Pat Barry to meet Soa Palelei at UFC Fight Night 33

UFC Fight Night 33 recently picked up its third fight. The matchup on the December 7 card scheduled for Brisbane, Australia will feature heavyweights, Pat Barry and Soa Palelei.

Barry (8-6) last competed at UFC 161. Barry's opponent that night, Shawn Jordan ended Barry's night just 59 seconds into the fight. Jordan earned $50,000 for Knockout of the Night, but the end of the fight was not without controversy. Barry's manager, speaking to Damon Martin revealed that Barry had been poked in the eye just prior to the fight being waved off. In his opinion, it was that eye poke, not the strikes Jordan delivered that were responsible for Barry's inability to defend himself.

The loss dropped Barry to 5-6 in the UFC. Of those 11 bouts, only one has gone the distance.

Palelei (19-3) is coming off a win in his last UFC contest, defeating Nikita Krylov by third round TKO. However the win was highly criticized. UFC president Dana White said after the fight (via MMAFighting):

The thing about that fight is it was sloppy. They both looked sloppy. They're exhausted, and they're laying on each other and stuff. You shouldn't see that s--- in the UFC. You shouldn't see that. Guys should be in shape. But again, it was an entertaining fight, and it ended in a knockout, the guy took big shots. But it was just an embarrassing fight. You shouldn't fight like that in the UFC.

Palelei had suffered a broken rib training for the UFC 164 fight, something that may have affected his performance. Palelei will get a chance at redemption when he faces Barry in his home country of Australia.

Both of these fighters will be under immense pressure to deliver a memorable performance when they meet in December.

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