Canadian featherweight Jeremy Kennedy loses via decision at Bellator 256

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Canadian featherweight Jeremy (JBC) Kennedy lost a unanimous decision to Adam (The Kid) Borics at Bellator 256 on Friday night.

The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Borics.

Borics, who came into the fight with a history of stopping opponents after flying knees, was busier in the first round. Hit with an unintentional strike to the groin in the round, Borics connected with some low kicks but was taken down late in the round.

Borics (17-1-0) used his crisp striking to keep Kennedy off-balance in the second, finding a home for his jab. Kennedy’s face showed damage as the second round ended.

“Let’s go. Get your ass to work,” were the instructions in Kennedy’s corner before the final round.

But Borics continue to control the fight and he knocked Kennedy down. Kennedy reversed position on the ground and then got back to his feet. Kennedy (16-3-0 with one no contest) got a late takedown at the fence with Borics getting back up in the dying seconds.

The 27-year-old Borics is ranked third among Bellator’s 145-pound contenders while Kennedy is No. 8.

The 28-year-old from Surrey, B.C., who trains in Las Vegas, was coming off a decision win in his Bellator debut over Matt (The Mangler) Bessette at Bellator 253 in November. Prior to that he went 2-1-0 with one no-contest in the Professional Fighters League

Kennedy went 3-1-0 in the UFC, losing to Alexander Volkanovski, who went on to win the UFC 145-pound title 22 months later. The B.C. fighter had lost just one of his previous seven fights since (5-1-0 with one no contest)

The Hungarian-born Borics trains in Florida at Sanford MMA.

Friday’s main event at Mohegan Sun Arena pitted current heavyweight champion Ryan (Darth) Bader, a former light heavyweight title-holder, against Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida in the opening round of Bellator’s light-heavyweight tournament.

Machida won by second-round KO when they met in August 2012 in the UFC.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2021

The Canadian Press