While he's recovering from a broken hand and foot suffered in his UFC 115 fight with Mirko Cro Cop in June, Pat Barry is getting ready to improve his game this fall with trips to Croatia and Minnesota.
"I’m talking to Cro Cop. Brock Lesnar wants me to come and be his sparring partner,” Barry said to Cage Radio on USCombatSports.com. “You can’t write this man, this isn’t even a dream. This is just all around fabulous. I’m just going to keep riding with it, man, and keep screaming thank you out the window to somebody.”
Barry brought an impressive kickboxing record with him into MMA, but his ground game has remained a weakness in his game. With a chance to work with UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar ahead of his title fight with Cain Velasquez in October, Barry will be able to work with some big heavyweight wrestlers while providing a serious sparring partner for Lesnar.
"Brock Lesnar has asked for me to come and be his sparring partner for a month before he fights Cain Velasquez,” said Barry. “How cool is that... A month with the heavyweight champion of the universe Brock Lesnar, the biggest scariest dude on earth, and then a month with a legendary striker like Cro Cop.” [credit: MMATorch.com]
I've added over 60 candid photos of Brock (posing with fans, UFC 116, appearances, training,..) to our gallery. Check them out! [navi: Media > Gallery > Last Additions]
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Here's the result of the last poll featured on our site:
Do you think Brock will continue to be on top of the UFC HW division when he returns this summer?
Yes, nothing's going to change. 26% Brock will be even better than before! 67% No, his illness will throw him back. 7%
Brock's BBJ coach Comprido made the following statements during a recent interview (credit: examiner.com):
Q: How has working with a man of Brock Lesnar's size and wrestling ability helped you with your Brazilian jiu jitsu?
Comprido: He's not just bigger and stronger than me, he's also more athletic and faster. He's a huge challenge. I have to be much better on all the details when I train with him, my technique has to be perfect. He's kind of a nightmare.
Q: Not many people expected a submission win for Brock at UFC 116 against Shane Carwin, what were your thoughts?
Comprido: Yeah, I expected it, even if he had pulled a sub off from the bottom I would have expected it. He's very talented and learns fast. He's the first person to have ever handled a straight punch from Carwin and survived. He had that illness (Diverticulitis) and he came back even better. I think he could submit Cain in his next fight too, but Cain is also very good on the ground.
James Toney participated in a live chat with fans hosted by MMAFighting.com in which he again demonstrated those qualities and also offered a little insight into the process by which his opponent was determined.
"The person I wanted to fight right off the bat was Brock Lesnar," Toney typed to fans. "He's a champion, I'm a champion and I wanted to do it. But they said I couldn't do that. Then they said, 'How about Kimbo?' But I said, 'That's too easy. That's like kicking a little kid's butt.' But then Randy started saying he wanted to fight me, so I said, 'OK, you're the first one getting it.'"
"I told Dana my goal is to hold the heavyweight championship of the UFC and in boxing at the same time," Toney said. "So as long as it takes me to get Brock Lesnar, that's how long it'll be. If Lesnar gets by Cain Velasquez, I'll fight Lesnar in February or March. But right now my focus is on Randy Couture. Randy's gonna get it. I ain't playing with that dude."
Toney also explained that he believes Cain Velasquez has a serious chance of defeating Lesnar, whom he believes to be a coward based on his recent comeback win over Shane Carwin.
"I like Cain Velasquez, and I think he has the ability to knock Lesnar out," Toney said. "I think that fight is a toss-up. Lesnar ran away from Shane Carwin like a girl, but then Carwin ran out of gas and quit. But I'll fight any of them, any time anywhere. That's my motto."
Shane Carwin talked about how hard he punshed Brock (credit: The Garv):
"I feel like he took shots that were hard enough to finish any of my other opponents. Brock is a real tough fighter and a true Champion. He did what Champions do, he found a way to win and did so through adversity. My hat is off to him and his camp."