During a recent interview, former UFC and Strikeforce star Tim Kennedy retold the story of finding out from government officials he was on the hit list of the terrorist group known as ISIS.
Many fight fans know Tim Kennedy for the solid career he had in the sport of mixed martial arts. During his 15 years as a fighter, he worked his way up from the regional scene and became a top prospect in Strikeforce. He beat MMA greats like Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler en route to earning a middleweight title fight against Luke Rockhold.
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He didn’t win gold but it made him a name in the sport. And landed him a roster spot in the UFC after Strikeforce was purchased by the MMA world leader. During a five-fight stint in the Octagon, he fought quite a few top stars of the era. And headlined several Fight Night cards. However, the major thread throughout his career was his past as a member of the military in the Army Special Forces.
And it seems his military history, as well as his higher profile as a UFC fighter during the early 2010s, landed him on the death list for one of this century’s most feared terrorist groups, ISIS.
- Tim Kennedy record: 18-6 (6 knockouts, 8 submissions)
ISIS was hunting UFC veteran Tim Kennedy?
“The phone rings [and] I was still a service member serving as a National Guardsman. The FBI is like, ‘Hey, some guys are trying to find you to kill you and they are looking for some radicalized people in Texas to find out where you live,” Kennedy told the Overdogs Podcast.
“And I was like, ‘Well, that’s great news.’ So I went on FOX news and gave them my home address live on television.”
Taking out a high-profile service member who was once a name for the UFC certainly would have made a statement. Fortunately, ISIS did not get far in its pursuit. Or maybe Kennedy giving his home address made them realize they were messing with the wrong one.
The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham is a terrorist network that has been linked to countless terrorist attacks in Iraq, Syria, and other parts of the Middle East over the last two decades.
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