Pat Barry
Heavyweight meets Morecraft at UFC on FX
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Pat Barry needs a win in Nashville and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes.
The former K-1 fighter faces off with Christian Morecraft on Friday at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller in Nashville, Tenn.. With a new “Dragon Ball Z” haircut and the same sharp sense of humor, Barry’s appearance may be on the light-hearted side – but his focus is nothing short of intense.
“I go all out with everything,” Barry told HeavyMMA on Wednesday after a workout. “Since my existence on this earth, I’m doing everything hard. If we’re drinking – I’m going to be the drunkest dude in the city in five minutes. If we run, I’m running faster, and if we are fighting I’m fighting hard.
“If I win I win big, and if I lose I’m going to lose bigger than anybody. I don’t know how to do it any different. If I did, I would just jab people and run from them for 15 minutes. I’m bringing heat. I’m going hard until he’s unconscious, verbally submits or can’t go any longer.”
Barry’s striking is considered to be amongst the best in the UFC heavyweight division, but his ground game is a work in progress. It is no secret he intends to keep the fight standing just as much as Morecraft plans to take the action to the mat. But if things get crazy, Barry is prepared to go off the grid.
“Fighting isn’t a sport where everything you want to do will work no matter what,” he said. “I’m pretty sure if Christian had the opportunity to take Matt Mitrione to the ground, he would have. I’m pretty sure if Cain (Velasquez) had the opportunity to take (Junior) Dos Santos down, he would have put him on the ground. Same with Brock (Lesnar) vs. Alistair (Overeem).
“I don’t think Christian keeps things standing because he wants to. If he punches me in the head two or three times hard enough – I’ll take him down. If I’m losing the striking game, the world will see the most awesome white belt jiu-jitsu there is. If I’m getting beat up on the feet, I’m diving for ankles.”
Coming off back-to-back losses, Barry’s performance in Nashville will most likely dictate his future status in the UFC. While the pressure created when your job is on the line can be overwhelming, Barry has kept busy in the gym helping his teammates prepare for their upcoming fights.
“My training for this camp started directly after my fight with Stefan Struve,” Barry said. “I’ve been in like a 65-week camp. First I trained to get Cole Konrad ready, then I prepared for Stefan and then I helped Brock. I came right from camp with Lesnar into my training for Morecraft. I’ve actually been in training camp for two years in order to prepare for this fight.”
Barry and Morecraft open the UFC on FX main-card telecast, which airs live at 9 p.m. Eastern Friday.