thought he could have been in line for performance of the night in his Oct. 3 victory in which he savaged Heili Alateng’s right side with repeated kicks. “I’m always coming to fight. … It finally paid off.”

Saturday’s bout was tight through the first two rounds, with both fighters understanding if it went to the judges’ scorecards the third round might well be the difference. So Kenney (16-2-1) decided to change things up.

He broke from the pattern of standing and swinging, instead shooting in at Wood’s legs at the 3:18 mark of the third period. He got the takedown and worked his way behind Wood (17-5), gaining the upper hand on the fighter from the United Kingdom. He was able to stay in control for well over a minute before Wood escaped. It was enough.

“I was having fun and making it an exciting fight … but I knew I needed to win the fight as well,” said Kenney, who recently earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to go along with the black belt in judo he earned as a teenager. “That was part of it in the third. … The third, I got those takedowns. That solidified everything.”

Kenney and Wood set a blistering pace from the start, with the former connecting on a couple of strong left hands while the latter kicked away in the opening minute. They went back and forth, never letting up through the first five minutes as they racked up 104 significant strikes — 53 for Kenney and 51 for Wood.

They slowed, but not by much, in the second period. This time it was Wood with 48 significant strike’s to Kenney’s 39.

Overall, Wood had a 136-123 advantage in significant strikes, but it was the combination of Kenney’s key takedown and the impact of his connections that made the difference.

“I felt the whole time that his shots just didn’t have much power to them,” said the 2009 JCHS graduate. “And his kicks, I was blocking all of them with my knee, which doesn’t feel good but doesn’t really do a whole lot to my leg. Even though he was throwing at a high volume, I felt like my shots were landing at a different level. I think that’s where I won the fight.”

With victories in nine of his last 10 fights — the lone loss came to Merab Devalishvili, who is now ranked 13th at bantamweight — Kenney is hoping to continue his climb up the UFC ranks. He said Sunday that he’s targeting UFC 256, which is slated to feature champion Petr Yan defending his bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling. That card is slated for Dec. 12, just a week after he’ll be in Jay County for his friend Ben Theurer’s wedding.

“I’m in a great place,” said Kenney. “It’s one of the hottest divisions. No matter who I get next, I’m just going to keep doing my thing, keep winning, keep cashing checks and go from there.”