Cheick Kongo to the rescue.
In a single flash of leather, a fight card plagued with problems got a lot better Sunday night when a wounded and wobbly Kongo knocked out Pat Barry in the first round to put a sudden and surprising exclamation point on UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh.
You can tell a lot about the event by its name, which was originally UFC Live: Johnson vs. Marquardt, but after an injury to Anthony Johnson changed to UFC Live: Story vs. Marquardt. Then, just days before the event, Nate Marquardt mysteriously failed to gain medical clearance and was released from the UFC.
Matt Riddle and T.J. Grant also left the card due to injury and illness, respectively.
Nothing a stiff right uppercut can’t fix.
The actual card did provide plenty of excitement, but was marred somewhat by questionable officiating. Perhaps that backdrop made Kongo’s success all the sweeter, as alert referee Dan Miragliotta nearly stopped the fight on two occasions after Barry rocked Kongo and dropped him to the ground, but refrained after determining—correctly—that Kongo was still fighting and defending himself.
Barry pummeled Kongo with right hands, but as he worked to put his opponent away, Kongo threw an uppercut that seemed to take away Barry’s consciousness before he even hit the floor. It will probably lead to a new round of questions for Barry, who is now 3-3 in his UFC career.
Because of the outcome, the converted kickboxer’s eagerness to finish may in hindsight be deemed recklessness.
As for Kongo, he received a $50,000 bonus for Knockout of the Night and is now 9-4-1 in the UFC, and has not lost since Frank Mir choked him out in 2009. Still, Kongo has yet to prove himself as a true contender in the top-heavy heavyweight division.
Despite his winning record, Kongo has never beaten a consensus elite opponent, and as such will remain a gatekeeper in the UFC and may not get the bump up in competition one might expect after such a victory.
Nevertheless, this victory for the marble-cut Frenchman almost single-handedly salvaged an entire UFC event. Chances are UFC president Dana White and all the fans who watched and followed what appeared to be a star-crossed card will not forget it for a long time.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com