Video: Tim Kennedy talks TUF Nations Finale, fight with 'jerk' Michael Bisping

Tim Kennedy has a few good reasons why he wanted to pick a fight with Michael Bisping. But one of them stands out over the rest.

“I want to fight Bisping because he’s ranked above me, he’s a good fighter, he always comes in to fight – and I think he’s a jerk,” Kennedy told MMAjunkie. “It’s easy to get excited about a fight against a guy you don’t like.”

Kennedy (17-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) meet next month in the main event of the TUF Nations Finale, which takes place April 16 at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The main card airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Kennedy said instead of just sitting back hoping to get the fight with Bisping, he made sure it happened.

“I kind of took a different approach,” he said. “Instead of just being like, ‘Ehh, I want to fight Michael Bisping,’ I just started attacking him. He was like a freshman in high school in his response, which was ideal for him to get emotionally interactive with me, which made it that much easier to sell the fight to (UFC matchmaker) Joe (Silva) and (UFC President) Dana (White).”

In the video above, hear what Kennedy had to say about staying motivated in the gym, the “demon” inside him and his slightly rocky start with the UFC brass after he moved over from Strikeforce.

For more on TUF Nations Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.