Former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry compares critics of the Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 bout to those who thought he let Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic beat him at UFC 115.

That is to say, a lot of people have no idea what they’re looking at, nor any concept of what can and does happen when two men get locked in a cage.

“Everybody’s talking all this crazy (expletive), but I doubt anybody’s been in a fight before,” Barry (8-7), who faced critics when he was submitted by Filipovic in 2010, told MMAjunkie Radio.

Here’s the reality, he said: People get tired. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be there. It doesn’t mean they didn’t train.

“If anybody has proof of that, go ahead and show me and I’ll shut the (expletive) up,” Barry said. “But I’m pretty positive this guy fought his heart out. He got in there, as prepared as he possibly could be, and then he fought.

“I’ve been supremely trained for fights, and at the end of round one been exhausted, because I gave it my all. Kimbo Slice fought this guy so hard that the dude’s heart fell out.”

Dada 5000 (2-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), otherwise known as Dhafir Harris, collapsed in the third round of his bout with Slice (6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), also known as Kevin Ferguson. Slice took home a TKO and Dada 5000 was later admitted to a hospital with renal failure, the result of severe dehydration and a 40-pound weight cut, his reps said.

As MMAjunkie reported, a rep for the Texas Combative Sports Program, which oversaw Bellator 149 at Houston’s Toyota Center, said Dada 5000 met the medical requirements for competing, though the commission may review its policies to avoid dangerous situations in the future.

Few MMA observers questioned why the bout was booked since Slice remains a top draw in the sport despite his advanced age and failed stint in the UFC. According to Spike, which broadcast Bellator 149, the bout drew an average of 2.5 million viewers.

Several questioned, however, whether Dada 5000 took the bout seriously after discovering his weight cut to make the bout’s heavyweight limit. Barry agrees the responsibility for making sure he was safe rests on the commission.

“If he wasn’t ready to fight, then that means a lot of people need to be fired,” Barry said. “The doctor who cleared him, his coaches, his family, his teammates, the officials.”

But Barry took issue with critics of the bout, who mocked the contest when the pair ran entirely out of gas and began resembling oxygenated senior citizens.

“It wasn’t the most technical fight,” he admitted. “It wasn’t he most beautiful display of MMA. But it was the most entertaining fight of the card, and it was an awesome display of heart, in my opinion.”

He took particular issue with the comments of referee John McCarthy, who in an interview said the two weren’t damaging all each other that much, hence the bout going into deep waters.

“I’m wondering if Dada punched John McCarthy in the head, would he feel it?” Barry quipped.

If people are attacking Dada’s readiness to get into the cage solely by virtue of his performace, Barry furthered, they should be ready to point the finger at other well-trained fighters who’ve had a bad night.

“Shane Carwin couldn’t fight for more than nine minutes when he fought Brock Lesnar,” Barry said. “Maybe he should have never been signed to the UFC ever, right? I’ve been tired in fights before. Maybe I should never fight ever in my life. Hey remember when Ronda (Rousey) got kicked in her face? Maybe she wasn’t ready for that fight. That should have never happened, right?

“These guys trained, they got in the ring and they fought, and one of the two guys not only fought, he fought beyond exhaustion to where his body started giving out. He kept fighting. He was dying, and he kept fighting. He fought so hard, his heart and everything else gave out.”

In the case of Slice and Dada 5000, Barry said, we should actually be applauding the two for what they did bring to the table rather than what they didn’t.

“How about high-fiving them for both making a tremendous amount of money and that way, everybody starts getting paid more?” he said.

For complete coverage of Bellator 149, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

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