Tim Kennedy Beats Zak Cummings in Strikeforce Challengers Main Event

Former U.S. Army Green Beret Tim Kennedy continued his impressive professional MMA career with one of his biggest wins yet on Friday night, beating the previously undefeated Zak Cummings by second-round submission in the main event of the Strikeforce Challengers card in Oklahoma.

Kennedy took Cummings down just 30 seconds into the first round and proceeded to spend the next 4:30 raining blows down on him, completely dominating the fight as Cummings did nothing other than try to survive, winning what should have been a 10-8 round.

In the second round Kennedy looked a bit more tentative in the stand-up, landing some strikes but not doing much damage. It was only when Cummings went for the takedown midway through the round that Kennedy caught Cummings in a north-south choke and forced Cummings to tap at the 2:43 mark of the second round.

After the fight Kennedy gave credit to his fellow members of the military.

"Everybody who's watching this fight in Afghanistan and Iraq are my brothers and sisters," Kennedy said afterward. "I love you guys and I'm sorry I'm not there. I did my business here. You do your business there."

Kennedy improved his MMA record to 11-2, and he suggested after the fight that he thinks he's earned a shot at the winner of the upcoming Jake Shields-Jason "Mayhem" Miller Strikeforce middleweight title fight.

"I want the middleweight belt," Kennedy said. "I'm excited."

Everyone watching Kennedy has to be excited as well. He's an exciting fighter, and one of the most admirable men in MMA.