If there's one fighter who is currently getting on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Michael Bisping's nerves, it's Tim Kennedy. Kennedy has been angling for a bout with "The Count" for several years, but because he fought in Strikeforce, the fight was impossible.
Now with both fighting in the same promotion, it appears like they are destined to meet inside the Octagon.
Recently, Kennedy sent a tweet to UFC President Dana White with a signed "bout agreement" to face Bisping anywhere and any time. It was just the latest in what has been a very long and drawn out rivalry on social media. It also apparently was the tweet that broke the proverbial "camel's back" so to speak.
Bloody Elbow's Stephanie Daniels spoke with Bisping about the Tim Kennedy rivalry, namely the tweet in question and like always, the Brit didn't hold back.
"I've fought the best athletes in the world, and some on short notice. If Tim Kennedy thinks he's going to be the person I'm scared of-this is the person that dresses up as a f*cking ballerina-he's crazy. He dresses like a woman on a regular basis just to get a bit of attention. It's just embarrassing. And for the record, I have many times spoken to Joe Silva and Dana White and said, ‘Listen, let me shut this guy up once and for all.' It comes down to their decision. He keeps going on like it's me, and that I have the ultimate say so. That decision basically comes down to Joe Silva, and they're trying to decide if I should waste one of my fight opportunities on a fighter of subpar caliber. They are weighing their options on whether it makes more sense to match me up with a better fighter to make the company more money, or if they should just let me get in there and beat the shit out of him for my own personal satisfaction. I'm hoping they go with the latter, and I get to beat the shit out of him on national TV."
He hopes to return from an eye injury that has kept his on the sidelines sometime around April. Though nothing is official at the moment, it's likely that the rivalry will be settled sometime in the near future.
Once the fight is booked, it'll be "put up or shut up" for both men.