LAS VEGAS – Casey Kenney beat Louis Smolka with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 9 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Kenney, who got back in the win column after a decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili in February.
Result: Casey Kenney def. Louis Smolka via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:03
Updated records: Kenney (14-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC)
Key stat: Kenney now has half of his career wins by stoppage, including five by submission. The win was his first finish in the UFC.
Kenney on the fight’s key moment
“If you fight me like Smolka, and a lot of guys fight, that’s what’s going to happen. … (The finish) is something I’ve been drilling. We were drilling it all week. My front chokes have always been nasty – I just haven’t been in a position to lock one up. I knew if I hurt him, he was going to shoot in. … Smolka has had a history of exposing his neck, and if you expose your neck to me it’s going to be a short night.”
Kenney on title aspirations
“I am one of the baddest mother effers on the planet. Any organization I’ve been in, I’ve taken their belt – multiple ones. So that’s exactly what I plan to do here in the UFC. I’m an exciting fighter. I don’t put on boring fights. Any time I step in there, it’s going to be fireworks, and that’s why I love this sport. There isn’t anything I’d rather be doing.”
Kenney on what he wants next
“Put me on ‘(Fight) Island.’ Sign me up next weekend. There’s a lot of big bantamweight fights. I truly believe I’m the best in the world, and I’m coming for that belt. I think (a tournament for the vacant bantamweight title) is a decent idea.”
To hear more from Kenney, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
