Antoni Hardonk (8-5, 4-3 UFC) vs. Patrick "Get Hype" Barry (4-1, 1-1 UFC)

The Story So Far

In one of the two preliminary bouts airing on Spike TV, former K-1 strikers Antoni Hardonk and Patrick Barry square off in a match that is sure to produce some fireworks. 

Spike executives and the Zuffa brass surely knew what they were doing when they decided to promote this fight to the televised portion of the card.  The probable reason for this maneuver is that out of 18 total matches between the two competitors, only three of them have made it to the judge's scorecards.  Compare that to Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen - whose fight most hardcore fans would have preferred to see - and their combined career total of 61 matches, with 26 of those going to decision.  For viewers who are on the fence about purchasing the PPV, tuning into the Spike prelims and seeing a devastating KO or submission would more likely induce them to shell out $50 than would watching a 15-minute wrestling match.  As we all know, the Spike prelims aren't a charity event, they're a calculated business decision.  In any event, we should all be grateful to watch (at least) two additional matches that won't cost us a dime. 

Former K-1 striker Antoni Hardonk has had modest success thus far in his UFC career and will be looking to rebound from a TKO defeat at the powerful hands of Cheick Kongo back at UFC 97.  Hardonk began his Mixed Martial Arts career in January of 2001, competing for the Rings promotion and amassing a record of 4-2 before getting called up to the big leagues.  Showing promise in his Octagon debut at UFC 65, Hardonk battered Sherman Pendergrast with leg kicks en route to a first round KO victory.  From there things quickly went downhill as he suffered back-to-back losses in his next two fights; first falling to Justin McCully in a bout that had many who viewed it contemplating suicide, and then to Frank Mir in a bout that was the first step in the resuscitation of Mir's career.  Since the Mir loss, Hardonk rattled off three straight TKO victories and was on the cusp of emerging as a viable Heavyweight contender before his brutal loss to Kongo.

Patrick Barry is also looking to bounce back from defeat after being submitted by Tim Hague in May at UFC 98.  Barry is trained by the legendary four-time K-1 World Champion Ernesto Hoost and has a host of titles to his credit including the 2003 and 2004 U.S. Open Sanshou Championship, the 2005 Kings of Kickboxing Tournament Championship, the 2008 Combat USA Heavyweight Championship, and even winning a silver medal at the Kung-fu World Championships in 2003.  Competing under various professional kickboxing banners, Barry compiled an overall record of 18-6 before devoting his full attention to MMA.  The aforementioned loss to Hague was his first career MMA defeat since his debut in May of 2008. 

Conventional Wisdom

Putting two former K-1 strikers in a match and then airing it on free TV is a good way to get people buzzing about an event before the PPV broadcast begins.  The general consensus of the MMA community is that this fight will be an entertaining battle and won't go the distance.  Both men have showed anemic wrestling and a vulnerability to submissions in the past, so it's safe to say this one will end on the feet - most likely in devastating fashion.

WKR Analysis

Leg kicks, leg kicks, and more leg kicks.  Hardonk and Barry each have three T/KO wins via leg kicks and they will undoubtedly be the course du jour.  Neither fighter had much of an opportunity to display their kicking prowess in their last bouts, so it should be interesting to see who emerges as the aggressor in this one.  Barry does have an aggressive style that is similar to Cheick Kongo's and Hardonk was overwhelmed by the Frenchman in that fight.  WKR expects both men to come out swinging for the fences and chopping away at each other with leg kicks.  Don't expect to see any flying armbars or omoplatas in this one.  Both of these guys love to stand and bang, so odds are we'll see an epic striking battle between two fighters who need a win to stay relevant in the stacked Heavyweight division. 

Another thing to consider is that fighting on the televised portion of any UFC card is always a variable in terms of performance.  Will the pressure to deliver a satisfying victory - and not get KTFO - in front of a nationwide audience cause either man to be more hesitant?  

Fun Fact

Patrick Barry's nickname is "Get Hype" which is interesting because of how difficult it is to quantify just how much it sucks balls.  Seriously, it is beyond awful.  Like Waterworld bad.  I myself would have gone with Patrick "Black" Barry.  Who knows, maybe he could have gotten a sponsorship deal out of it.