Former Strikeforce middleweight title challenger and UFC veteran Tim Kennedy has announced his retirement from active competition at age 37.
Kennedy (18-6) broke the news via social media on Tuesday. He admitted to not feeling like himself in his last fight, a TKO loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 206 on Dec. 10.
"I felt like I was in slow motion the entire match," Kennedy wrote. "I felt tired for the first time ever in a fight. ... I worked harder than I ever have before for this fight. But I wasn't me anymore. My brain knew what to do but my body did not respond.
"I've watched other fighters arrive here. I've watched other fighters pretend they weren't here. I will not be one of them."
Kennedy began fighting professionally in 2001. He maintained an active career in the U.S. Army during his professional fighting career. In 2013, he headlined a UFC Fight for the Troops event in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
He rose to the top of his weight class in 2010, when he fought Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the vacant Strikeforce title. Kennedy lost that five-round bout via unanimous decision. He fought for the Strikeforce belt again in 2012, and came up short in a decision loss to Luke Rockhold.
Kennedy thanked all of the opponents he faced during his career, and specifically named Rockhold, Souza, Robbie Lawler, Roger Gracie, Rafael Natal and Michael Bisping. He also thanked his longtime coaches Greg Jackson, Mike Winkeljohn and Brandon Gibson from Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Last November, Kennedy was one of four professional fighters involved in the announcement of the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association, which is advocating for a better work environment for UFC athletes. Kennedy, who is represented by Creative Arts Agency (CAA), referred to his work with the association in his retirement announcement.
"I am committed to growing our sport and taking care of those who are part of it," Kennedy wrote. "As sad as it is for me to walk away, the only thing sadder would be for me to stay because I had no other choice in order to feed my family.
"Someday the Kelvin Gastelum's and the Yair Rodriguez's and the Paige VanZant's will be sitting in their respective emergency rooms with their respective [friends] talking about it being over. And when that day comes, I want to make sure their future is secure."
