Photos
In the spring of 2006, the former wrestling state champion from North Thurston quit MMA to “concentrate on life,” including working various jobs.
It wasn’t until his younger brother, Chris, an Army Airborne Ranger and sniper stationed in Afghanistan, motivated him to return to the cage.
“He told me, ‘You only live once. Go after your goals,’ ” Keeney said.
So in the summer of 2008, Keeney returned to training and has since become the No. 1 contender heading into his bout at 7 tonight with Josh Bennett for the CageSport MMA Interim Heavyweight Championship at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.
Keeney (11-5) faced Bennett in 2005 when both were amateurs. Bennett (15-12) won by split decision.
Bennett’s size – he’s 6-foot-4, 260 pounds – gives him a significant advantage over the 5-9, 225-pound Keeney, but promoter Brian Halquist said Keeney comes to fight every time.
“This should be a war,” Halquist said. “There’s a lot at stake.”
In addition to the heavyweight bout, Justin Davis, a Yelm graduate, faces George Stork in the 189-pound semi-main event.
Keeney was scheduled to face Nick Braker – whom he defeated a year ago – in tonight’s match, but Braker was hospitalized recently with a blood infection and unable to fight. The event promoters asked Keeney a week ago whom he’d like to fight, and adding an interim tag to tonight’s event. The winner will face Braker in the heavyweight championship.
“This has the potential to be a better fight than Keeney and Braker,” Halquist said.
WRESTLING FIRST
Keeney, who now lives in Marysville, led North Thurston’s football team to the 2000 Class 3A state semifinals, and earned all-state honors as a lineman. That winter, he won the 3A heavyweight state title at Mat Classic, defeating rival Justin Shumate of Black Hills, 5-2, in the championship match.
His desire was to pursue wrestling in college, and all appeared to be going as planned when he entered Highline Community College in Des Moines.
However, he was stripped of his wrestling scholarship in his first year after failing to achieve the 90 percent attendance requirement for his enrollment.
“I got bored with classes,” said Keeney, now 28.
He transferred to Yakima Valley Community College, but he never got on the mat there because of what he calls a paperwork fiasco. He left after a quarter and returned to Lacey, frustrated and looking for a connection to athletics.
Months later, Joey “Coyote” Guel and Dennis Hallman, the owner of Victory Athletics off Yelm Highway, introduced Keeney to MMA.
“I had a lot of pent up aggression,” Keeney said. “(MMA) seemed to be a great outlet.”
He took to it quickly, and the training – working out four hours per day, six days a week – felt familiar. He won five of his first six matches, with four coming by either first-round knockouts or submissions.
Part of MMA’s appeal is its brutality combined with various tactical approaches ranging from boxing to karate to wrestling. And that’s where Keeney’s expertise comes in.
“If things get rough on the feet, I know I can take down 95 percent of my opponents. I’m kind of like a pit bull. When I get hurt, I get angry.”
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Keeney’s goal is to rise to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is the sport’s largest circuit and hosts the most top-ranked fighters.
He figures he has time and health on his side. He’s been fortunate to avoid major injury and said he’ll stay at it until his body wears down.
“There will be a certain time when my body says I can’t fight anymore,” Kenney said.
It hasn’t been easy. In his return to MMA after two years away, he lost his first four bouts.
He has trained with such UFC fighters as Hallman, Brad Blackburn and Olympia’s Jeff Monson, and knows what it takes to reach his goal.
“It’s just a matter of doing it,” Keeney said.
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473 mwochnick@theolympian.com
