Always All or Nothing

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Barry believes Morgan is building him up a little bit at a time.

“If you peak at the right time, by the time the fight comes around, you can’t wait to get in there,” he says. “You’ll be excited, looking forward to getting in there. I know that I’ve peaked at the right time a few times, and there’ve been times when I peaked way too early and by the time the fight comes around, I’m completely uninterested. He’s just got it down to a science.”

Morgan will extend practice on certain days and cut it short on others based on Barry’s pulse and various other factors.

“There’s a science behind it; he’s like a scientist,” Barry says. “He knows about diet and nutrition and strength training and conditioning. He’s not just a wrestler turned coach. He’s done the research, he’s done the work and he knows everything about what the body needs and where the body needs to be and what it needs to do to peak at the right time.”

Schafer has noticed the effects of this strategic, disciplined approach.

“I’ve been training with Pat since his first MMA fight all the way through the UFC, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen him so focused,” he says. “He’s happy, but he’s also eating right, he’s sleeping right, he’s training hard, he’s not running around as much. He’s really dedicated to this fight in a good way.”

Preparing for Kongo

Barry is not underestimating his opponent. Kongo has been in the cage with some of the world’s best, including reigning UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Frank Mir. Barry anticipates Kongo will look to push the fight to the ground.

“Kongo’s another kickboxer who took a step before I did and started working on his ground game. In his last few fights, he’s been taking guys to the ground and winning; he’s been taking guys to the ground and just beating them there, and he’s able to do it. That’s what he’s getting very good at. He’s done it in his last five or six fights; he’s looking for the takedown,” Barry says. “I expect everyone to take me down and beat me on the ground. Everyone knows that’s where my weak point is. You wouldn’t get into an MMA match with Mike Tyson and say, ‘You know what? I’m just gonna box with him the whole time.’”

Barry’s camp has included a lot of work on positional defense and offense, getting and defending takedowns and working the top and bottom positions.

“I think the fight’s gonna start off on the feet, and it’ll be him going for the takedown, but you never know,” he says. “With the way things have been going here in training, it might be me going for the takedown. Trust me, if he punches me in the head hard enough, I’ll turn into a wrestler fast.”

When asked whether or not he was worried about Kongo’s height and reach advantage, Barry pointed to the entire challenge in front of him.

“I’m worried about Kongo, period,” he says. “I’m not worried about his length or his strength; I’m just worried about him in general, as a whole. I’m worried about his punches, his wrestling, his muscles, his blackness, his bald head. I’m worried about his song he walks out to. Every bit of Kongo is on my mind at all times. I’m getting prepared for everything,”

Barry will take his ninja skills, world-class kickboxing, improved ground game, strength, speed and “Hype or Die” attitude into the cage with him.

“My whole life I’ve been an extremist,” he says. “If I’m eating, I’m gonna eat everything. If I’m driving, I’m gonna drive fast. If I’m drinking, I’m gonna be the drunkest guy in the country in five minutes. If I’m gonna be a gymnast, I’m gonna be the greatest gymnast in the gym. If I’m doing kickboxing, I’m gonna be the greatest kickboxer that ever lived in the history of the world. That’s my goal.

“I’ve swung for the fences, and I’ve always given it everything I got -- everything -- my whole life,” Barry adds. “It’s just all or nothing, no matter what.”

Yael Grauer is a freelance writer and editor. Find her at http://yaelwrites.com.