Cro Cop versus Barry: Here comes the kicks

On June 12^ththe UFC will again head north to Vancouver, BC, Canada for UFC 115 where the main event will be legends Chuck Liddell versus Rich Franklin. The nights co-main event will feature two fighters that love to kick, youngster Pat Barry (5-1) and veteran Mirko Cro Cop(26-7-2 1NC). Pat is 2-1 in the UFC with an impressive second round TKO victory over the dutchman Antoni Hardonk last October at UFC 104. Berry is a very confident former kick boxer with powerful strikes in both his hands (2 TKO’s) and legs (3 TKO’s). 

Across the cage from him will be Mirko Cro Cop who is 3-3 in the UFC and most recently won over Anthony Perosh by referee stoppage back in February at UFC 110. Perosh was a late replacement for Ben Rothwell who was forced to pull out days before the fight. Battered for two rounds a vicious elbow from Cro Cop opened up a cut that forced the referee to stop the fight between rounds two and three. Many have been questioning Cro Cop, wondering if he should retire since his first stint in the UFC in 2007. Before his last fight Cro Cop stated that things were back to normal, he was training hard again and his mindset is back as well. This fight with Pat Barry will definitely show what Cro Cop has left in the tank.

This fight screams new MMA breed vs. old MMA breed with both of these fighters being so similar in style. Looking at the fight, depending on who wins there is a questions waiting to be answered. Is it a changing of the guard if Pat wins? Does a win from Mirko put him back in the mix of elite fighters he was once in? Either way this fight has great potential for the winner and great pain for the loser.

Tags: Chuck Liddell, Dana White, Mirko Cro Cop, MMA, Pat Barry, Rich Franklin, UFC, UFC 115

Category: Exclusive, MMA, UFC