Breaking Down Pat Barry vs. Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 115

 We've kind of been giving you both sides of the spectrum leading up to UFC 115; showing some reasons why Cro Cop was the most feared heavyweight striker in MMA and then showing some of the build-up for Pat Barry and why he is a force to be reckoned with. But exactly what does that mean in the grand scheme of things? When the bell rings at UFC 115 what can be expected from both men and who will emerge victorious? Both men have K-1 backgrounds and you'll probably hear Joe Rogan say "K-1 level striking" 18 times on Saturday night, but does that truly mean anything.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Mirko Cro Cop's strengths have always been in his power and precision. Cro Cop is also known for in his best days being an aggressive fighter who isn't afraid to engage. His defense on his feet was good yet not entirely solid. I think the Cro Cop riddle was broken as soon as he entered the UFC. The Gonzanga fight can almost be written off, he dropped his guard and that sort of knockout could happen to anybody. There is no shame in a loss like that, albeit I'm sure it bruised the ego. It was the Cheick Kongo fight that really showed how you beat Mirko Cro Cop; you clinch with him and impose your will. Mirko has never been the strongest fighter from the clinch and in his fights against Kongo and Overeem any time he was clinched he looked both helpless and like he was getting kneed in the balls (hint; he was). The cool-headed Cro Cop crumbled under the pressure in what seemingly was impossible.

Patrick Barry has been explained by many as a "little Cro Cop" with seemingly the same approach to MMA and kickboxing. Barry relies on power and brute force to hurt his opponents, which does in a way mimmick Cro Cop, but Barry is willing to sacrifice form for power in a lot of cases, which has proven to be his downfall. You will very rarely see Cro Cop loop a hook and put his entire body into it and whif, but with Barry that does happen. On the otherhand, when Barry commits to a leg kick, he commits. Funny enough, both men seem to struggle with the Thai clinch and most of Barry's losses in K-1 were to superior Muay Thai fighters. For a kickboxer, Barry's stance is unorthodox, as his stance was more of a MMA stance with a lower center of gravity. This helps him to put a lot of power into his kicks, but can also leave him open for a counterstrike or if the strike is blocked he is thrown off balance.

The K-1 Connection
You'll hear a lot about both men and their K-1 careers, but obviously what you won't hear is a lot of honesty when it comes down to where both men stood in the K-1 lexicon. For Cro Cop, there is no shame in saying that Ernesto Hoost was his kryptonite, with the Croatian being 0-3 against "Mr. Perfect." Cro Cop never attained a notable tournament win in his K-1 stint, but was a finalist in the 1999 World Grand Prix and nearly won a stacked tournament in Fukuoka before Cro Cop injured his foot. Mirko was still young and just when he had hit his stride, was given an offer he couldn't refuse in the MMA world. Near the end of his K-1 career, Cro Cop had recent wins over Peter Aerts, Mark Hunt, Remy Bonjasky and Bob Sapp. There is no doubt if Cro Cop had stayed with K-1, his accolades would be higher.

Barry is in a way similar yet more of a longshot when it came to his K-1 career. Barry fought for K-1 beginning in 2005 and for a young career that showed a lot of promise, he burned out pretty quickly and was touch-and-go. Barry had some major holes in his game, mainly in the way of defense and his clinch game. If you compare the levels of wins and losses between Barry and Cro Cop there is no comparison, and at this point if Barry were still fighting in K-1 I think he could be a Final 16 competitor, but see more technical fighters having their way with him. I'll put it this way, if Patrick Barry vs. Ruslan Karaev was booked in K-1, my money is firmly on Ruslan Karaev. The biggest win in his 6-year kickboxing career is over Gary Goodridge. In Cro Cop's 7 year career he was 16-7, with wins over some of the biggest names, Barry is 18-6, with less impressive wins and losses.

I don't think Barry could achieve the same level of success that Cro Cop could've in K-1, but that doesn't mean Barry isn't good. Barry hit his stride in MMA and has been a destroyer in his still short MMA career. He is 5-1 and only saw the second round once, with his only loss coming via submission on his admittedly-weak submission and grappling game, but he is working on it. Barry's style is tailor-made for MMA and if he adds in a ground game, he will be a force that will be hard to ignore.

Bottom Line
The bottom line here is that Cro Cop has aged and has shown cracks under the pressure since joining up with the UFC. Cro Cop is the more technical fighter of the two with both having similar weaknesses. If Cro Cop takes this to the ground and uses some ground and pound he has a clear advantage, which is something you don't hear often. Barry on the otherhand is a powerhouse with crippling strikes. He is a far more emotional fighter than Cro Cop who stays cool at all times. Emotions aren't bad, though. Badr Hari fights with emotion, and if he could control his temper he'd be unstoppable, his emotion is what helps him come back from being knocked down and what fuels his knockouts. This is age vs. technique, people, enjoy it.

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