UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry Takes Leave from MMA to Focus on Kickboxing Career

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Pat Barry is a UFC heavyweight no more.

Barry will take an indefinite leave from mixed martial arts in order to resume his career as a kickboxer, according to the fighter’s manager, Brian Butler.

“Pat has told me for a while that he is not enjoying MMA anymore,” Butler tells Sherdog.com. “It’s not about money at this point -- it’s simply the fact that he wants to get back to his passion, and that is kickboxing. When he and I speak about returning to kickboxing, he gets excited like a kid. I can feel his entire demeanor change. The man wants to kickbox, so it’s what we are gonna do.”

Barry, 34, walks away from the cage with an 8-7 pro record, having transitioned from kickboxing to MMA in 2008. After stopping his first four foes with strikes, “HD” suffered seven losses in his next 11 outings, sustaining knockouts at the hands of Shawn Jordan and Soa Palelei during a winless 2013. Barry earned four of his five UFC wins by knockout, finishing the likes of Shane del Rosario, Antoni Hardonk and Christian Morecraft during his five years with promotion.