Casey Kenney was surprised Heili Alateng was his next opponent but knows it is a good matchup for him.
Kenney is coming off a very impressive submission win over Louis Smolka and he thought a ranked opponent could be next. Yet, that will not be the case but he will take on Alateng who is 2-0 in the UFC, but Kenney still isn’t too impressed with him.
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“There were two super close fights with both going either way. He did a good job getting the takedowns when he needs to, to secure the rounds,” Kenney said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Other than that, he stands in front of you looking for the knockout. Just a basic right hand and wrestling so I have to be careful of that. I think I’m just too well-rounded for him and have too many tools in the toolbox.”
Entering the fight, Casey Kenney is a sizeable -335 favorite but doesn’t care about any of that. He knows it is a fight and anything can happen but remains confident he will get his hand raised. The former LFA champion also plans on showcasing his jiu-jitsu in this fight.
“I’m a southpaw as well so I have been avoiding that right hand my entire career. I’ll be ready for anything,” Kenney explained. “A lot of wrestlers forget about my jiu-jitsu. So, maybe I accept the takedown more and create some scrambles.”
Ultimately, if he does just that, Kenney is confident he will be able to earn back-to-back finishes in the UFC whether he submits or knocks out Alateng.
“He has been submitted and knocked out,” Kenney concluded. “I think I put him away one way or another. He hits hard but I hit pretty hard, too.”
Do you think Casey Kenney will be able to finish Heili Alateng as he says?