Tim Kennedy had a pretty rough go of it at UFC 178. After nine minutes of eating devastating punches from Yoel Romero, Kennedy nearly finished Romero before the horn signaled the end of the second round.
When the bell sounded to start Round 3, however, Romero didn't get off his stool. Vaseline was left globbed on his face, and the stool remained in the cage as Kennedy griped to John McCarthy, who just couldn't seem to get fighters under his control.
Romero would rally from there, knocking Kennedy out and leaving him with a busted face and a big fat "L" on his record. Now, Kennedy can only look to the future for solace. So who could we see him fight next? Find out right here!
Mark Munoz
Veteran wrestler Mark Munoz was absolutely mauled by Gegard Mousasi earlier this year, and it's unclear how much more fight "the Filipino Wrecking Machine" has left in him. Still, he has not officially retired from competition, and as such, it's safe to assume that he can muster up one more bout. Tim Kennedy wouldn't be a bad option for his swan song.
Munoz has plummeted down the UFC rankings in recent years. While he came one win shy of a title shot in 2011, he is 1-3 over his last four, with all three of his losses coming via stoppage.
Given Munoz's recent struggles with injuries and the likely lack of motivation to keep going, this should be a slam dunk for Kennedy. That makes it a fight worth booking for the UFC and one they would be wise to put together.
Gegard Mousasi
While Munoz may have lost to Mousasi earlier this year, Mousasi has turned around and given that win right back (but to Ronaldo Souza). The Dutch-Iranian striker is 1-2 as a middleweight and finds himself in desperate need of a win over a solid opponent if he wants to maintain his status as a top-10 fighter.
The inherent risk here, of course, is that the UFC is setting two valuable, fairly popular fighters up to fail. However, both men are nothing if not confident, and the matchup makes sense from a rankings perspective. Mousasi doesn't have anything on his plate at this time, so if Kennedy can get back into the cage relatively soon, this is a realistic possibility.
Vitor Belfort
When it rains for Tim Kennedy, it apparently pours. In addition to suffering a controversial knockout loss in a fight he very easily could have won, he was left with a broken orbital bone (according to Sherdog's news editor, Tristen Critchfield). That will almost certainly lead to a layoff longer than Kennedy would prefer. Depending on how bad it is, we could see him out of the cage for a good, long while...and that might just set him up for what could be the most well-publicized fight of his career.
If you somehow missed it, Kennedy isn't much of a fan of Belfort, and he has said it again and again and again. It's a beef long in the making, and it would be great to see it come to a head. Belfort will face Chris Weidman in early 2015, and if Kennedy's injury keeps him out for several months, the timing might be just right for a springtime showdown between the two in 2015.
