Fighter Appreciation - Pat Barry

Welcome to Leg Kick TKO, a MMA blog that's been submitted by turtlenecks on several occasions.

Pat Barry serves all

Once again, I've created a new category of articles because I'm all over the place with this blog. Instead of focusing on retired (Or at least fighters with a decade or more of experience) guys, Fighter Appreciation is all about me gushing over how cool and awesome I find current fighters.

Pat "Hype Or Die" Barry is an outstanding fighter, personality, motivator, cornerman, and all around great person.

Tell Me More, Tell Me More!

Pat began his combat sports training and career in his 20s, which is both impressive considering how quickly he's picked up on kicking someone's ass, but also baffling since Pat is basically a fusion of a human ninja turtle and a live action Street Fighter that'd you would actually want to watch (Van Damme it!). Apparently he spent his first two decades of existence osmotically learning about martial arts.

After a couple years of beating dudes into quivering heaps of pain, sadness, and failure, Pat decided to find a new crop of people to break in half and transitioned from kickboxing into MMA.

Pat's first couple of MMA bouts were pretty straightforward: Pat kicks dork in legs, dork either gives up then and there, or cringes in anticipation so much that Pat knocks the dork's head clean off, quickly putting Pat at 4-0, all by first round stoppage, 3 by leg kick TKOs (And you wonder why I love this dude so much), one by head kick KO, all in a grand total of 8:40.

Unfortunately, Pat's opponents soon realized that taking a kick from Mr. Thunder Thighs is the worst possible thing, they started grappling him voraciously. Due to, in some cases, being decades behind his opponent on the ground, Pat was unfairly saddled with the reputation of having no ground game. This is simply untrue, and, quite frankly, borderline slander.

Barry has trained grappling, and while he's yet to record a submission in his MMA career, he's got an arsenal of moves that would easily win him gold at ADCC, some, like the above, he learned from no-gi grappling wizard, Eddie Bravo.

Other submissions were passed on to Barry from his girlfriend, "Thug" Rose Namajunas, and all UFC heavyweights going forward must be on notice for Pat's ever-improving ground game.

Check out more about Barry after the break!

This Week in Dumb MMA Stuff

Welcome to Leg Kick TKO, a MMA blog that’s less polite than Shinya Aoki after breaking arms.

Fights - There were no major fights, and there will never be any more major fights again (I'll get to this in the news section), so let's look at some Z-grade fights.

K-1 is a kickboxing organization, and I really don't pay enough attention to it.  They put on an event this past Saturday, so I decided to watch it, and I realized I need to pay more attention to K-1.  The fights were fun and exciting, with lots of finishes.  Since the format is only 3x3-minute rounds, the fighters don't waste time and just attack.  Here's Part 1 and Part 2 for your viewing pleasure.

Brett Bassett vs Mike Ling

Here's two guys fighting in Jordan, but not for very long.  Bassett catches a kick from Ling and drops him with an overhand right.

Paulo Filho vs Murilo Rua

Paulo Filho had a rematch with Murilo Rua in Brazil that was six years in the making.  Filho won the first fight by unanimous decision.  The years have not been kind to either man, as Filho has battled mental health issues and drug addiction, while even before the first fight, Rua has suffered a lot of brain trauma from multiple knockouts.  This fight doesn't go the distance, nor does it make it out of the first round or even minute.  There's some controversy about the stoppage by referee Mario Yamasaki, but I'd much rather have an early stoppage than someone like Rua take undue punishment.  Of course, to me, the real issue is either man being allowed to fight, but Brazil is crazy about MMA

News - Lots of news items, most of them are pretty depressing for fight fans.

Urijah Faber Sups Upon the Metaphysical Milkshake

Here is former WEC Featherweight champion Urijah "the California Kid" Faber on Rainn "Dwight Schrute" Wilson's van-based talk show, Metaphysical Milkshake, talking mostly about his book, or rather, his "mem-wire", The Laws of the Ring.  Urijah is a fairly charismatic guy, and he's not a horrible person, so I'm always happy to see him do well, even if I mock his Team Alpha Male group's methods.  And, of course, I can't forget Urijah's vacation experience in Bali that resulted in the line "It takes more than twelve Balinese with weapons to kill the California Kid"

Potential Warning - Semi-Gross Images

Chris Weidman had elbow surgery to remove some animal cracker chunks that somehow got lodged inside his arm, so of course he had to share the photographic evidence.  Also included is a picture of Mark Munoz's similar elbow-chunk haul from earlier in the year.  Weidman should make a decent recovery to fight for the number one contender spot if there actually are any more UFC fights ever again.

End Potential Gross Images

As for the constant comments about no more UFC, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Jose Aldo have both pulled out of their fights at UFC 153 due to injuries.  I fully expect this to continue until all fighters are hurt all the time and this "sport" of MMA is canceled entirely.

Don't forget, TUF 16 premieres this Friday.  Luckily everything has already been taped, so it's a thing that we will get to see!