Tag: Casey Kenney

UFC veteran Casey Kenney arrested on kidnapping, five other charges in Arizona

Casey Kenney allegedly struck, slapped, bit, head-butted and choked a woman over the course of 13 hours that he would not let her leave his residence.

UFC bantamweight [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] has been arrested and charged after an alleged kidnapping incident on July 21.

Phoenix Police arrested Kenney on Friday. He faces two felony charges: one for kidnapping and one for aggravated assault (strangulation); as well as four misdemeanors: three for assault, one for disorderly conduct.

Kenney, 33, made his initial court appearance Saturday and is due back in Maricopa County (Ariz.) court Thursday for a status conference. He also has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday.

According to a statement MMA Junkie obtained Wednesday from Phoenix Police Department spokesperson Brian Bower, police responded to a domestic violence call. Paramedics treated the woman for injuries on scene.

“On July 22, 2024, around 12:15 p.m., officers responded to an unknown [sic] trouble call in the area of [address redacted]. Officers located an adult female victim with some visible abrasions reporting a domestic violence assault. The female was treated by paramedics and interviewed by investigators. No contact was made with the suspect at that time. This case is still active.”

The Scrap first reported Kenney’s arrest with details provided in a statement of probable cause first provided by MMA Fighting.

The statement says Kenney repeatedly struck, slapped, bit, head-butted, and choked a woman over the course of 13 hours while not allowing her to leave his residence. Kenney also allegedly threatened the woman and said if anyone showed up for her, he’d kill them.

A woman who identifies herself as the alleged victim’s mother has posted updates about the situation on Instagram in recent weeks.

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Once a rising bantamweight contender in the UFC, Kenney competed eight times in the promotion from 2019 to 2021 and appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series twice in 2017. Kenney has not competed since an August 2021 loss to Song Yadong.

In recent years, Kenney has remained out of the spotlight and has not posted on social media. He has yet to comment on the matter publicly. He’s currently listed on the UFC roster as “not fighting.”

UFC 265 post-event facts: Ciryl Gane’s beatdown of Derrick Lewis sets record numbers

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 265, which saw Ciryl Gane make history with his interim title win over Derrick Lewis.

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] produced the most statistically lopsided heavyweight title fight win in octagon history on Saturday in the UFC 265 main event.

Gane (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) punished [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) for nearly three full rounds en route to a third-round TKO that gave him interim belt and set up a title unification clash with Francis Ngannou.

For more on the numbers behind Gane’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC 265.

UFC 265 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Five fighters get at least $21,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 265 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $278,000.

HOUSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 265 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $278,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 265 took place at the Toyota Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 265 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Drako Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Anderson dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Melissa Gatto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamey Simmons[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,985,000
Program-to-date total: $2,985,000

UFC 265 results: Song Yadong counterpunches his way to split decision over Casey Kenney

It was close by the judges’ standards, though Song Yadong did enough to get the nod.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] walked away from UFC 265 the victor, even though the crowd in Houston wasn’t thrilled with the judges’ decision.

In the UFC 265 main card opener, Yadong (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) defeated [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] (16-4-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27).

The bantamweight bout took place at Toyota Center in Houston. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Throughout the fight, and especially early, Kenney pushed the pace. However, Yadong proved that aggression doesn’t always translate to successful offensive output as he pelted Kenney with numerous counterstrikes.

The fight largely took place on the feet from a distance, though there was some cage-pushing. While Kenney had his moments, Yadong appeared to land the harder and cleaner strikes. As the fight progressed, Yadong positioned himself in a successful range where he could kick and punch Kenney.

When the fight ended, each fighter signaled his belief he did enough. Upon the reading of the split decision, the crowd booed and Kenney jumped on the fence to pump up more jeers. Regardless, it was Yadong who stepped into the winner’s circle for his post-fight interview.

The win punches Yadong’s ticket back into the win column after a unanimous decision defeat to Kyler Phillips at UFC 259 in March. He moves to 2-1-1 in his most recent four fights.

Kenney takes his second defeat in as many fights. At UFC 259, Kenney lost a split decision to former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 265 results include:

Video: UFC 265 press conference live stream with Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane (6 p.m. ET)

Watch the UFC 265 press conference live stream at 6 p.m. ET.

HOUSTON – You can watch Thursday’s UFC 265 news conference from Toyota Center in Houston on MMA Junkie at 6 p.m. ET.

UFC president Dana White hosts the event, which features headliners [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]. They meet for the interim heavyweight title in the main event.

Additionally, main card fighters [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag], [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag], [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag], [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag], [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] and [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] will be in attendance to answer questions from the media.

UFC 265 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

MMA unpopular opinions, Vol. 1: The Beatles, ‘Die Hard,’ pineapple pizza, and more!

A collection of MMA fighters and personalities share their unpopular opinions that are sure to make you feel a certain way.

Everyone has their unpopular opinions. You have yours, and so do MMA fighters and personalities.

So we asked about them.

Check out the video below to hear from [autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag], [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag], [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag], [autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag], [autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag], [autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag], and Laura Sanko as they give their takes unpopular opinions on The Beatles, “Die Hard” as a Christmas movie, pineapple pizza, the Paul brothers, Thanksgiving food, and more. You’re bound to feel a certain way.

Watch:

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Got an opinion on these unpopular opinions or one of your own? Discuss in the comments!

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC 259 results: Dominick Cruz outpoints Casey Kenney for first win since 2016

Dominick Cruz’s victory at UFC 259 was a longtime coming.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] is back in the win column for the first time in a long while.

Cruz, the former UFC bantamweight champion, picked up his first win since January 2016 at Saturday’s UFC 259 event in Las Vegas. Cruz (23-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) outpointed [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] (16-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in a close, back-and-forth split decision, which read 28-29, 29-28 and 30-27 on the judges’ scorecards.

It was an exhausting affair, as both fighters kept a high pace from start to finish, giving fans non-stop action.

In Round 1, both fighters traded kicks and all kinds of strikes with Cruz on the back foot and countering while Kenney pushed forward. It was a tight round, but Cruz seemed to land the better and cleaner strikes. The second was similar, but Kenney seemed to turn up the volume in strikes and landed many shots on Cruz.

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The third and final round was by far the easiest to score, as Cruz got a takedown early and controlled Kenney against the cage for a minute. The fight eventually found its way back to the feet in a close and grueling back-and-forth. However, he made sure to end strong by scoring another takedown with 40 seconds left on the clock. The former champion maintained top position until the bell rang.

The result marks Cruz’s first win since outpointing Urijah Faber back in January 2016 at UFC 199 to defend his UFC bantamweight title. The 35-year-old veteran was on a two-fight skid with losses to T.J. Dillashaw in 2016 and another to Henry Cejudo in 2020, a failed attempt to reclaim his belt after years of being sidelined by injury.

Meanwhile, Kenny saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end, which marked a successful run in 2020.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 259 results include:

Twitter reacts to Dominick Cruz’s first win in nearly five years at UFC 259

See the top Twitter reactions to Dominick Cruz’s victory against Casey Kenney at UFC 259.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] got his hand raised for the first time in nearly five years on Saturday when he beat [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] at UFC 259.

Cruz (23-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), a former two-time UFC champ, snapped his two-fight losing skid when he beat surging prospect Kenney (16-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) by split decision in the featured preliminary-card matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Cruz’s victory over Kenney at UFC 259.

Casey Kenney unfazed by Dominick Cruz’s style: ‘I think he was very unique five, 10 years ago’

It was “pretty surreal” for Casey Kenney to get booked against Dominick Cruz, but he won’t get caught up in the moment.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] has watched [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] for almost a decade. On Saturday, he’ll get to watch him while trying to knock the former UFC bantamweight champion’s head off.

Kenney (16-2-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Cruz (22-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will square off in the featured preliminary card bout of UFC 259, the final fight before the event switches over to pay-per-view. Kenney has always been confident he’d get there, but his faith in big-name matchups won’t numb the moment.

“To get that name was pretty surreal,” Kenney told reporters, inclduing MMA Junkie, at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “Like I said, I feel like I’m in the exact position I should be. Dominick Cruz is the kind of guy I got into this sport to fight. What a better way to take out a legend.”

Cruz, 35, has been a professional MMA fighter since early 2005. He’s been in numerous major title fights, won multiple major promotional championships and headlined many cards. Throughout his tenure in the spotlight, Cruz long has been admired for his funky, unorthodox style. While Kenney credits his abilities, he thinks over the years Cruz’s stylistic mystique has faded.

“I think he was very unique five, 10 years ago,” Kenney said. “But guys switching stances, doing their footwork, all that stuff, that’s something I’ve been seeing my whole career almost. So the preparation was pretty similar. I tried to get some of the best looks I could for Dominick, but mainly sharpen myself.”

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A win over Cruz would be a feather in his cap, but Kenney won’t consider himself title-shot worthy unless he rattles off a couple more wins afterward.

“I don’t think this fight puts me in the title contention, but it puts me right in the direction I need to be,” Kenney said. “(If) I knock off three fights this year and I win all three, I should be knocking at that title (shot’s) door.”

That said, if offered the shot, Kenney would take it. Should UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan or challenger Aljamain Sterling pull out of his title fight scheduled for UFC 259, Kenney would gladly step in.

“I’m definitely not the one that’s making that decision, but I would definitely step in and fight Yan or Sterling, no problem,” Kenney said.

UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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