Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Berry
John Heinis
A lot of folks are expecting a stand-up war in this one, but those people have not heard that Pat Barry has been training his wrestling and jiu-jitsu like a madman at team DeathClutch.
This was a much-needed change for "HD" (hype or die), as the former K1 fighter has shown absolutely no ground skills in the past.
The same can be said for Cheick Kongo, and while his wrestling has improved, it is still nothing to get excited about.
Kongo's weak grappling game was exposed by
Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez respectively in 2009, and he has done nothing to raise his stock since then after a very lackluster win over Paul Buentello and a draw against Travis Browne.
The draw against Browne was total BS, as Kongo grabbed Brown's shorts the entire round and should have lost the decision at best.
While Kongo's kickboxing is nothing to sneeze at, he is an extremely one-dimensional fighter and I feel that Barry will be able to exploit that.
Barry via Unanimous Decision
Dana Becker
Cheick Kongo seemed poised to make a run at the heavyweight title in early 2009.
Coming off of three straight wins and five victories in his previous six fights, Kongo (15-6-2) was paired up with Cain Velasquez. After going three rounds, though, it was the current UFC Heavyweight Champion that came out on top on all three scorecards.
It didn't get any easier for Kongo, as he lost his next fight to former champion Frank Mir by submission. A submission victory of his own over Paul Buentello followed, but a draw with Travis Browne is how everyone last saw Kongo.
Now, Kongo must find a way to avoid the heavy hands of Pat Barry (6-2), who owns five career KO wins.
Barry is coming off a decision victory over Joey Beltran, a fight in which he was in control throughout. Now, the training partner of Matt Mitrione is working on putting himself in a spot Kongo once held.
While Kongo's reach could be a factor—he holds a near six-inch advantage—Barry's power will make it useless as long as he can get inside of it.
Barry via Split Decision
Dale De Souza
This is the type of affair you dream about—two very strong-willed kickboxers who might make an attempt or two to take people down every once in a while, but for the most part, it's their well-rounded striking abilities that serve as the "takedowns" to expect.
Cheick Kongo has shown recently a willingness to post his opponents up against the cage and wear them out before implementing his striking game, and the judges' scorecards did claim that had a point not been deducted for grabbing the shorts of the opponent, Kongo would have won a unanimous decision against Travis Browne.
However, Kongo has never faced a striker that could crush his anatomical structure with one kick the way Pat Barry can.
Barry's hands have been used somewhat in moderation as he's been cautious about letting them go ever since his bout with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filopovic, but to be fair to Barry, the fight with Beltran was his first fight back since the Cro Cop fight, and we all should have expected him to be somewhat cautious with his hands after his showing against Cro Cop.
I would expect Barry to come in and throw the cleaner, more effective power strikes while Kongo opts to be the kickboxing technician, likely looking to come forward with the quicker combinations and also looking to pin Barry against the cage.
However, one must never doubt the abilities of a Roufusport fighter—especially one that has trained at DeathClutch in preparation for this fight.
Kongo is a good striker, but Pat Barry will prove to be the more efficient stand-up machine once again, and that will spell doom for the legs of the French kickboxing sensation.
Pat Barry by R3 TKO (Leg Kicks)
Jordy McElroy
Once upon a time, Cheick Kongo was considered to be one of the most fierce strikers in the heavyweight division. Unfortunately, those days are dead and gone.
Kongo now relies on his decent wrestling skills to grind out rounds with clinch knees against the cage. He’ll need this tactic against Pat Barry, a K-1-level kickboxer with a knack for decapitating lower limbs.
As long as Barry keeps his distance, he should be able to land on the outside and circle off when Kongo comes forward.
The main problem for Barry will be Kongo’s persistence in seeking the clinch and securing a takedown. On top, Kongo has been known to crack skulls with his sword-like elbows.
Barry’s scrappy nature should negate any firm position for Kongo to settle and go
Lord of the Rings on him, but the large Frenchman will ride out the majority of the clock from dominant positions to sway the minds of the judges.
Barry by Unanimous Decision
Sean Smith
A great job of matchmaking by Joe Silva here, as two of the most feared strikers in the heavyweight division are sure to slug it out in the co-main event.
While a majority of each fighter's wins have resulted from knockouts, few of their finishes have come against competition at each other's level of striking. Also, both fighters have pretty solid chins, so this one has the potential to go the distance.
Expect a fast pace to start the fight, which will favor Barry in the first round. However, both fighters have had the tendency to tire as a fight goes on. Even some of the best strikers in MMA have resorted to taking their fights to the ground when running low on energy and that could be the case as this fight progresses.
He's no Cain Velasquez when it comes to wrestling, but Kongo certainly has better takedowns than Barry and he will look to use them when he realizes he is the slower fighter to the punch (or kick).
It won't be as exciting as many fans would have hoped, but Kongo will use ground-and-pound to escape with a narrow decision victory.
Kongo Defeats Barry by Unanimous Decision