During an interview on the Fox & Friends Weekend show on Sunday, Tim Kennedy, a former MMA fighter known for his time with the UFC, announced his reenlistment with the US Army. The Green Beret attributed the decision to the aggressive stance the Pentagon has taken against ISIS since President Donald Trump took office.
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The interview discussed a statement Kennedy made over Instagram referencing the death of a fellow soldier and the dropping of the “biggest non-nuclear bomb ever made.” The post asserts, “There is a vengeance and wrath associated with the loss of one of our brothers.”
This Instagram post isn’t the first time Kennedy spoke to ISIS through a post. During earlier fights against ISIS, Kennedy included his home address in a post, challenging terrorists to come to his door.
Kennedy responded to questions regarding his tendency to “call them out” stating that ISIS are “cowards.” He goes on to say, “[ISIS] are a bunch of pathetic humans that have no similarities to any of the things we value or love like human life. And they pray on the weak, they prey on the helpless, whereas we are like the protector of those.”
He continues, “I don’t understand how they even exist and how they’re the same species.”
Kennedy goes on to clarify his Instagram post by discussing how ISIS needs to know that, when a soldier is killed, a weapon like the MOAB should be “the least of their concerns” when compared to the strength of the US soldiers involved in the fight.
When asked why he reenlisted after Trump won the election, Kennedy said, “I have hope again. The military, we got our teeth back.” He goes on to acknowledge the leadership of Secretary of Defense James Marris and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster as well as the efforts of a “reinvigorated, hopeful, beautiful military that is proud to be back on the team.”
He expressed confidence in the recent changes by saying, “I’ve got people that will back me now.”
Kennedy, 37, retired from the UFC in January, holding an 18-6 record. While he began fighting with the UFC in 2001, Kennedy enlisted in the Army in 2004, requiring him to balance his MMA career with multiple deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, during one of which he earned a Bronze Star with Valor.
The details of Kennedy’s reenlistment have not been disclosed, though he currently serves with the Texas Army National Guard as a Green Beret and holds the rank of sergeant first class.
