(Sadly, Barry’s face has yet to return to normal since the stroke. Photo via Getty)
Although his return to the kickboxing ring hasn’t gone quite as well as expected, Pat Barry is forging ahead nonetheless, booking back-to-back matches over the next three months.
First up, Barry will face relative unknown Domoreo Dennis at Legacy Kickboxing’s event in Texas on Friday night. The fight will mark Barry’s first since getting KTFO by Zack Mwekassa at Glory 16 last May.
If all goes well there (and even if it doesn’t), Barry will then take on current Dutch Heavyweight W.F.C.A. champion Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi at Glory 20 on April 3rd in Dubai. Bouzidi, a 90-fight veteran, is moving back up to heavyweight after a 4-fight run in the light heavyweight and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Randy Blake at Glory 15.
It’s been a rough go as of late for one of the most likeable guys in combat sports, to say the very least. After eating three (T)KO losses in his final 4 UFC appearances and suffering the aforementioned loss at Glory 16, fans and fighters alike were calling for Barry’s retirement, because we are nothing if not a nuanced, concerned group of individuals. In any case, “HD” wasn’t hearing any of it.
“People tell you, ‘Come on man, you’ve got to stop,’” said Barry in a recent interview with MMAJunkie. “But what do you care? Don’t you want to see people get bludgeoned out there? Don’t you want to see people get high-kicked unconscious? Isn’t that what you’re watching these highlights and stuff for? And yeah, they do want to see that. So why do you suddenly care about me now?”
That’s not fair, Pat. *We’ve* always cared about you. And without telling you something that you don’t want to hear, well, let’s just say that we’re glad Bouzidi’s KO ratio is at an even .500 and not anything higher.