Kennedy Freeman has it in her DNA.
Saturday at Cage Warriors 172, with her father in her corner, Freeman (5-0) put opponent Gisele Libanio (2-2) on roller skates in an exchange and then finished the job with a brutal left hand.
After the win, an elated Freeman climbed the cage and signaled for a title shot. But with the UFC always in need of starting women’s bantamweights, it’s unclear what its next move is.
Her father, Ian Freeman, a second-generation fighter, was the first Briton to compete in the UFC, the last Cage Rage light heavyweight champion and the first man to defeat Frank Mir.
Kennedy goes by the nickname ‘The Machine 2.0’, an ode to her father, the original ‘Machine’.
Freeman, 26, moves to 2-0 under the Cage Warriors banner. She was signed to Bellator in 2019 but never competed. It’s unclear why the two parted ways, but her signing preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused Bellator to cut ties with numerous European prospects.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
