In his second bout of the year, bantamweight Casey Kenney might not have been able to get the finish against Heili Alateng at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 3, but he’s nonetheless pleased in picking up a unanimous decision victory.
With his win over Alateng, Kenney has won four of his five UFC fights, and more importantly came out virtually unblemished in the fight, leaving him able to return rather quickly.
“Besides getting the finish, that’s about as good of a performance as you can get; fighting 15 minutes, putting on a masterpiece really, and not taking a whole lot of damage,” Kenney told MMAWeekly.com.
“I expected a little more of an MMA fight with (Alateng), but what I was doing was working so I didn’t really need to switch it up.”
Because he was healthy, Kenney was able to jump on an opportunity to fight just a couple weeks after his win over Alateng.
“This one popped up and I jumped on it, but I had it in my goals to get a quick turnaround,” said Kenney. “This was definitely the quick turnaround I was looking for.
“I had about 10 days before we started the trip (to Fight Island) again. I pretty much feel ready from the last fight. My cardio was good in the last one, so just keeping everything sharp and making sure everything was acting right and staying healthy. I’m ready to do it again.”
Saturday on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Kenney (15-2-1) will look for his second win in a month when he takes on Nate Wood (17-4) in a preliminary 140-pound bout at UFC 254.
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“He’s a tough opponent, well-rounded everywhere, but I think I’m just a little bit better,” Kenney said of Wood. “He’s an up and coming prospect, and it’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m ready to showcase what level I’m really on and I think I put him away at some point in the fight.”
Should Kenney once again come out of a fight healthy, he’ll be looking to get back into the octagon again soon, with an eye towards a year end bout in December.
“If they want to give me another one before the end of the year let’s do it,” said Kenney. “I see on Dec. 12 (at UFC 256) they have a bantamweight title fight, and that would be a good date for me to get back on it again.
“Whatever happens, happens, but I’m eyeing that Dec. 12 card for now.”
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Casey Kenney eyeing second win in a month at UFC 254 then another quick return
