Author: Ben Fowlkes

The Cut List: Who’s in Desperate Need of a Win at UFC 136?

Filed under: UFCUFC 136 may be the rare event to include two title fights, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some men fighting for their livelihoods in Houston this Saturday night.

We all know that professional pugilism isn’t the line of work …

Filed under:

UFC 136 may be the rare event to include two title fights, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some men fighting for their livelihoods in Houston this Saturday night.

We all know that professional pugilism isn’t the line of work you go into if you really crave job security, but some of this weekend’s competitors are on much shakier ground than others, and it might take only one more loss to send them plummeting into the void of unemployment.

Who are they, and what are their chances to revive their careers with a win at UFC 136? For answers, we turn to The Cut List.


Leonard Garcia (15-7-1, 2-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Nam Phan
Why he’s in danger: Garcia’s 2-3 record in the Octagon is a little misleading for a couple of reasons. He went 1-2 in his first UFC run, which precipitated a drop to featherweight and a full-time move to the WEC. He came back after the merger and won a highly suspect decision over Nam Phan last December, then got twister’d by Chan Sung Jung in March. In a more just world, Garcia would be 0-2 in his latest stay with the UFC, and there’s a good chance that this is how he’s viewed by the people who matter. The good news is, Garcia is unquestionably one of those fighters who, in Dana White’s words, brings it. And boy does he bring it. No defense. No fancy technical stuff. Just straight-up bringing it. As a matter of fact, so much space in his brain is devoted to bringing it that there simply isn’t any space for thoughts of self-preservation. That makes Garcia the exact kind of fighter who can keep his job with a losing record in the UFC, but it also makes him predictable. Opponents who can keep their wits about them and resist the urge to brawl with him should be able to take great advantage of his incessant need to bring it, which might result in Garcia bringing it right on out of the UFC if he’s not careful.
Chances of getting cut: Decent. Phan should win this, but Garcia could still get another shot afterward with the right kind of showing. His brawlability quotient is simply too high, and the UFC has too few name brand featherweights to go and get rid of one people know and like.

Nam Phan (16-9, 0-2 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Leonard Garcia
Why he’s in danger: Just like Garcia, Phan’s record is also skewed by some questionable judging. If he’d have gotten that decision in his UFC debut, he’d be sitting at 1-1 after his not-at-all questionable decision loss to Mike Brown in August. But as it is, he’s winless in the UFC, at least on paper, and you know what typically happens after you lose three in a row. Again, the edge in this fight likely goes to Phan, but in a way it might be more interesting to see what would happen if he were to lose. Would the UFC give him a mulligan on that first loss to Garcia, with the understanding that it was complete nonsense from the judges? Or would a second, more legitimate loss to Garcia make all that irrelevant anyway? Hard to say, but I’m sure he’d rather not find out.
Chances of getting cut: Unlikely. I think he beats Garcia more clearly and obviously the second time around, thus securing his status for at least a few more months. That is, if he can resist the siren’s song of a bonus-worthy street fight. We know Garcia’s game.

Eric Schafer (12-5-2, 3-4 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Aaron Simpson
Why he’s in danger: If Schafer’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s been around — in a manner of speaking — for a good little while. This will be his third stint with the UFC in five years, and let’s just say that the UFC isn’t known for handing out fourth chances, so he’d better make this one count. Schafer went 1-2 in his first Octagon installment and 2-2 in the second, but all his losses came against tough opponents like Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar, Ryan Bader, and Jason Brilz. If you’re going to get beat, those aren’t bad guys to get beat by, but then you turn around and look at his three UFC wins. Rob MacDonald, Houston Alexander, Antonio Mendes — none of them remained in the UFC for long after losing to Schafer, and that’s not a good sign. Now Schafer has dropped to middleweight and, like virtually every fighter who moves weight classes, seems convinced that it has changed everything for him. We’ll see if he’s right, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Chances of getting cut: Very good. I sure wouldn’t want to fight a grinder like Simpson if my career was on the line. Schafer lacks the wrestling prowess of a Mark Munoz and the punching power of a Chris Leben, so I don’t see how he stops the “A-Train” here. I think he gets outwrestled and roughed up, and then I think the UFC gives him his participant ribbon and sends him home.

Steve Cantwell (7-4, 1-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Mike Massenzio
Why he’s in danger: Honestly, I’m a little surprised he hasn’t already been cut. He entered the UFC with a full head of steam as WEC light heavyweight champ, and then he enthusiastically bent Razak Al-Hassan’s arm out of shape in his Octagon debut. After that, however, he lost three in a row. Now he’s dropping to middleweight, which he should have done a long time ago, but it’s mildly amazing that the UFC let him hit a three-fight losing streak before either suggesting that he drop down or go win a few in the minors. As it stands, Cantwell’s claim to fame is that he won one of three fights against Brian Stann (and, sure, also the Al-Hassan arm snap thing), so if he wants to stick around at all after Saturday, he absolutely, positively needs to win.
Chances of getting cut: Good. Massenzio is a beatable opponent for Cantwell, but by no means an easy one. If he wins, he stays. If he loses, he’s gone for sure. Dan Hardy might get to lose four straight, but Cantwell is no Dan Hardy.

Mike Massenzio (12-5, 1-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Steve Cantwell
Why he’s in danger: Massenzio got cut after going 1-2 his first time around, but earned himself some points with the UFC when he took a fight out of his weight class on extremely short notice at UFC 131. Even though that resulted in an ugly decision loss to Krzysztof Soszynski, it represented him stepping up and doing the UFC a solid just to get back in there. Now, as is customary, he gets a fight back in his own weight class and with adequate time to prepare. That’s the UFC’s version of repaying a favor, and if Massenzio can’t capitalize on it he’ll find himself all out of brownie points.
Chances of getting cut: Good/Very good. I give Cantwell the slight edge, but it’s very slight. Whoever loses this one is probably also going to lose his job, and let’s just say Massenzio is not the favorite.

 

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The Cut List: Who’s in Desperate Need of a Win at UFC 136?

Filed under: UFCUFC 136 may be the rare event to include two title fights, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some men fighting for their livelihoods in Houston this Saturday night.

We all know that professional pugilism isn’t the line of work …

Filed under:

UFC 136 may be the rare event to include two title fights, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some men fighting for their livelihoods in Houston this Saturday night.

We all know that professional pugilism isn’t the line of work you go into if you really crave job security, but some of this weekend’s competitors are on much shakier ground than others, and it might take only one more loss to send them plummeting into the void of unemployment.

Who are they, and what are their chances to revive their careers with a win at UFC 136? For answers, we turn to The Cut List.


Leonard Garcia (15-7-1, 2-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Nam Phan
Why he’s in danger: Garcia’s 2-3 record in the Octagon is a little misleading for a couple of reasons. He went 1-2 in his first UFC run, which precipitated a drop to featherweight and a full-time move to the WEC. He came back after the merger and won a highly suspect decision over Nam Phan last December, then got twister’d by Chan Sung Jung in March. In a more just world, Garcia would be 0-2 in his latest stay with the UFC, and there’s a good chance that this is how he’s viewed by the people who matter. The good news is, Garcia is unquestionably one of those fighters who, in Dana White’s words, brings it. And boy does he bring it. No defense. No fancy technical stuff. Just straight-up bringing it. As a matter of fact, so much space in his brain is devoted to bringing it that there simply isn’t any space for thoughts of self-preservation. That makes Garcia the exact kind of fighter who can keep his job with a losing record in the UFC, but it also makes him predictable. Opponents who can keep their wits about them and resist the urge to brawl with him should be able to take great advantage of his incessant need to bring it, which might result in Garcia bringing it right on out of the UFC if he’s not careful.
Chances of getting cut: Decent. Phan should win this, but Garcia could still get another shot afterward with the right kind of showing. His brawlability quotient is simply too high, and the UFC has too few name brand featherweights to go and get rid of one people know and like.

Nam Phan (16-9, 0-2 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Leonard Garcia
Why he’s in danger: Just like Garcia, Phan’s record is also skewed by some questionable judging. If he’d have gotten that decision in his UFC debut, he’d be sitting at 1-1 after his not-at-all questionable decision loss to Mike Brown in August. But as it is, he’s winless in the UFC, at least on paper, and you know what typically happens after you lose three in a row. Again, the edge in this fight likely goes to Phan, but in a way it might be more interesting to see what would happen if he were to lose. Would the UFC give him a mulligan on that first loss to Garcia, with the understanding that it was complete nonsense from the judges? Or would a second, more legitimate loss to Garcia make all that irrelevant anyway? Hard to say, but I’m sure he’d rather not find out.
Chances of getting cut: Unlikely. I think he beats Garcia more clearly and obviously the second time around, thus securing his status for at least a few more months. That is, if he can resist the siren’s song of a bonus-worthy street fight. We know Garcia’s game.

Eric Schafer (12-5-2, 3-4 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Aaron Simpson
Why he’s in danger: If Schafer’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s been around — in a manner of speaking — for a good little while. This will be his third stint with the UFC in five years, and let’s just say that the UFC isn’t known for handing out fourth chances, so he’d better make this one count. Schafer went 1-2 in his first Octagon installment and 2-2 in the second, but all his losses came against tough opponents like Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar, Ryan Bader, and Jason Brilz. If you’re going to get beat, those aren’t bad guys to get beat by, but then you turn around and look at his three UFC wins. Rob MacDonald, Houston Alexander, Antonio Mendes — none of them remained in the UFC for long after losing to Schafer, and that’s not a good sign. Now Schafer has dropped to middleweight and, like virtually every fighter who moves weight classes, seems convinced that it has changed everything for him. We’ll see if he’s right, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Chances of getting cut: Very good. I sure wouldn’t want to fight a grinder like Simpson if my career was on the line. Schafer lacks the wrestling prowess of a Mark Munoz and the punching power of a Chris Leben, so I don’t see how he stops the “A-Train” here. I think he gets outwrestled and roughed up, and then I think the UFC gives him his participant ribbon and sends him home.

Steve Cantwell (7-4, 1-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Mike Massenzio
Why he’s in danger: Honestly, I’m a little surprised he hasn’t already been cut. He entered the UFC with a full head of steam as WEC light heavyweight champ, and then he enthusiastically bent Razak Al-Hassan’s arm out of shape in his Octagon debut. After that, however, he lost three in a row. Now he’s dropping to middleweight, which he should have done a long time ago, but it’s mildly amazing that the UFC let him hit a three-fight losing streak before either suggesting that he drop down or go win a few in the minors. As it stands, Cantwell’s claim to fame is that he won one of three fights against Brian Stann (and, sure, also the Al-Hassan arm snap thing), so if he wants to stick around at all after Saturday, he absolutely, positively needs to win.
Chances of getting cut: Good. Massenzio is a beatable opponent for Cantwell, but by no means an easy one. If he wins, he stays. If he loses, he’s gone for sure. Dan Hardy might get to lose four straight, but Cantwell is no Dan Hardy.

Mike Massenzio (12-5, 1-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Steve Cantwell
Why he’s in danger: Massenzio got cut after going 1-2 his first time around, but earned himself some points with the UFC when he took a fight out of his weight class on extremely short notice at UFC 131. Even though that resulted in an ugly decision loss to Krzysztof Soszynski, it represented him stepping up and doing the UFC a solid just to get back in there. Now, as is customary, he gets a fight back in his own weight class and with adequate time to prepare. That’s the UFC’s version of repaying a favor, and if Massenzio can’t capitalize on it he’ll find himself all out of brownie points.
Chances of getting cut: Good/Very good. I give Cantwell the slight edge, but it’s very slight. Whoever loses this one is probably also going to lose his job, and let’s just say Massenzio is not the favorite.

 

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A Kinder, Gentler Chael Sonnen…Sort Of

Filed under: UFCChael Sonnen got dealt a tough hand when the UFC matched him up against Brian Stann for UFC 136. It’s not necessarily the difficulty of the fight itself — though Stann’s no pushover, oddsmakers give the edge to Sonnen.

No, for the So…

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Chael SonnenChael Sonnen got dealt a tough hand when the UFC matched him up against Brian Stann for UFC 136. It’s not necessarily the difficulty of the fight itself — though Stann’s no pushover, oddsmakers give the edge to Sonnen.

No, for the Sonnen the trouble is all in the approach. How do you keep your over-the-top, pro wrestler-meets-insult comic persona going when you’re fighting a war hero who’s so inoffensive and wholesome that he could make a slice of apple pie feel like a dirty commie by comparison?

Judging by Sonnen’s demeanor at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference, you don’t. You play nice. You praise instead of berate. You do everything short of writing him a letter of recommendation, and then you wait for an opportunity to go back to talking about Anderson Silva.

“Nobody wants to fight Brian Stann,” Sonnen said on Wednesday afternoon in Houston. “I’m not the only guy and that’s not a big secret. But our paths are going to cross sooner or later. He keeps beating people up and so that’s just the way it goes.”

Presumably Sonnen then had to rush back to the hotel for some mouthwash just to get the unfamiliar taste of compliments out of his mouth.

Not that Stann was making things easy on him, mind you. He praised Sonnen’s wrestling ability, his penchant for making other people fight his kind of fight, and even jogged down memory lane with his opponent, telling a story about when Sonnen served as a ringside announcer for his first pro bout.

“I don’t even think he remembers, but I remember meeting him there and he was very respectful to a guy who was 0-0 at the time,” Stann said, to which Sonnen replied that he remembered the fight and the meeting very clearly and recalled that Stann was “very nice back.”

“Awwww,” said UFC president Dana White, who might have been wondering what happened to the guy who once sat down at a pre-fight press conference and declared, “I don’t really know what respect means. That sounds like something a kid in the street says after he’s getting ready to take your coat and your shoes.”

Of course, that little gem came before Sonnen’s bout with the UFC middleweight champ Silva, who remains his go-to target for his choicest bits of trash talk.

“I’m out trying to pick a fight and I’m not making any qualms about it. I’ve been after Anderson for some time and that’s it,” said Sonnen, who added that he also had “a beef” with the other fighters in the UFC who continually ask for title shots.

“I’ve never told Dana I want a title fight; I told him I want the title,” Sonnen said. “That’s a big difference between me and everybody else.”

You see? He’s still got his gift with language when he wants it, but against a guy like Stann there just isn’t much you can do with it. A man who once explained that he doesn’t believe in utilizing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guard because that would involve lying on his back with another man between his legs and “I’m a Republican and we don’t do that,” probably also isn’t going to make much headway trying to insult a former U.S. Marine with more boy-next-door charm than he knows what to do with.

Maybe the best Sonnen can do is play the nice guy for now, or at least as nice as he can stand to be. One way or another, he acknowledged, he still has a fight on Saturday night, and what happens once the cage door slams shut is the same whether you can find something bad to say about the other guy or not.

“When that guy in the shark suit gets out of the ring and the guy with the dreadlocks says ‘fight,'” Sonnen said, “I will.”

And if things go his way, maybe soon he’ll be able to get back to being the Chael Sonnen we’ve come to know and expect.

 

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My First Fight: Kenny Florian

Filed under: UFCIt wasn’t supposed to happen this way for Kenny Florian. Back when he took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a hobby in the late ’90s, it wasn’t because he was hoping to find himself here, just a few days from a UFC featherweight title fight. I…

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Kenny FlorianIt wasn’t supposed to happen this way for Kenny Florian. Back when he took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a hobby in the late ’90s, it wasn’t because he was hoping to find himself here, just a few days from a UFC featherweight title fight. It was because he wanted to do jiu-jitsu, and not much else.

Things changed after one of his teammates at a Gracie Barra gym in Watertown, Mass., took an MMA bout against local fighter Nuri Shakir, who, as Florian remembers it now, was “pretty well known in the New England area for fighting very often.”

The bout ended in some controversy after Shakir was disqualified for an illegal knee, and soon after a rivalry was born, if only in Florian’s mind.

“I kind of had that old school mentality of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu versus everybody else,” said Florian. “That was my mentality at the time, so it was kind of a revenge match for my school and my buddy John Frankl. That was what was going on in my head, anyway, and that’s why I wanted to do it so badly.”

Shakir was game, and so was Florian, and in February of 2002 they met at an event entitled Xtreme Fighting: Battle in Taunton 1, which took place inside a nightclub in Taunton, Mass.
There was this kind of machismo thing about it, like kind of entering into manhood.
— Kenny Florian on his first MMA fight
Not that the venue mattered much to Florian, for whom the bout was both a matter of honor and a rite of passage. He’d been doing jiu-jitsu for about four years by then and had earned his brown belt. Taking an MMA fight — even if he only did it once — seemed like something he almost had to do in order to prove his tough guy bona fides.

“There was this kind of machismo thing about it, like kind of entering into manhood,” he said. “I thought I just had to try it once. There was something inside me that wanted to be able to say, I really did apply my martial art at least once against another man who was training to beat me up.”

Florian’s training, however, wasn’t exactly all-inclusive.

“My striking training consisted of people trying to punch me during practice, and that was about it,” he said. “I think I did that for two weeks and then fought. …I didn’t know how to go about preparing for a mixed martial arts bout at all. I had no interest in it, really. I was there to prove that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was going to work. That was it. I didn’t want to learn the other arts or be a pro fighter. I was just there to see if my jiu-jitsu would work against another skilled fighter.”

Only this wasn’t exactly the MGM Grand that Florian was fighting in. He did his warm-up in the narrow entrance of the nightclub, as did every other fighter, and in such close quarters there wasn’t much privacy to go over the game plan one last time, assuming anybody had one.

“It was funny, because you could see guys getting their medicals done, guys warming up, and everybody was right there together. I didn’t think much of it, because being new to fighting, I didn’t have a standard for what was right or wrong. I just went with it.”

Maybe that’s why, as he walked to the ring, Florian wasn’t even all that nervous. It may have been his first MMA bout — and he may have been, in retrospect, woefully underprepared — but looking back now, Florian remembers feeling “actually pretty relaxed.”

Then the fight started, leaving Florian to do his best Rickson Gracie impression as he approached Shakir in the opening seconds.
Looking back, it’s crazy. The way I trained, the way I ate, it was terrible. It was so far from what I do now.
— Kenny Florian
“I just went out there with that old school Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu style, plodding and probing with my hands and kicks a little bit to get him to come forward,” he said. “At one point he rushed me and hit me and I kind of got stuck under the rope. That was early on. Like, the first 30 seconds.”

After the referee restarted them in the center of the ring, Florian managed to get the clinch he was looking for, then took the fight to the mat, where he was finally in his element.

“I clinched with him, took him down, got the mount position, and just started raining down punches from the mount. Then he tapped out.”

Just that easy, Florian had won his first MMA bout. But he didn’t necessarily consider himself a fighter afterward, nor was he in any hurry to get another fight. He’d set out to win one for his team and prove himself as a martial artist, and he’d done both. He’d even had a little bit of fun in the process.

“I have to say, it felt pretty cool to be able to hit somebody in the face without any repercussions. There was also definitely a bit of pride to know that your skills really work. There was certainly an adrenaline rush that went with it, but I didn’t really know whether I’d do it again. It felt good, but a few days later I was back to just doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”

So what happened? How did the kid who just wanted to fight once so he could say he’d done it end up in the UFC, a veteran of more than 20 pro bouts and, come Saturday, a challenger for Jose Aldo‘s 145-pound title?

The answer is, gradually at first, and then all at once. Nearly a year after his first fight, Florian took another, winning by knockout in the opening seconds. A year after that he took yet another and won that one too. It was after his first loss — a split decision against MMA veteran Drew Fickett — that he caught the UFC’s eye for a new reality show on Spike TV called The Ultimate Fighter.

Even then, Florian said, he still didn’t consider himself a professional fighter. And he definitely didn’t prepare like one, he would soon learn.

“Looking back, it’s crazy. The way that I trained, the way I ate, it was terrible. It was so far from what I do now.”

But then, maybe that’s the only way he could have done it. Maybe if he’d had any idea what he was getting himself into, he wouldn’t have.

“Ignorance is bliss, I guess, even when I was fighting on The Ultimate Fighter, weighing in at a chubby 178 pounds for a [185-pound fight],” he said. “it was all kind of like I was just too dumb to know better.”

Check out past installments of My First Fight, including Mark Coleman, Mike Pyle, Yves Edwards, and more.

 

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Bobby Lashley Reveals Next Opponent, Eyes Winner-Take-All Fight with Dave Bautista

Bobby Lashley has a name and a date for his next MMA fight, and his opponent will be a familiar face to fans of The Ultimate Fighter.

On November 11 in Lubbock, Texas, Lashley will face TUF 10 contestant Darrill Schoonover for the Shark Fights heavywe…

Bobby LashleyBobby Lashley has a name and a date for his next MMA fight, and his opponent will be a familiar face to fans of The Ultimate Fighter.

On November 11 in Lubbock, Texas, Lashley will face TUF 10 contestant Darrill Schoonover for the Shark Fights heavyweight title, the former pro wrestler told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. It will be the first in his multi-fight deal with the Shark Fights organization, and Lashley hopes it will help build him back up after his short, unimpressive stay in Strikeforce.

“I believe [Strikeforce CEO Scott] Coker said this, he said he doesn’t believe that I want it,” Lashley said. “…I have all the respect in the world for Coker, and he may have been right. Maybe I wasn’t ready for Strikeforce at the time. …I didn’t have everything together and I wasn’t training the way I should have.”

Lashley won his Strikeforce debut over journeyman heavyweight Wes Sims, but in his second bout with the organization he was undone by exhaustion against Chad Griggs. After starting strong against Griggs, Lashley suffered a cut and was later barely able to pick himself off the mat at the end of round two, prompting a stoppage that put the first blemish on his professional record.

Back then, Lashley said, he thought he was in shape, but with the help of a new strength and conditioning coach he recently learned that “I was just in the wrong kind of shape.”

That was a little over a year ago, and Lashley rebounded in March with a win over John Ott in the Titan FC organization, but he still hasn’t given up on the prospect of a rematch with Griggs.

“I would like to get that fight against Griggs some day,” Lashley said. “That’s one thing that still burns in my stomach, is having that loss on my record.”

Another fight Lashley wouldn’t mind is one with fellow WWE alum Dave Bautista, who was at one point rumored to be making his MMA debut in Strikeforce. That coming out party never materialized, but now that Lashley is with Shark Fights and Bautista is unsigned, Lashley has some ideas about how they could make it happen on a limited budget.

“If we do the fight, let’s do winner-take-all. Let’s put one purse up there, winner takes all,” said Lashley, who acknowledged that a bout between two former pro wrestlers might not be well received by every fight fan.

“I’d love to fight Dave. I guess that’s a super fight and that’s a fight for maybe the wrestling fans. I don’t know how well the MMA community would take it. I guess they would just sort of shrug their shoulders and say, ‘whatever,’ but I know it’s a fight that a lot of wrestling fans would love to see.”

As for his long-term future in the sport, Lashley said he remains committed to proving that he is a serious fighter, and not just a pro wrestler dabbling in MMA. His conditioning program has been adjusted to meet the demands of the sport, he said, and he’s spent a lot of time working on his stand-up skills and increasing his sparring load, despite not sparring at all before his last two fights.

“I think it’s good for me to get back there and try to prove myself. That’s what I’d like to do. I’m not one to fight what someone else says about me. It’s better to go out there and prove that, hey, I want to fight. I’m here, I’m taking this seriously, and I do want it,” said Lashley.

Ultimately, he said, he’d like to get back in the big leagues, which is easier said than done.

“I want to get some fights in and I want to really prove myself in front of these guys, so that I can have that door open and maybe go back with Strikeforce or maybe talk to Dana White later on and get up there and do some big things and show what I’m really capable of doing,” he said.

Beating Schoonover wouldn’t be a bad start. But considering Schoonover’s 1-4 record since losing to James McSweeney in the TUF 10 Finale, it would most likely be the first step in a long journey.

 

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Is Pat Barry the UFC’s Best Losing Heavyweight?

Filed under: UFCOn paper, Pat Barry looks exactly like the kind of fighter who ought to be cut from the UFC. But in a sport where meaningful stats are hard to come by, the record books only tell a fraction of the story, which is good news for “HD.”

Ba…

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On paper, Pat Barry looks exactly like the kind of fighter who ought to be cut from the UFC. But in a sport where meaningful stats are hard to come by, the record books only tell a fraction of the story, which is good news for “HD.”

Barry is 3-4 in the UFC, but he could easily be 6-1 or 5-2 or 4-3. And I don’t just mean that in the purely speculative, hypothetical sense, the way the flap of a butterfly’s wings could have resulted in the Nazis winning World War II. It doesn’t take a gigantic mental leap to imagine a world where Barry has a winning record in the UFC. All it takes is a look at his losses and a little bit of sympathy.

Fortunately for Barry, it’s the way he’s gone about losing that has earned him the sympathy, which explains why he’ll likely keep his job with the UFC at least a little while longer.

Consider Barry’s first three defeats in the Octagon. After a successful debut at UFC 92, he dropped Tim Hague in the opening seconds of their UFC 98 bout, only to get carried away in search of the finish and ending up in a guillotine choke. He rebounded with a knockout of Antoni Hardonk, then broke his most valuable appendages on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s head before succumbing to a sloppy rear-naked choke.

Then, of course, came his infamous near-knockout (or, if you prefer, actual knockout followed by brilliant recovery) of Cheick Kongo in a bout that ended with one of the most spectacular comebacks in MMA history. Unfortunately for Barry, it also ended with him on his back, looking up at the lights.

You tweak one or two things in each of those three losses — a more patient attack, sturdier bones, the lack of a miraculous recovery — and Barry might be one the most successful UFC heavyweights of the past two years.

In fact, the only one of his losses that you can’t explain away with some minor blunder or bizarre misfortune is his most recent loss via submission to Stefan Struve this past Saturday night. That one was utterly and purely Barry’s fault, and this time inexperience and/or hyper-aggression weren’t plausible scapegoats.

Not that it should matter, at least in theory. There are plenty of UFC fighters who never caught many breaks but still got cut once the losses piled up. Regardless of whether Barry could have won those fights — or even should have — he didn’t. And in the end, isn’t that what counts?

Judging by UFC president Dana White’s reaction, the answer is: sometimes, but not always. Following the UFC on Versus 6 press conference, White explained that he was in no hurry to cut Barry because he “always brings it.”

In other words, he’s a kickboxer with an exciting style and an engaging personality, plus fans like him, so he gets a little more slack. It’s the Dan Hardy rule. Most guys can’t lose three fights in a row and remain on the UFC roster (some, like Gerald Harris, can’t even lose one). But if the UFC likes what you bring to the table, you might get a fourth and fifth chance to halt a losing skid. It’s one more reminder that this sport isn’t just about winning and losing — it’s also about selling tickets.

In some cases, that results in some truly forgettable missteps (see also: Kimbo Slice). But in Barry’s case, it makes for a welcome reprieve. Sure, he has some gaping holes in his game and he’ll never be UFC champion — or, most likely, even a serious contender — but he’s talented and he’s fun. Even when (especially when?) he loses it makes for a memorable night, and he’s always competitive, especially when the UFC is kind enough to keep him away from the heavyweight division’s better grapplers.

If Barry were a wrestler with poor striking rather than a striker with poor submissions defense, he’d be cut by now. It wouldn’t matter how much fun he was to interview or how narrow his defeats were. In that sense, keeping guys like Barry and Hardy around promotes a certain kind of fighting, and it’s the kind the UFC thinks it can most effectively sell to fans.

But Barry (and, to some extent, Hardy as well) is a case where this system actually feels just. He’s not a bad fighter; he’s just unlucky. He needs work on his ground game, but at least he never bores you. Even with a 3-4 record in the organization, he’s the best losing heavyweight in the UFC.

Of course, if he doesn’t want to find out just how much slack the UFC is willing to cut him, he’d better pull to .500 very, very soon. Winning may not be everything, but it’s still the most noticeable thing.

 

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