Tim Kennedy Wife, Family, Wiki, Height, Biography, Quick Facts

Quick Facts

Tim Kennedy is one of the few persons who fought professionally and at the same time, served in the United States Army National Guard. His fighting career saw the retired American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) compete in the UFC’s Middleweight division, Strikeforce, HDNet Fights, ShoMMA, the WEC and also in the IFL where he represented the Chicago Red Bears. There is more to Kennedy than his habitual winnings in the ring.

Biography of Tim Kennedy

Tim is of Irish descent but has an American nationality as he was born in San Luis Obispo, California on the 1st of September 1979 as the second of three children born to his parents. His father’s name was given to Mike Kennedy while that of his mother is yet unknown.

While growing up, Tim’s mother enrolled him in cooking and piano lessons, then in his youth, his father got him and his brother to attend boxing lessons, join a wrestling team, a Japanese Jujitsu class as well as a shooting school. As we know today, it was the path his father had envisaged for him that he followed.

The former fighter got academically schooled at Eagle Academy private high school where he graduated in 1998, then proceeded to Columbia College of Missouri to study Criminal Justice and graduated in 2002 with a BA. While still in college, Kennedy began fighting competitively in sanctioned mixed martial arts fights till he graduated and joined the United States Army. Tim got enlisted in the elite special forces on January 4, 2004.

He began his early training under the tutelage of Terry Kelly and Barry Smith in Dokan School of Martial Arts in Atascadero, California. Tim also trained with the likes of Anita Baker, John Hackleman, Jake Shields, Gan McGee and Adan S, Chuck Liddell in The Pit of San Luis Obispo.

Military Career

In the army, he attended Basic Combat Training, Basic Airborne Course, and the Special Forces Qualification Course in addition to an Advanced Individual Training. In 2007 he completed Ranger School and got assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group where he served as a sniper and sniper instructor, the principal combative instructor for C Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group of the Operational Detachment Alphas.

As expected, his time in the military did see some action when he got deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom multiple times and these deployments were all successful for him. For his valour under fire, he was awarded the Army’s Bronze Star Medal with V device which is one of the multiple awards he got for serving in the United States Army.

Tim Kennedy’s time in the military didn’t see to the end of his fighting interest as he continued to compete in the MMA. In 2005, when the army introduced a service-wide Combatives (hand-to-hand fighting) tournament, he won the tournament for the light heavyweight division and repeated the same feat three years in a row.

He converted from the active military duty to the Texas Army National Guard in August 2009 where he served as Special Forces Weapons Sergeant. He served as Special Forces Weapons Sergeant till he announced his re-enlistment into the U.S. Army Special Forces on April 16, 2017, and still serves to date.

Fighting Career 

His amateur fighting career which started in 1996 had a record of 31 fights with just one loss. He began fighting professionally in 2001, won a one-night tournament at Extreme Challenge 50 by winning his three fights of the night. He had a few fights outside the army due to serving in various deployments at the time.

Kennedy, however, returned to the MMA in Strike 2009 and continued fighting till 2012, recording several wins and a few loses. He was listed to join the Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC) in 2013, following the closure of Strikeforce. He won his first UFC against Roger Gracie on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162 by unanimous decision and several other victories followed suit.

He had his first major defeat when he fought and lost to Yoel Romero on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178 in a technical Knock out. He lost again to Kelvin Gastelum in a rescheduled UFC 206 match in the third round and on 17 January 2017, he announced his retirement from MMA.

His Family and Wife

Tim Kennedy is a married man. He is married to Ginger Kennedy and reports have it that they have two daughters in their family. It has not been ascertained on the exact day of the marriage or the date of birth of their two children.

Height

The professional fighter has an impressive ensemble with a height of 180.3 cm (5 ft 11 in). He also weighs a perfect 84 kg with his abs in the right places, thanks to constant exercise routines.

Quick Facts 

• Tim Kennedy’s birth sign is Virgo.
• The former fighter weighs 186 lb (84 kg).
• He earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Columbia College of Missouri in 2002.
• He is a trained sniper.
• Tim is a one-time Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night awardee.
• He is also an Extreme Challenge Middleweight Tournament winner.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.