Jeremy Kennedy will meet fire with fire when he faces Aaron Pico – and he knows it.
Kennedy (17-3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) takes on Pico at Bellator 286 on Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif.
Although Pico (10-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) is a highly-touted prospect, Kennedy has a wealth of experience with fights against the likes of current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Meanwhile, Pico has been on a roll having finished five of his past six opponents, but Kennedy won’t be afraid to meet him in the middle.
“He’s game everywhere,” Kennedy recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s solid on the feet with his boxing and his wrestling is world class, but I think my experience – I’ve had a lot of fights. I’ve been around. I’ve fought all over the world, fought in all the organizations, tough guys, and I think he’s gonna have his hands full everywhere. It’s not like he’s gonna go out there and have this huge wrestling or striking advantage I don’t feel, but that’s up to me to prove and show. And I think really getting grimy and meeting him head on.
“He’s a very, very, very good forward pressure fighter, so I just gotta make sure to meet that and don’t take a back step and let him dictate the whole pace and do his thing which he’s been able to do to all these other guys that are kind of already beaten before getting in there. They’re very timid, they’re fighting him timid, and I can’t do that. I gotta go out on my shield and kill or be killed. I have to go forward and meet him head on in the center and we’ll sort it out there.”
He continued, “I just see a bull, man. He just comes forward, he’s very aggressive, and he’s a really good forward fighter. But with that, it leaves a lot of openings, and I really plan on exploiting his aggression. Whether it be takedowns, counters, punches in the middle, in the clinch, elbows, knees. My game plan is just to be violent everywhere.”
Kennedy is coming off a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez. He’ll get an opportunity to put a halt to Pico’s hype, but Kennedy sees himself as a big step up in competition for the 25-year-old.
“I do think it’s a great test for both of us,” Kennedy said. “I think that’s why it’s such an intriguing matchup. Since I’ve got into Bellator, I’ve been fighting all the Bellator staples: Sanchez, Borics, now Pico. So I’m really testing myself right away, right into the deep water and I’ve established myself as a top 10 featherweight in the Bellator division.
“I think he had a little bit of stumbles when he fought tough competition early on and now he’s done what he’s done, he’s on a great six-fight win streak, doing what he’s supposed to be doing to these guys. Putting them away, looking good doing it and I think this is his next step again. Now it’s his second time around on these top guys again.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.