Pat Barry mends broken limbs, still on high from UFC 115

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, July 8, 2010 | 11 p.m.

Nearly a month after getting in the octagon with one of his biggest idols, UFC heavyweight Pat Barry is still in awe that he actually fought Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

If at any point the experience seems unreal to him, all he has to do is look down at his fractured hand and foot to prove it really happened.

The Milwaukee-based fighter still is on the mend from injuries he sustained in his June 13 submission loss to Filipovic at UFC 115. Just recently, doctors removed a protective boot from his broken right foot; however, his right hand still remains in a cast for the next 10 days.

Restricted from all athletic activity, Barry has spent his days glued to the television set, reliving the greatest moment of his young MMA career.

"I'm still high from the fight. I'm watching it over and over again," Barry said. "It was absolutely the most awesome experience ever. I got in the ring and fought Cro Cop."

Barry's favorite part of the fight came late in the first round when Filipovic, after being knocked down twice by Barry's right hand, smiled, noded his head and the two actually hugged right in the middle of the fight.

To Barry (5-2), Filipovic's gesture showed he had earned the MMA legend's respect.

"When he high-fived me and put his hands down and gave me that hug, that was him acknowledging my presence," Barry said. "That was him saying, 'Good job.'

"He put his hands down and acknowledged I was doing great. There's nothing better than that."

Barry's favorite moment also is the point at which many of those watching felt the fight began to change.

After knocking Filipovic down in the first four minutes, Barry took the worst of the exchanges from then on before eventually tapping to a rear-naked choke in the final round.

Following the fight, UFC president Dana White guessed that Barry's respect for his opponent ultimately might have cost him a win.

According to the fighter's camp however, the hug in the first round had nothing to do with Barry's struggles in the later rounds.

The fact he had shattered the bones in all of his weapons did, though.

"What people don't understand about Pat is, I've seen him eat Christmas dinner with a teammate and then try to break his leg," said Duke Roufus, Barry's trainer. "He's one of those dudes who can be smiling at you and then break you in half.

"He broke his hand in the first round. It's hard to do anything when your hand is shattered. Then he jacked up his foot. At the end of the fight, it was hard for him to defend that choke with a crushed hand. He did what he was supposed to do and he went out on his shield."

Although Barry says it was the experience of a lifetime, he admits he obviously would rather have walked away that night with a win and looks forward to bouncing back from his second loss in three fights.

Despite the extent of his injuries, Barry is hopeful it will take only 14 days of physical therapy once his cast comes off before he rejoins his teammates in the gym.

Until then, he'll likely continue reliving his last loss in the octagon — one that, for him, means as much as any win on his record.

"This was a lose-lose situation according to the world," Barry said. "If Cro Cop beat me, it's because I suck, and if I beat Cro Cop, it's because he's not in his prime anymore. That's what the majority of people were saying.

"In my eyes, just the fact I got offered this fight was a win. Just saying my name in the same sentence as his was a win. And the fact I was actually winning the fight before every part of my body fell off, is a win. I spent 14.5 minutes with 'Cro Cop.' Win or lose, that feeling will never be taken from me."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected].