UFC Live 4 Preview: The Main Card

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Heavyweights
Patrick Barry (6-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Cheick Kongo (15-6-2, 8-4-1 UFC)

The Matchup: Giving up seven inches in height, Barry has a lot of target in front of him with Kongo, who has etched out a productive mid-level gatekeeper role for himself in the UFC. Whether Kongo decides to strike or find opportunities to take this fight to the ground greatly affects its potential for being a memorable one, as well as his chances to win.

Barry’s one of the UFC’s most talented strikers, but forever undersized and with a still green grappling game, he will always be a target for bigger heavyweights, especially the ones with takedown chops. His numbing power and excellent strikes make him a live one as long as he remains standing.

Kongo does not necessarily have to sell out to try a takedown, as he has some decent striking skills and the reach and range to force Barry to take some chances. It is likely that Kongo’s best play will be to force clinches, lean on Barry and use knees in close to wear him down and then take it to the mat. In an all-out firefight, one would have to favor Barry on account of his power and athleticism.

A 10-year veteran, Kongo should realize where his best chance to win lies, and that is in dragging Barry into a full-on MMA bout, not a kickboxing battle. Kongo is pretty durable himself, as he remains the only man to go the distance with current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

The Pick: Kongo could take some big shots in this one, but with his improved grappling and superior size, he should be able to put Barry on the mat and wear him down en route to a third-round win by ground-and-pound.

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