Valetudo.ru presents exclusive interview with UFC fighter Patrick "HD" Barry
Valetudo.ru: Pat, Congratulations on your recent victory, both bonuses are well-deserved! To be honest with you, when I watched you finishing Antoni, I jumped off the bar stool, and had only one word on my mouth – WOW!
How bad were you hurt with his devastating leg kicks in the first round?
Pat Barry: I wasn't hurt at all by the low kicks. I know people are gonna react funny to this but let me explain. A wrestler who wrestles for years becomes accustomed to getting thrown on the ground from repitition. An average jo gets slammed on the ground they will show pain and be hurt, but not a wrestler. I've been kicked in the legs by the best kickers in the world, we both have. I've gotten used to it. It takes more than 5-6 kicks to hurt my legs!
Valetudo.ru: It looked like you were switching the stanzas back and forth, was it because of his blows?
Pat Barry: Anybody who knows me and has seen my fights before knows that i switch my stances back and forth all the time. Depending on my opponent and the situation. I'm ambidextrous in the ring.
Valetudo.ru: What the hell happened in the second round? All of the sudden, Patrick Barry became a really sharp boxer and landed every punch he threw. Is that something your corner told you to do, or you saw openings in Hardonk’s game?
Pat Barry: In between rounds my coach duke roufus told me the game plan and i went out and executed it. He saw the openings during round one and knew what i had to do in the second round. I followed his instructions acurately.
Valetudo.ru: You were very emotional after the fight, was there some bad blood between you and Antoni from the days training at Hoost’s camp together? He also didn’t want to touch gloves in the beginning of the bout, was there a history between you two?
Pat Barry: No bad blood between the two of us. Antoni and i have always been friends and we will always be friends. I've learned a lot from him, and i will always be appreciative and thankfull.
Valetudo.ru: After this win, where do you see yourself in the stacked UFC Heavyweight Division? Any ambitions for the contender spot in the near future?
Pat Barry: I'm not sure where i stand in the division. I'm a factor but also am still very new.
Valetudo.ru: How is your ground game progressing? How difficult is it for the K-1 fighter to adapt to MMA rules?
Pat Barry: The ground game is coming along. I still have a lot to learn.
Valetudo.ru: How many fights do you have left on your current UFC contract?
Pat Barry: 1 more fight on my current contract.
Valetudo.ru: Let’s talk about other fights that night. Your training partner Ben Rothwell had a tough night. Do you think Mazzagatti stopped that fight too soon? Dana White and Joe Rogan certainly thought so.
Pat Barry: Ben had a hard fight on his hands that night. Cain is not a pushover.
Valetudo.ru: How do you think you would do against Cain Velasquez? If Joe Silva calls you tomorrow and offers you to take that challenge, would you accept it?
Pat Barry: I'm willing to fight anyone. But would that be a smart idea, nope! I still have a while before im on cain and bens level.
Valetudo.ru: Let’s talk about Main Event. Who do you think won the fight, Mauricio Rua or Lyoto Machida? How would you score it?
Pat Barry: I'm deffinately not an expert on mma scoring but i thought that shogun won.
Valetudo.ru: Being number one Mix Martial Arts news source in Russia, we must ask you couple questions about Fedor Emelianenko. Do you consider Fedor as #1 HW fighter in the world?
Pat Barry: Fedor is the number one in the universe. I don't think anyone can deny that.
Valetudo.ru: In the end, being from Minnesota, I just have to ask you, how bad do you think Packers going to lose to Vikings this weekend and how many touchdowns will Favre add to his Hall of Fame record?
Pat Barry: Hah! I don't know about vikings and packers but i can tell you to watch out for the mighty new orleans saints!!! My boys are on fiya!
Valetudo.ru: Good luck Pat, awesome performance, hope your left wrist heals faster than in 6 months, because we can’t wait to see HD back in the Octagon!
Pat Barry: Thanks man!
Virtualkiller & Argen2m
Photos by UFC
