Brock Lesnar may be one of the scariest human beings on Earth—or at least Joe Rogan thinks so. But the former UFC heavyweight champ also has a heart. That’s at least according to claims made by Dana White.
Ken Pishna of MMA Weekly has the details surrounding Lesnar being sentimental.
“Brock Lesnar called me and begged me to make (Pat Barry) retire,” White said. “(Brock) said, ‘I don’t consider too many people my friend, and I consider Pat Barry a friend. Dana, you got to get this guy to retire,'” White continued.
Lesnar is notoriously a recluse, choosing to avoid the fame that comes with being one of the most marketable sports figures in the past century. So one would believe that if he is choosing to call Barry a friend, the two must be very close. The former UFC heavyweight champ and Barry were teammates for some time while Lesnar competed in the UFC.
Barry ended his UFC career on a 2-3 run between 2012 and 2013. He was one of the more popular fighters due to his personality outside the Octagon and the guaranteed excitement he brought inside the cage. Unfortunately, it was that style that led to some nasty knockout losses that had fans feeling a bit squeamish.
Barry retired from MMA in January and signed with Glory kickboxing, a promotion that’s been a very good addition to Spike TV’s lineup. In his Glory debut, he lost by KO again, this time against Zack Mwekassa.
It remains to be seen whether or not Barry can continue his career in combat sports, but the fact that he’s been knocked out a combined 14 times between MMA and kickboxing has to become a red flag when athletic commissions are looking at him.
Nobody wants to see a guy be unable to make a living doing what he loves, but in Barry’s case, it may be beneficial to his health in the long run if he steps away. Sports fans have seen too many of their idols become a shell of their former self due to repeated head trauma. Hopefully we don’t have to one day add Pat Barry’s name to that list.
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