(Pat tried to take that thing down and landed directly in a guillotine. Props: @hypeordie)
It’s official: A good personality + the willingness to stand-and-bang = job security in the UFC. Following Pat Barry‘s second-round triangle/armbar loss to Stefan Struve at Saturday’s “UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson” show, UFC president Dana White was asked about the heavyweight striker’s future in the company, to which DW replied:
“We like guys like that, we like guys that are exciting and guys that come out and fight. I don’t know, Pat’s a guy that we do like. He’s one of the guys that always brings it. He’s like, a lot of people were saying “you’re cutting Dan Hardy,” Dan Hardy comes to fight and always puts on wars. I like the Arturo Gatti type fighters. I like the guys who always bring it. And that’s what this is about. When you’re a fight fan you tune in to see fights and I like guys who do it.”
Barry is now 3-4 in his UFC career, with three of those losses by submission (and one loss via divine intervention). He’s always a threat as long as the fight remains standing, but he immediately becomes vulnerable once the fight hits the ground. Should Barry be allowed to keep his spot based on entertainment value? Or should he have to get a little more seasoning before he’s allowed back on MMA’s most elite stage?