Strikeforce Fedor vs. Henderson: When Will We See Tim Kennedy in the UFC?

With Nick Diaz scheduled to fight Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137 later this summer, the rumors continue to circulate around which Strikeforce fighter will be the next to defect to compete in the Octagon. Though most fighters currently under Strikeforce contract have been content with their current position, middleweight contender Tim Kennedy has been vocal about his desire to make his debut for the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

Though Kennedy’s personality dictates that he would never demand to be in the UFC, he has certainly made the push in various ways. Most notably, Kennedy called out UFC middleweight Michael Bisping numerous times shortly after Bisping’s last fight at UFC 127.

At that event, Bisping controversially defeated Kennedy’s friend Jorge Rivera with a violent, flagrant and illegal knee to the face while he was on the ground. Many still believe that the fight should’ve never been restarted and that Bisping should’ve been disqualified immediately, but the referee decided to keep the fight going. Eventually, a clearly dazed Rivera was knocked out by Britain's top MMA star.

Kennedy did not enjoy Bisping’s actions in the cage when he landed the knee, nor when he spit at members of Rivera’s corner. He quickly took to social media platforms where he hammered the Brit. Fans even began a campaign to get Kennedy a spot opposite Bisping as a coach on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Of course, we now know that Bisping will not be coaching against Kennedy, but rather another Strikeforce middleweight, Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

This left Kennedy without a certain next move, until Strikeforce setup the fight between him and former EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson later this month.

Nothing has been announced for Kennedy after this fight but, with a win, one has to expect that he is very close to being the next member of the Strikeforce roster who could be making an appearance in the UFC.

Kennedy’s 4-1 record in Strikeforce has already established him as one of the top middleweight fighters in the world, let alone in Strikeforce’s very thin 185-pound division.

His only loss in the organization came against current Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who defeated him by decision in one of the most tightly contested bouts of 2010.

With Anderson Silva having essentially dismantled the middleweight division within UFC, aside from a few new up-and-comers like Brian Stann and Mark Munoz, it makes sense that the UFC would be looking for new challengers for him outside of the organization. After all, they did so by taking former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz from the organization and immediately placing him in the main event of a pay-per-view later this year.

One could say that Jacare Souza would be a great opponent for Anderson Silva, but the two champions actually train together. Judging by Silva’s history, it is highly unlikely that he would sign on the dotted line to fight his friend.

So, why not bring Tim Kennedy to the Octagon and set him up with a fight against Michael Bisping? The England vs. United States drama would be enough to sell this fight, but the fact that Bisping took a cheap shot on one of Kennedy’s friends makes it even more intriguing.

But, even if Bisping beats Miller at the end of TUF and takes a step closer to his UFC middleweight title shot, there are still plenty of other fights for Kennedy in the promotion. And quite frankly, aside from a rematch with Souza, what is there left for Kennedy to do in Strikeforce?

Make it happen, Uncle Dana.