Georges St-Pierre dominated MMA headlines last week when it was announced the former UFC welterweight champion will be fighting Michael Bisping later this year. With fellow Canadian Rory MacDonald signing with rival promotion Bellator late last year, St-Pierre’s return comes as a breath of fresh air for fight fans up in the Great White North. But when St-Pierre does eventually decide to hang up his gloves for good, who will Canadian fans be rooting for?
This Saturday we’ll get a glimpse into what the future of Canadian MMA looks like when undefeated featherweight Jeremy Kennedy returns to the cage against Rony Jason Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum. At 24 years old, Kennedy not only represents a new wave of talent in the UFC, but the Surrey, B.C., featherweight is arguably the most promising Canadian fighter on the roster.
Kennedy (9-0) made his professional MMA debut in 2013 and has fought primarily for the B.C.-based Battlefield Fight League promotion where he competed four times in his career. In 2014, he took advantage of an opportunity to train at Team Quest Thailand and competed three times overseas for various promotions, winning all of those fights by stoppage. Last year, after pushing his record to 8-0, Kennedy was an easy candidate for a UFC contract when the promotion returned to Vancouver this past August. Despite having to move up to lightweight for his promotional debut, Kennedy earned a unanimous decision over fellow Canadian Alessandro Ricci. Now back down in his natural featherweight division, the Revolution Fight Team product faces a 20-fight veteran in Jason.
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The timing of this 145-pound scrap couldn’t be better. Jason (14-7) has lost three of his last five fights. In that span his win over Damon Jackson at UFC Fight Night 67 was turned into a “No Contest” after the 32-year-old tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. His last official win came in March of 2014 when he defeated Steven Siler by first-round knockout. Saying that, the TUF Brazil winner is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who also possess knockout power. Should he suffer a loss to Kennedy it would likely mean his exit from the UFC.
In preparation for this matchup, Kennedy is training at Revolution Fight Team in Langley, B.C., with ONE Championship bantamweight titleholder Bibiano Fernandes. Unlike countless fighters who travel out of province from gym to gym, the former BFL featherweight champ is comfortable training at home where he has every resource available.
While this featherweight fight serves as the opening bout on the Fight Pass portion of the prelims, it represents a greater significance for the future of Canadian MMA. Kennedy is the youngest Canadian on the UFC roster and one of the few fighters with an unblemished record. We haven’t seen a Canadian prospect like this since Rory MacDonald made his UFC debut in 2010. A win over a TUF Brazil champion in Jason would not only be a great win on Kennedy’s resume, but a step in the right direction for the UFC prioritizing the Canadian market going forward.
