Hardonk vs. Barry; UFC's Battle of Former K-1 Fighters

Leland Roling at BloodyElbow has a preview up of UFC 104's battle of the former K-1 fighters. Neither man really found their groove in the K-1 circuit but have made names for themselves in MMA as "K-1 fighters." It is laid out quite well by Roling.

Hardonk was finished off by Cheick Kongo via TKO at UFC 97 in his last stint in the Octagon following a three-fight win streak that included wins over Mike Wessel, Eddie Sanchez, and Colin Robinson. Barry enters the contest with a recent loss to Tim Hague while defeating Dan Evensen via leg kicks in his debut.

Stylistically, both men should match up well in the striking department with Hardonk likely having an edge in terms of technical prowess. Barry visibily looks beefier in terms of muscle, but Hardonk is well known for his heavy K-1 style leg kicking as well. The only major problem I forsee is Hardonk's inability to defend incoming strikes during counters, but Barry hasn't shown straight knockout power in his hands in the UFC yet.

Most fans would believe this will simply fall under the "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em robots" style of a fight for the casual fans, but Hardonk possesses the ultimate x-factor in this match-up. He has shown a much improved Brazilian jiu-jitsu game as evident by his blue belt in Rickson Gracie jiu-jitsu. Most would say that the belt doesn't mean much as he hasn't implemented it offensively in the Octagon, but he has made huge strides in his defensive capabilities. I wouldn't be completely blown away if Hardonk somehow pulled a submission off considering Barry has next to no experience on the floor, and his bout with Tim Hague was evidence of that.