UFC 104 Preview: Former K-1 Fighters Antoni Hardonk and Patrick Barry Square Off

In heavyweight action, former K-1 kickboxers Antoni Hardonk (8-5, 4-3 UFC) and Patrick Barry (4-1, 1-1 UFC) will square off in a battle between two former training partners looking to prove who has made the better transition to mixed martial arts. Both men are looking to gain ground in the division following their defeats, but Barry is easily the fighter with more to prove in this match-up.

Hardonk was finished off by Cheick Kongo via TKO at UFC 97 in his last stint in the Octagon following a three-fight win streak that included wins over Mike Wessel, Eddie Sanchez, and Colin Robinson. Barry enters the contest with a recent loss to Tim Hague while defeating Dan Evensen via leg kicks in his debut.

Stylistically, both men should match up well in the striking department with Hardonk likely having an edge in terms of technical prowess. Barry visibily looks beefier in terms of muscle, but Hardonk is well known for his heavy K-1 style leg kicking as well. The only major problem I forsee is Hardonk's inability to defend incoming strikes during counters, but Barry hasn't shown straight knockout power in his hands in the UFC yet.

Most fans would believe this will simply fall under the "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em robots" style of a fight for the casual fans, but Hardonk possesses the ultimate x-factor in this match-up. He has shown a much improved Brazilian jiu-jitsu game as evident by his blue belt in Rickson Gracie jiu-jitsu. Most would say that the belt doesn't mean much as he hasn't implemented it offensively in the Octagon, but he has made huge strides in his defensive capabilities. I wouldn't be completely blown away if Hardonk somehow pulled a submission off considering Barry has next to no experience on the floor, and his bout with Tim Hague was evidence of that.

Barry obviously has some issues with resorting to terrible game plans. In his battle with Tim Hague, he came out with the plan to showcase an improved ground game by trying to take Hague to the floor. In the research I looked at on Tim Hague, some of his past fights have been very close because his opponents had used leg kicks to set up their punching. Hague luckily escaped with victories in those bouts, but he was heavily damaged in a couple of bouts by leg kicks. I felt Barry's power would only make it an even easier decision to leg kick Hague to victory. I was wrong. If Barry comes out with an idea of trying to ground Hardonk, he'll likely find it difficult to do so considering Hardonk's improvements.

In the end, I think both fighters will square off toe-to-toe K-1 style to prove their mettle, and Hardonk will probably out kick his former K-1 counterpart. Look for this to be an entertaining kickboxing match on the feet that should feed the appetites of casual fans tuning in on SpikeTV.