C.B. Dollaway Eying Matchup With Tim Kennedy
Watch out Tim Kennedy, C.B Dollaway is coming your way.
Following his impressive win over Francis Carmont at the end of May, Dollaway has his eyes set on a matchup with former Strikeforce title challenger Kennedy who he believes he matches up with well:
“I think Tim Kennedy is probably going to need a fight,” Dollaway said in a recent interview with MMAJunkie. “I think I match up with him well; I think strategically, it would be a good fight for me to move toward that title. At this point, you have to pick the right fights and maneuver yourself in the position to get a shot.”
The No.6 ranked Kennedy last fought in April at the TUF: Nations Finale where he took a unanimous decision over “The Count” Michael Bisping. His victory over Bisping was the 34-year old’s third third straight win inside the UFC following his transition from Strikeforce in January last year.
A matchup between the two top ten middleweights does make sense and would be no problem to setup with them both being injury free. But, when asked about a potential fight with Dollaway. Kennedy said he isn’t interested, “He is ranked behind me. I want Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman.”
Kennedy has also said he would like to be matched up with the former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, so it looks like a meeting between the two isn’t going to happen. But, Dollaway believes the fight is still up for grabs.
“I originally thought the matchup that was going to be made was Tim vs. Gegard, but I’ve heard Gegard may be fighting someone else now,” Dollaway said. “I’m not sure who, but it’s probably not going to be Tim Kennedy.”
If he did get the chance to take on the California native, Dollaway believes they would produce a entertaining fight. If it does happen, the 30-year old says Kennedy wouldn’t be able to just take him down and control him like he has with previous opponents.
“Tim likes to take guys down – it’s no secret,” he said. “I think I’m one of those guys that he’s not going to be able to just take down. He’s not going to control where the fight’s at. He’s got good standup, and I’ve been improving mine, and I think I can hang with him on the feet and make it an exciting fight.”
What do you guys think of a potential matchup between the two middleweights?
