On paper, UFC heavyweights Pat Barry and Shane Del Rosario are very similar fighters. Both are lethal with their hands with a solid kickboxing record behind them. They’re strikers who look for the finish early in the fight.
But that’s where the similarities end.
Del Rosario has proven himself a much more versatile fighter, having developed a solid submission game, tapping out Lavar Johnson in his last Strikeforce match and never having been submitted himself. He also has a solid 11-1 MMA record and, but for an unfortunate second round TKO loss to Stipe Miocic in his last match, would be coming into this match with an undefeated record.
Barry is a different story. Having gone 7-5 in his MMA career, and 1-3 in his last four matches, he’s lucky to still be in the UFC. He is, perhaps, the most one-dimensional fighter in the UFC and one hopes that since his second round submission loss to Stefan Struve in October 2011, he will at least be coming into this match with an acceptable level of jiu-jitsu.
But both fighters are finishers, and in the unpredictable world of heavyweight mixed martial arts, anything can happen on the night.
The two fighters will face each other this Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale in Las Vegas. Here’s how they break down.