This is the UFC on Versus 4 live blog for Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo, a heavyweight bout and main event of tonight’s event at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
Barry (6-2) in January defeated Joey Beltran at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. Kongo (15-6-2) fought to a draw in his most recent outing last October against Travis Browne.
Round 1: Barry with a hard kick to the thigh early. Barry rushes in but they break. Probably giving him something to think about. Kongo fires back with leg kicks of his own. Kongo with a combo ending in a right hand. Barry drops Kongo with a right behind the ear. Kongo looks in huge trouble. Barry looking for the finish. Back to their feet, and BOOM, Kongo knocks Barry out with a one-shot knockout. It was an uppercut. Barry went down like he’d been shot, completely unconscious. That was a wild momentum swing, from Kongo on the verge of being KO’d to knocking Barry cold within 20 seconds.
Winner: Cheick Kongo via KO, Rd. 1 (2:39)
Kongo: “I had to win this fight with huge time off from injuries. I’m very happy.”
This is the UFC on Versus 4 live blog for Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo, a heavyweight bout and main event of tonight’s event at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
Barry (6-2) in January defeated Joey Beltran at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. Kongo (15-6-2) fought to a draw in his most recent outing last October against Travis Browne.
Round 1: Barry with a hard kick to the thigh early. Barry rushes in but they break. Probably giving him something to think about. Kongo fires back with leg kicks of his own. Kongo with a combo ending in a right hand. Barry drops Kongo with a right behind the ear. Kongo looks in huge trouble. Barry looking for the finish. Back to their feet, and BOOM, Kongo knocks Barry out with a one-shot knockout. It was an uppercut. Barry went down like he’d been shot, completely unconscious. That was a wild momentum swing, from Kongo on the verge of being KO’d to knocking Barry cold within 20 seconds.
Winner: Cheick Kongo via KO, Rd. 1 (2:39)
Kongo: “I had to win this fight with huge time off from injuries. I’m very happy.”
MMAFighting.com will have live UFC on Versus 4 results of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry and the rest of the UFC Live card on Sunday, June 26 at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
In the main event, Cheick Kongo returns after an eight-month absence and will face the charismatic kickboxer, Pat Barry.
The results are below.
Versus Bouts
Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo (live blog)
Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story (live blog)
Matt Brown vs. John Howard (live blog)
Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft (live blog)
Preliminary Bouts on Facebook
Manny Gamburyan vs. Tyson Griffin (live blog)
Joe Stevenson vs. Javier Vazquez (live blog)
Joe Lauzon def. Curt Warburton via submission (kimura) – R1, 1:58 (live blog) Rich Attonito def. Daniel Roberts via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 29-28) (live blog)
Charles Oliveira def. Nik Lentz via submission (rear-naked choke) – R2, 1:48 (live blog)
*Commission will review the fight for an illegal knee by Oliveira not called by the referee Ricardo Lamas def. Matt Grice via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:41 (live blog) Michael Johnson def. Edward Faaloloto via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:42 (live blog)
MMAFighting.com will have live UFC on Versus 4 results of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry and the rest of the UFC Live card on Sunday, June 26 at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
In the main event, Cheick Kongo returns after an eight-month absence and will face the charismatic kickboxer, Pat Barry.
The results are below.
Versus Bouts
Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo (live blog)
Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story (live blog)
Matt Brown vs. John Howard (live blog)
Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft (live blog)
Preliminary Bouts on Facebook
Manny Gamburyan vs. Tyson Griffin (live blog)
Joe Stevenson vs. Javier Vazquez (live blog)
Joe Lauzon def. Curt Warburton via submission (kimura) – R1, 1:58 (live blog) Rich Attonito def. Daniel Roberts via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 29-28) (live blog)
Charles Oliveira def. Nik Lentz via submission (rear-naked choke) – R2, 1:48 (live blog)
*Commission will review the fight for an illegal knee by Oliveira not called by the referee Ricardo Lamas def. Matt Grice via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:41 (live blog) Michael Johnson def. Edward Faaloloto via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:42 (live blog)
Perhaps the cutting of Marquardt reminded the rest of tonight’s cast just how fickle a UFC career can be, but something seemed to light a fire under the asses of several fighters at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Weigh-in results and videos of tense staredowns await you after the jump.
Perhaps the cutting of Marquardt reminded the rest of tonight’s cast just how fickle a UFC career can be, but something seemed to light a fire under the asses of several fighters at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Weigh-in results and videos of tense staredowns await you after the jump.
MAIN EVENT
Pat Barry (243) VS Cheick Kongo (234.4)
MAIN CARD ON VERSUS
Rick Story (170.4) VS Charlie Brenneman (170.6)
John Howard (170.2) VS Matt Brown (170)
Christian Morecraft (261.4) VS Matt Mitrione (261.1)
ONLINE FIGHTS
Manvel Gamburyan (145.8) vs Tyson Griffin (145.8)
Javier Vazquez (145.8) VS Joe Stevenson (146)
Curt Warburton (155.6) VS Joe Lauzon (156)
Rich Attonito (170) VS Daniel Roberts (170.6)
Charles Oliveira (153.8) VS Nik Lentz (155.6)
Matt Grice (145.2) VS Ricardo Lamas (145.4)
Edward Faaloloto (155.4) VS Michael Johnson (155.2)
Following the news that Nate Marquardt has been removed from his main event fight at UFC on Versus 4 against Rick Story and subsequently released from his UFC contract, this fight card may not have the star power that it once had.Still, even without Ma…
Following the news that Nate Marquardt has been removed from his main event fight at UFC on Versus 4 against Rick Story and subsequently released from his UFC contract, this fight card may not have the star power that it once had.
Still, even without Marquardt, for a free event on Versus, the UFC is giving us some surprisingly good fights with fairly high-ranked fighters.
It’s always fun to look at the pound-for-pound rankings lists in MMA, but rarely do we go deep enough to include guys who will be competing on the undercard.
In this article, however, we’ll count down all 22 fighters who remain on this fight card which will now be headlined by the heavyweight contest between Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday.A fight between heavyweight gatekeeper Cheick Kongo and …
MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday.
A fight between heavyweight gatekeeper Cheick Kongo and former K1 kickboxer Pat Barry was already scheduled for tomorrow’s card, but has now been slotted as the main event.
This is a big opportunity for Pat Barry and with a 3-2 record in the UFC, he really needs to seize the day.
Barry took the leap from K1 to mixed martial arts in 2008; he has an overall record of 6-2 and like any pure striker that transitions to mixed martial arts—he has struggled with the grappling aspect of the sport.
Both his losses came by way of submission, one to UFC castaway Tim Hague and the other to a man known more for his head kicks than submissions, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
A 3-2 record in the UFC is nothing to write home about and one or two more losses for most guys could spell disaster for their UFC career.
Luckily for Barry, he has the qualities fans, media and the UFC brass like to see in a fighter—all he needs now is the winning streak.
Barry is a very fan-friendly fighter and has no problem getting in front of the camera or talking with the media, add to that his K1 kickboxing background, a style that usually makes for exciting fights it’s easy to see why UFC officials see potential in him.
This is why a win over Cheick Kongo while headlining the show is a huge opportunity for Barry and definitely could be a launching point to a long and successful career in the UFC.
A loss on the other hand would put Barry at 3-3 over his last six fights and probably a fight or two away from getting pink slipped.
Kongo has been a staple in the UFC heavyweight division for almost five years now. Despite looking physically imposing and dangerous, Kongo has never been nothing more than a gatekeeper to the upper echelons of the division.
Kongo’s only losses in the Octagon are to Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Heath Herring and Carmelo Marrero. Mir is a former champion, Velasquez is the current heavyweight champion and Herring at the time was a highly regarded heavyweight.
Of course, Marrero’s career peaked with the win over Kongo, but the fact of the matter is that aside from him, the only guys who have been able to beat Kongo are the best guys in the division.
Even though Velasquez is the heavyweight champion, his three-round decision victory over Kongo is the only fight he has fought that has gone to a decision.
So a win over Kongo could mean good things for Barry—look at what it did for Velasquez.
Luckily for Barry, kickboxing is Kongo’s base as well and Barry’s pedigree suggests that he is probably better at it than Kongo.
Don’t be surprised if fans witness Kongo shooting for take downs in the early going to try and utilize his ground and pound and to take Barry out of his element. This is the perfect test for Barry.
Barry will probably get the chance to show off some of the grappling skills he told Heavy.com he learned while training at Brock Lesnar‘s Death Clutch facility with a host of heavyweight NCAA Division I wrestlers.
What’s great for Barry is that Kongo is a relatively safe fight for testing his ground skills. Obviously, if Barry were to be up against Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar or Shane Carwin he’d probably have a tough time staying off his back or defending the take downs.
Against Kongo it is a chance for him to utilize what he has learned in the gym and show the UFC brass, fans and media that he has worked towards rounding out his game.
Of course, the fight hasn’t happened yet and any speculation as to how it is going to play out is just that—speculation.
A win over Kongo will put Barry on a two-fight winning streak and is a win many up-and-coming heavyweights would like to have on their record.
Combine a win over Kongo with Barry’s fan and media friendly personality and people can expect his stock in the UFC to rise immensely.
Tomorrow night the world will be focusing on Barry vs. Kongo as opposed to Marquardt’s debut at welterweight against Rick Story.
With these two heavyweights now headlining the card, either of them has the chance to make the most of a great opportunity and it will be exciting to see which fighter seizes the day.
Leon Horne has been contributing to Bleacher Report for three years now. He focuses mainly on mixed martial arts, but he has also written about tennis, football and hockey. Just send him a message if you want to talk sports or discuss any opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter for updates:
Whenever UFC holds an event, Joe and Rob from GuysNation do our best to predict the matches on the card. Sometimes we (mostly Joe) get things right, sometimes we don’t, but we always try to give you our reasoning…even when that means someone (most…
Whenever UFC holds an event, Joe and Rob from GuysNation do our best to predict the matches on the card. Sometimes we (mostly Joe) get things right, sometimes we don’t, but we always try to give you our reasoning…even when that means someone (mostly Rob) flips a coin.
Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo
Joe’s thoughts: On paper this could be a great fight. Two highly skilled heavyweight kick boxers could lead to fireworks. Unfortunately, Kongo likes to strategize for his fights and will probably look for the takedown or a clinch along the fence. It is something I noticed in his previous fights against strikers as Kongo likes to control the pace of the fight. His wrestling is still mediocre, but his size and strength help where he is weak. This is what he will need to do to win as Barry is much faster than him.
Joe’s Prediction: Kongo by Decision
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: I hate the way Kongo fights, getting frustrated and using cheap tactics to slow things down to let him get comfortable. He hasn’t had a quality win since early 2009. Barry went late into the third round against Cro-Cop, and that’s enough for me. Barry by decision.
Matt Brown vs. John Howard
Joe’s Thoughts: This should be an exciting fight as both fighters will be looking to stay in the big leagues. Brown has lost his last three and Howard his last two. Though, Howard’s recent losses come against some of the best in the division. Both fighters like to stand and bang so do not blink while watching this one. Look for Howard to be a little sharper in the exchanges and expect this fight to be in the running for fight of the night.
Joe’s Prediction: John Howard by KO
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Brown might have lost three straight, but he lost all three of those by submission, and John Howard hasn’t made someone tap out in nearly four years. I don’t know why, but I like the way Brown can fight, and although I realize he’s probably not going to move way up in the division, I will pick Brown to win this one by KO.
Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft
Joe’s Thoughts: In his first few fights, Mitrione has looked great. He has stopped three of his first four opponents and comes in to fights with great conditioning and solid striking skills. Morecraft is a good challenge for Matt due to his solid wrestling game. Christian will need to use his grappling abilities and control where the fight goes if he wants to defeat Mitrione. Matt has showed great wrestling defense in the past I expect him to be even more improved for this fight.
Joe’s Prediction: Mitrione by KO
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Mitrione has surprised me and looks to be learning a lot from each fight, and Morecraft’s resume doesn’t excite me at all. Sometimes fighters prove me wrong twice, and I can’t bet against them until their winning streak ends, so I’m going with Matt Mitrione by KO.
Tyson Griffin vs. Manvel Gamburyan
Joe’s Thoughts: After starting his career with some big victories Tyson Griffin has really fallen down the ranks as of late. He has three straight losses even though his last one was controversial. He is making his return to 145 lbs. for this fight, but it is not going to be an easy challenge. He is facing Manny Gamburyan who is coming off a loss to champion Jose Aldo. Both fighters are in a sense looking to start over and should come out swinging. I’m giving the advantage to Manny in this one. I feel like Tyson Griffin’s style has hit the wall.
Joe’s Prediction: Manny by Decision
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Tyson Griffin is a good fighter, and this will be an entertaining fight, but all you have to do to know how this one will end is to look how these guys do against really good opponents. Gamburyan will win by decision
Joe Stevenson vs. Javier Vazquez
Joe’s Thoughts: Joe Stevenson is making his featherweight debut against a game opponent in Vazquez. Joe Daddy desperately needs a win or we could see him on the outside of the UFC. If he can bring Vazquez in to a grappling match then Joe should come out on top. If not, we will probably see the same Joe Stevenson that we see each fight. Luckily for him, Vazquez is not known for his striking power, and he should be able to take and keep him on the ground to grind out his first victory in four tries.
Joe’s Prediction: Joe Stevenson by Decision
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: I really like Joe’s thoughts on this one, and I think Stevenson is going to win by knockout.
Joe Lauzon vs. Curt Warburton
J-Lau is an interesting fighter. Sometimes he looks amazing in his fights, other times he gets dominated. This should be one of the fights where he looks good. Warburton is a decent fighter, but I do not think his skills match up too well with Joe. Expect Lauzon to grind out Round 1 then submit him in the second.
Joe’s Prediction: Joe Lauzon by Submission
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Lauzon’s last three losses don’t bother me, based on who his opponents were. Nothing on Warburton’s resume impresses me, especially that his past three fights went to decision. I agree that Joe Lauzon is going to make him tap out.
Daniel Roberts vs. Rich Attonito
Joe’s Thoughts: This match will mostly be a grappling event. It might start out as a standup war early, but I expect Roberts to get this fight to the ground and work for submissions. Not too sure if he will find one against ATT product Attonito though.
Joe’s Prediction: Daniel Roberts by Decision
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Daniel Roberts is a fighter whose skills I really like, and until he faces someone of note, I won’t pick against him. Roberts by submission.
Nik Lentz vs. Charles Oliveira
Joe’s Thoughts: Lentz has been on a serious roll since coming to the UFC. Going 5-0-1 in his first 6 fights, he has shocked a lot of his opponents with his wrestling ability. Oliveira came in to the UFC with high expectation but faltered against top contender Jim Miller in his last bout. This is a tough one to call, but most of the fight should take place on the mat.
Joe’s Prediction: Nik Lentz by Decision
Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Nik Lentz finds ways to win by decision, but Charles Oliveira doesn’t let things get there, and he won’t start now. Charles Oliveira by submission.
Ricardo Lamas vs. Matt Grice
Joe’s Thoughts: Grice is making his UFC return after being released by the company previously. He won his last four outside of the promotion and is looking to stay this time. Lamas is a WEC export making his UFC debut. A lot is on the line for both of these fighters if they want to keep themselves in Joe Silva’s head for future fights with the company.
Joe’s Prediction: Matt Grice by Decision
Rob’s Prediction: Grice has worked really hard to get back to UFC, but I don’t normally like it when a fighter who failed to succeed in their first run with the company gets their return, and I also don’t like it when a fighter takes a long fight to decision and then takes another fight without much of a rest between the two fights. For those reasons alone, I’ll go with Lamas by decision.
Edward Faaloloto vs. Michael Johnson
Joe’s Thoughts: Johnson has the experience in this fight, but Falo must have something to him if Zuffa decided to sign him after only two pro fights. Unfortunately, I think Johnson can grind him down and take a decision.
Joe’s Prediction: Michael Johnson by Decision
Rob’s Prediction: I don’t know much about these guys, but I’ll go out on a limb and pick Faaloloto
This is the UFC on Versus 4 live blog for Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo, a heavyweight bout and main event of tonight’s event at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
MMAFighting.com will have live 
