MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday.
A fight between heavyweight gatekeeper Cheick Kongo and former K1 kickboxer Pat Barry was already scheduled for tomorrow’s card, but has now been slotted as the main event.
This is a big opportunity for Pat Barry and with a 3-2 record in the UFC, he really needs to seize the day.
Barry took the leap from K1 to mixed martial arts in 2008; he has an overall record of 6-2 and like any pure striker that transitions to mixed martial arts—he has struggled with the grappling aspect of the sport.
Both his losses came by way of submission, one to UFC castaway Tim Hague and the other to a man known more for his head kicks than submissions, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
A 3-2 record in the UFC is nothing to write home about and one or two more losses for most guys could spell disaster for their UFC career.
Luckily for Barry, he has the qualities fans, media and the UFC brass like to see in a fighter—all he needs now is the winning streak.
Barry is a very fan-friendly fighter and has no problem getting in front of the camera or talking with the media, add to that his K1 kickboxing background, a style that usually makes for exciting fights it’s easy to see why UFC officials see potential in him.
This is why a win over Cheick Kongo while headlining the show is a huge opportunity for Barry and definitely could be a launching point to a long and successful career in the UFC.
A loss on the other hand would put Barry at 3-3 over his last six fights and probably a fight or two away from getting pink slipped.
Kongo has been a staple in the UFC heavyweight division for almost five years now. Despite looking physically imposing and dangerous, Kongo has never been nothing more than a gatekeeper to the upper echelons of the division.
Kongo’s only losses in the Octagon are to Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Heath Herring and Carmelo Marrero. Mir is a former champion, Velasquez is the current heavyweight champion and Herring at the time was a highly regarded heavyweight.
Of course, Marrero’s career peaked with the win over Kongo, but the fact of the matter is that aside from him, the only guys who have been able to beat Kongo are the best guys in the division.
Even though Velasquez is the heavyweight champion, his three-round decision victory over Kongo is the only fight he has fought that has gone to a decision.
So a win over Kongo could mean good things for Barry—look at what it did for Velasquez.
Luckily for Barry, kickboxing is Kongo’s base as well and Barry’s pedigree suggests that he is probably better at it than Kongo.
Don’t be surprised if fans witness Kongo shooting for take downs in the early going to try and utilize his ground and pound and to take Barry out of his element. This is the perfect test for Barry.
Barry will probably get the chance to show off some of the grappling skills he told Heavy.com he learned while training at Brock Lesnar‘s Death Clutch facility with a host of heavyweight NCAA Division I wrestlers.
What’s great for Barry is that Kongo is a relatively safe fight for testing his ground skills. Obviously, if Barry were to be up against Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar or Shane Carwin he’d probably have a tough time staying off his back or defending the take downs.
Against Kongo it is a chance for him to utilize what he has learned in the gym and show the UFC brass, fans and media that he has worked towards rounding out his game.
Of course, the fight hasn’t happened yet and any speculation as to how it is going to play out is just that—speculation.
A win over Kongo will put Barry on a two-fight winning streak and is a win many up-and-coming heavyweights would like to have on their record.
Combine a win over Kongo with Barry’s fan and media friendly personality and people can expect his stock in the UFC to rise immensely.
Tomorrow night the world will be focusing on Barry vs. Kongo as opposed to Marquardt’s debut at welterweight against Rick Story.
With these two heavyweights now headlining the card, either of them has the chance to make the most of a great opportunity and it will be exciting to see which fighter seizes the day.
Leon Horne has been contributing to Bleacher Report for three years now. He focuses mainly on mixed martial arts, but he has also written about tennis, football and hockey. Just send him a message if you want to talk sports or discuss any opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter for updates: 
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