Tim Kennedy dispatched of Melvin Manhoef in less than four minutes and took almost no damage in the fight on Saturday night. He's got Robbie Lawler and middleweight champ Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in his sights, but because of Strikeforce's limited schedule, he may have to wait until the fall for another fight with the promotion. That doesn't cut it for the Army Special Forces veteran.
"I feel like I'm wasting my time if I'm not in the cage because I'm a sniper, I'm a Ranger, and I'm a Green Beret. I've been to every cool-guy school that (U.S.) Special Forces has," Kennedy told MMajunkie. "I'm completely wasting my life away if I'm not taking an opportunity to be in a cage. If I'm not in the cage, I'm going to go back to Iraq and Afghanistan. That's just how it's going to work."
Kennedy (13-3) said his bosses/chain of command were at Nationwide Arena to watch him fight. He's serious about achieving his fighting goals and then heading back into service for his country.
"My timeline for me is very clear. I've expressed that to my chain in command. I'm going to fight for a little while, and as soon as I'm done fighting, I'm going to be right back there doing the most important job," said Kennedy.
"It's really one of the most important things about fighting," he said. "I represent a group of people much more important than me. That's the people in uniform right now. Some of the organizations I work with – Soldiers Angels, the Green Beret Foundation – those are the things I really care about. That's what I'm passionate about.
Kennedy's hunger to fight the good fight isn't affected by a lack of appreciation stateside.
"America's America. Those guys over there know how ridiculous the 300 million people in this country are," Kennedy told Spencer Lazara from MMAInterviews.tv (1:54 mark). "But they're still over dying and bleeding and starving to protect the constitutional right that the people have to live in ignorance about what they do over there, so they can enjoy the luxury of their home and follow Charlie Sheen on Twitter. I'll do it. I love America and I'll be over there doing the exact same thing."
After he lost the Strikeforce title bout to Jacare, Kennedy was given seven months off. The promotion owes it to Kennedy to get him back in the cage quickly. There's no reason, if he's winning, he shouldn't fight two or three more times this year.
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