Hype or Die: Pat Barry
By: Dux
Many MMA casual fans may not be familiar with the name Pat Barry, but the UFC brass has chosen him to co-main event this Saturday’s event alongside MMA legend Mirko CroCop. For the 30 year-old Patrick Barry, this is his first main card fight on a UFC pay-per-view. Barry's bump into the spotlight comes with good reason, though.
His main asset and his bread-and-butter is his striking. He has some vicious kicks that he used to chop down Dan Evensen in his UFC debut. The fight was ruled a TKO because Evensen could not stand up to continue to fight. He lost his next fight against Tim Hague, but that was more because Pat Barry started to over-commit. He thought he had Tim hurt more than he actually did. Got taken down and guillotine choked and thus suffered his first MMA loss. I would be completely astonished to see Barry lose a fight due to a mistake like that again.
It’s also notable to mention that he has a kickboxing career, in which he went 18-6-1. That’s a pretty impressive credential to have as an MMA fighter. He’s shown he’s confident in the pocket and isn’t afraid to exchange and let his kicks and punches go. Even when his opponent starts to threaten with takedowns, he doesn’t seem to worry or fear being taken to the ground. Of course, his next opponent is CroCop, so it’s safe to say he won’t have to worry about that at all.
Pat Barry is a tenacious young fighter with lots of heart and a strong mind, which is probably where he got the nickname "Hype or Die" from. He showed in the Hardonk fight that even when faced with adversity--two consecutive eye pokes in this case--his will still isn’t broken. He’s a level-headed guy that manages to keep his composure even in situations where the momentum is swinging the other way. He’s very quick, powerful, technical, accurate, and just a handful for anyone who would try to stand up with him. He put together a masterful combination to drop Antoni Hardonk the first time, hitting him with a 1-2 combination and finished off with a low kick. His combos usually consist of strikes from various levels and angles, he’s simply awesome to watch.
Win/lose/or draw on Saturday, anyone watching the pay-per-view will remember Pat Barry. I predict his fight with CroCop to be EXTREMELY entertaining, satisfying those who are yearning for a bar burner. Both of these guys will put on a memorable and co-main event worthy show for us to jump out of our seats over. I expect multiple “OH MY GOD! DID YOU SEE THAT?” moments to happen in this strike fest. Fighting CroCop is a great step in Pat Barry’s young career, and could very well be his first major stepping stone to UFC stardom.