UFC on Versus 6 fight card: Stefan Struve vs Pat Barry a heavyweight attraction

When Stefan Struve and Pat Barry meet in the center of the cage tonight (Sat., Oct. 1, 2011) in the co-main event of UFC on Versus 6: "Cruz vs. Johnson" in Washington D.C., it won't be a freakshow fight.

It will just look like one.

That's because the tallest man in the heavyweight division, Struve (6'11'') will take on the shortest man in the heavyweight division, Barry (5'11'').

The match-up itself is even enough. Both men are kickboxers with knockout power coming off explosive losses in their last bouts. And neither man looks particularly like a future title contender, with inconsistency being the bane of both of their mixed martial arts existences. 

But that doesn't mean this won't be a nice little slobberknocker to entertain us before the championship fight right after it.

Struve may have been on the cusp of the division elite after consecutive stoppage wins over Christian Morecraft and Sean McCorkle, respectively, but Travis Browne emphatically put an end to all that jazz by superman punching him into oblivion just this past May in Las Vegas.

It marked the second time in four fights "The Skyscraper" had been stopped in such brutal fashion and raised quite a few questions over the 23-year-olds potential longevity swimming amongst the sharks at 265-pounds.

Cold but fair.

The same can be said for Barry, who possesses a skill set that pleases both the fans and his employers but doesn't lend itself to the smoothest path to victory.

Indeed, the last time we saw "HD," he was going balls out for a finish on Cheick Kongo before eating a couple right hands that put his lights out.

No one wants to be on the receiving end of one of the greatest highlight reel knockouts in UFC history.

At 32-years-old, it's fair to wonder just how far Barry can go in the current climate of the fight game. What is his place, exactly? He's better than a gatekeeper but not quite a contender.

A lot of questions floating around without definitive answers for these two fighters.

Until tonight.