Many of these veterans, many of whom were previous members of the elite Special Operations Forces, formed relief initiatives such as The Pineapple Express, Save Our Allies, and others, which assisted in the evacuation of thousands of refugees from the country. For his third fight with the promotion, Kennedy faced Michael Bisping on April 16, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. [28] He won the fight via unanimous decision. [29] In 2006, Kennedy co-founded Ranger Up, a military clothing store offering the original Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard apparel brands.

We didn't sleep, we didn't eat," Kennedy said, describing their remarkable work to "smuggle people past the Taliban and onto the American base." He added on why he was risking his life for the show, “Because all of those other things that I’ve done in my life—all those decisions I made—have prepared me to do things that most people can’t do. So I’m the man for the job.” With the shared vision of revolutionizing learning “to do” and “to be” even more than learning “to know,” Kennedy (along with other educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and parents) founded an individualized principles-based educational institution, Apogee Cedar Park: an Acton Academy, on 24 November 2020. Award and Recognition Kennedy claims that, in just a matter of several days, and despite their initial evacuation attempt being thwarted, his 12-man team helped successfully evacuate 12,000 people — a staggering 10% of the total number of people who were evacuated from Kabul. His efforts during the evacuation make the perfect final chapter to a book filled with ventures — some successful, others not — in the Army, in the ring, and at the business table. Kennedy never shies away from his shortcomings, and instead offers readers an alternative perspective to the many failures we all experience in life.

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Dan Stupp (January 17, 2017). "UFC middleweight contender, ex-Strikeforce title challenger Tim Kennedy announces retirement". mmajunkie.com . Retrieved January 17, 2017.

Married with has three daughters and a son, Kennedy played himself in the Indie film Range 15 and is a co-owner of Ranger Up, a military-based clothing company. Sheepdog Response As fathers, it’s our natural instinct to act like everything is under control. We don’t want our kids to see us failing or hurting. We don’t want to appear weak. But true strength lies in being real, and if we don’t allow our kids watch how we navigate the ups and downs in life, they won’t know how to deal with adversity themselves. On January 17, 2017, Kennedy released a social media statement announcing his retirement from MMA. [41] In the post he admitted that he no longer desired to fight professionally and thanked those closest to him for their support. He also thanked the US Army, claiming that there was 'no greater moment' than his victory in the main event of UFC: Fight for the Troops 3. [42]K2 Sponsors UFC fighter, Tim Kennedy". k2si.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018 . Retrieved July 29, 2015. Timothy Fred Kennedy (born September 1, 1979) is an American soldier and retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001 until 2016, he has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, the WEC, ShoMMA, HDNet Fights, and represented the Chicago Red Bears in the IFL. Kennedy is one of the few fighters to simultaneously serve in the United States Army and fight professionally. He is also a television host, producer, and entrepreneur. He also mentioned that they had a sniper rifle up there, and their purpose was to deal death to American soldiers and Afghans attempting to flee. Kennedy explained, adding that the operation had to be moved a few hundred meters behind another structure so those men wouldn't shoot at them. She was really sweet, and high energy. She wasn’t going through the motions — she greeted every Afghan with a smile,” he writes. “She loved her job and her service.” Kennedy, T., & Palmisciano, N. (2022). Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself. Atria Books. [51] See also [ edit ]

In January 2013, the Strikeforce organization was closed by its parent company Zuffa. A list of fighters scheduled to be brought over to the Ultimate Fighting Championship was released in mid-January and Kennedy was one of the fighters listed. [22] Speechify AI Avatars & Video Create polished videos without any actors or equipment. Turn any text into high-quality videos with AI avatars and voiceovers – in minutes. Players (MVP), a nonprofit that brings former professional athletes and combat veterans together to

Sheepdog Response

Kennedy stays busy with his various works, varying from military duty, occasional jiu-jitsu super fights, and on-screen appearances. However, he works out at least 12 times every week which helps him prepare for the unexpected pandemonium. and am currently in post production on my first feature film where I made my directorial debut. The There are ski patrol guys here who use explosions to cause controlled avalanches so that they don’t have uncontrollable ones that kill hikers or skiers. It’s a crazy, dangerous job, and they save so many lives every year. My mission was to come here and experience what it’s like to be them on their best and worst days”, which is what he said he wanted to accomplish from the show. You’ve got to let your kids have room to spread their wings. You have to give them enough rope to literally hang themselves, which I did.”—Tim Kennedy

Dr. Robert Goldman (March 14, 2019). "2019 International Sports Hall of Fame Inductees". www.sportshof.org . Retrieved July 14, 2023. Kennedy and his hodgepodge team of former operators were still at the airport when Abbey Gate was targeted by a suicide bomber on Aug. 26, 2021, killing the last 13 American service members to die in the 20-year war. Among the dead was a young Marine sergeant, Nicole Gee . Gee had helped Kennedy earlier that day when the team needed a female to help search women they were attempting to assist. Later, his father enrolled him and his brother in boxing, wrestling, and Japanese jiu-jitsu classes to counterbalance their mother’s influence on them. The father didn’t want his sons to be overly influenced by their mother, who had placed Kennedy in piano and cooking lessons.He contributed to Save Our Allies, a collaborative project between Mighty Oaks Foundation and The Independence Fund to save America's allies while healing veterans. Kennedy also takes an "out of the box" trip to Big Tex Gym, a strongman gym where he pushes himself. Kennedy fought Trevor Prangley on June 16, 2010, at Strikeforce: Los Angeles. [17] Kennedy won the fight via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in the first round. Be a real, transparent, and imperfect dad. What’s important is that your kids see you try your hardest.