Robbie Kennedy enters his Caestus 1 bout with Ross Cooper with one plan: to chase the knockout.
Kennedy makes his heavyweight return following a stint competing under the BKFC banner. During that time, he went (1-1), showing real promise between the ropes. However, Scotland’s Cooper will undoubtedly be looking to take the fight to the mat where he excels and take advantage of Kennedy’s time competing away from MMA.
The Scottish promotion will host their first event in the Piperdam Resort in Dundee. The card features professional and amateur mixed martial arts action.
Prior to fight night, we had the chance of talking with Robbie Kennedy. Hear what he had to say below.
Robbie Kennedy Talks BKFC, Return to MMA, and Fight With Ross Cooper
Robbie, back to the MMA competition after dipping your toes into the BKFC scene. Firstly, talk to me about BKFC and your decision to test your skills in this sport.
BKFC was a nice challenge and gave me a new fight style that the MMA scene won’t be ready for! It was a last-minute fight, and as always, I train to be a martial artist, so I’m never going to settle for one art or discipline.
How would you evaluate your two fights between the ropes?
Two great fights, 1 being a highlight reel KO and the other one, shattered my hand in the first round and carried on fighting to the last few seconds of the 4th round, where I got caught with a shot and got back up, but the ref waved it off.
I even gave him his toughest fight with one hand, so that speaks volumes for how much I was able to keep up and still give him a fight, knowing I was losing.
Return to MMA
You last fought in MMA at the back end of 2022 and fell short of Jamie MacDonald. Is there anything to take away from that fight, and was there anything in that fight that made you take some time away?
Yes, I’ve been working a lot on wrestling. As always, nobody wants to stand with me. They will watch my fights; think kickboxer 6’5, take him down. He can’t use his length on the ground.
The only thing I will chase is a KO; I am not interested in crotch sniffing, as Masvidal says, but I know it’s MMA, so if he chooses to stand with me, he’s getting knocked out!
It’s been a while since MMA, and I’ve learned a lot since fighting Jamie, and that’s not to get wrestled f**kd, not to settle; you can’t ever settle in MMA!
I was at a BJJ comp in January of this year and won gold in Gi and NoGi. Then, a few months back, I tested myself in sambo. There is no real reason for having time off; I have just been getting better and rehabilitating the hand since April. I wanted to feel comfortable, and my last bout, even though it was just sambo, was a nice feeler to get back into it.
Saturday night on Caestus MMA. What can the Scottish crowd expect from you?
Expectations
Expect aggressive intelligence.
