Pat Barry leg kicked his way to a unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 over Joey Beltran at Fight for the Troops 2 in Texas on Saturday night.
Beltran controlled Barry throughout the round using the clinch, and even landed a few shots to the groin before the two were separated and Barry was given time to recover. Beltran stayed close enough to keep Barry from throwing many damaging kicks, which clearly frustrated Barry.
In the second round, Beltran started with a series of punches and completed a takedown, but also absorbed several punishing leg kicks from Barry. By the end of the round, Beltran was limping, but still ended the round with a flurry of strikes and knees.
Beltran continued to use the clinch in the third round, battering Barry's face for the beginning of the round, but Barry didn't let Beltran stick around too long. He continued to use leg kicks, and at one point, pushed off Beltran's face to throw a kick. He inadvertently poked Beltran in the eye, stopping the fight for the doctor to come in.
When the bout was re-started, Barry found a second wind, landing kick after kick on Beltran's already wary leg. Beltran tried for a takedown to avoid the kicks, but Barry used his position on the ground to hammerfist Beltran's tenderized leg. Barry returned to his feet and landed several more kicks as the final horn sounded. Beltran collapsed to the ground, his leg clearly in pain.
Barry was emotional after the fight, speaking of his father, a solider who died 25 years ago. Several of Barry's family members served in the military, giving his bout at Ft. Hood extra meaning. He said that he was surprised that Beltran contnued to come forward.
"That dude is a zombie. I hit him in the face 300 times, and he kept coming forward," Barry said of Beltran.
This win was Barry's first time back in the Octagon since breaking his hand and foot in a loss to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Beltran has now suffered his second loss in a row, after dropping a unanimous decision to Matt Mitrione at UFC 119.
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