Former UFC star and Green Beret Tim Kennedy is facing fresh scrutiny from within his own military community, as a retired Special Forces colleague has publicly contradicted Kennedy’s claims about his sniper school performance.
Clay Martin, a retired 18 Echo and 18 Fox from Third Special Forces Group, released a video in December 2024 directly challenging Kennedy’s assertions about his completion of sniper school. Martin, who has written six books and worked extensively in gun journalism, claims to have personal knowledge of Kennedy’s training record spanning nearly two decades of acquaintance.
“My name is Clay Martin, I’m a retired 18 Echo and 18 Fox from third Special Forces Group, reasonably well known retired Green Beret myself,” Martin stated in his video. “I’ve personally known Tim for almost 20 years. We were in the Q course together, although not the same class.”
The allegations center on Kennedy’s claims about successfully completing sniper training. According to Martin, Kennedy’s version of events doesn’t align with what actually occurred during their shared training period.
“Tim, you said that you went to sniper school twice and passed twice. Well, that is absolutely not true,” Martin declared. “You went to fake sniper school once, you went to real sniper school twice, and of those two times at real sniper school, you failed one of them. I know because I was in your class.”
Martin provided specific details about the timeframe, stating the class ran from March 26, 2007, to May 11, 2007. He claims Kennedy failed what’s known as the stress test during this period.
“I remember this distinctly because we were both new guys at the time. You were one of the few guys at the sniper course that I knew besides my brother who came with me from Third Group,” Martin explained. “You failed the stress test, you were removed from the class, you went back and passed later.”
What makes Martin’s criticism particularly pointed is his suggestion that Kennedy missed an opportunity for a more compelling narrative. Martin referenced Kennedy’s book title and questioned why Kennedy wouldn’t embrace the fuller story of initial setback followed by eventual success.
“It’s an incredibly stupid thing to lie about, especially if the title of your book was supposed to be what it was—that failure is not final. Why not tell the real story then?” Martin asked. “You have the redemption arc. You know, I went, I couldn’t do this thing, I went back and I passed it later. You know, not only a better story, but it’s actually true in this case.”
Kennedy has previously addressed similar allegations, attributing discrepancies to memory issues and the challenges of recalling combat experiences accurately.
In terms of Sniper school in particular he previously allegeldy made claims he failed it in order to go to his own wedding.
The criticism from Martin carries particular weight given his status as a fellow Special Forces veteran who claims direct, personal knowledge of the events in question. His public statement represents the kind of peer accountability that often emerges within tight-knit military communities when service records come under scrutiny.
Kennedy has built a significant public profile based partly on his military service, transitioning from Special Forces to mixed martial arts and later to media appearances and business ventures. The ongoing questions about his service record continue to generate discussion within both military and civilian communities that have followed his career.
The specificity of Martin’s account, including exact dates and circumstances, presents Kennedy with detailed allegations that go beyond general questions about memory or record-keeping. Martin’s willingness to attach his own military credentials and reputation to these claims suggests the depth of concern within Kennedy’s former military community about the accuracy of his public statements regarding his service.
