Surrey Native selected to Train at World Renown MMA Gym in Thailand

Surrey’s Jeremy “JBC” Kennedy is one of the provinces brightest young mixed martial arts stars and has an opportunity that many would dream about. In February, the West Coast BJJ & MMA fighter will make his way overseas to Thailand in order to train with the world-renowned Team Quest gym.

“I saw an add on Facebook that Team Quest Thailand was looking for fighters to sponsor for a year with accommodation and training paid for,” Kennedy said. “I was just lucky enough to get accepted.”

At 2-0 in his young professional career one might question his thinking on why he would leave his home base to travel across the pond. However, for Kennedy the answer is fairly simple. “The obvious one would be the level of Muay Thai instructors over there,” Kennedy told Vancity Buzz. “As well as living with a motivated team from around the world who were given this same opportunity and just the availability to be able to train two to three times a day everyday with a good group of guys.”

The opportunity to travel to Thailand to train was opened up to fighters all over the world, so it was a bit of a surprise to Kennedy that he got chosen. “My expectations weren’t high, but I still had a good feeling about it for some reason.”

Most recently the 21-year-old traveled to Grand Prairie Alberta for his second pro bout. He earned the TKO victory against Blake Shearing mid-way through the second round due to doctor’s stoppage. Before he leaves for Thailand, Kennedy was expected take one last local fight with Battlefield Fight League.

“I had a fight lined up just before I left for two different reasons,” Kennedy said. “The money right before I left would be huge and to be able to come back later in the year to fight for a title if I had one. Unfortunately, my opponent got hurt and had to back out, and it was too short notice to find a replacement.”

Once he arrives in Thailand, Kennedy will almost immediately be looking for a fight. However, it may take some time, as sickness tends to arise due to the climate change.

“Apparently with the climate and time change a lot of people get really sick when they first get there and start training, so I’ll want to be fully adjusted. I also hope to have a couple of pro Muay Thai fights.”

Nerves set in when a trip comes up like this one. Kennedy will be leaving his family for one year and will be leaving not only the friends, but also the food that he is familiar with. JBC stands for Wendy’s famous Junior Bacon Cheeseburger and he said, “The food has me a little nervous, and just being away from family and being in new environment for a full year.”