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5 MMA Fighters Who May Be Better Off Kickboxing in 2014
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts
Alistair Overeem
If Overeem loses his upcoming fight against Frank Mir it's safe to say he's done, he's through, he's out.... peace.
3 losses in a row in the UFC is not good for anyone, especially not someone who is ridiculous paid, has lost his fights due to arrogant mistakes, and has recently been popped for juicing.
If Overeem were to get cut I can't see Bellator or WSOF interested in him, and I can't see any other MMA promotion in the world being able to afford to offer him regular fights. This for me if where Glory would step in.
On the rise Glory have some of the best Light-heavyweight and heavyweight fights in the world including Schilt, Saki, and Tyrone Spong. Armed with deals with Spike and BT sports, Glory have put on event after event of quality kickboxing which are threaten to take away some of the UFCs steam in the near future.
Should Overeem lose to Frank Mir, who is no easy fight, I feel the opportunity to sign a known MMA fighter, with legitimate kickboxing credential would be too good for Glory to pass up on.
Paul Daley
Paul Daleys inclusion on this list differs from most of the other fighters in that he may be too good for the level of competition he is fighting in MMA at this point.
A former top 10 welterweight, Paul Daley deserves to be fighting at the highest level. Having fought all over the world, Daley has knocked out some of the best welterweights to ever enter into a cage. However 2013 sees Daley fighting cans like Romario Manoel da Silva, Lukasz Chlewicki, and Patrick Vallee.
Having been cut from the UFCs roster for punching Josh Koscheck after the bell, and having been released from Bellator due to a legal issue outside of the cage, there's aren't many fights available to Daley where his opponent will have enough in his arsine to make the fight semi-competitive. This is where kickboxing comes into play.
Having already agreed to compete in kickboxing as well as MMA in 2014, Daley has an avenue to rise back to his former glory in 2014, establishing himself as a kickboxer worthy of competing for promotions such as Glory, K-1, and Legends, all which can offer Daley a bigger platform than the one he is currently on.
Pat Barry
As exciting as Pat Barry's fight are (while they last), Barry is simply not cut out for the level at which he is competing, and it's starting to feel like it might getting a little bit bad for his health at this point.
Barry is one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division - his kicks are some of the hardest in MMA, but unfortunately for Barry he is not physical enough, nor does he have the ground game to compete with most of the fighters in his weight division.
At 235lb Barry is not a massive heavyweight, and could probably make the cut to 205lb, however I genuinely don't see this making a difference for him. I still see him being man handled at light-heavyweight, possibly even more so than he is at heavyweight.
With a record of 5-7 in the UFC on paper Barry looks like he has what it takes to pick up a few wins here and there, however upon further inspection, you will see all the guys he's beat have since been deemed as not good enough for the UFC either and have all been handed their release papers.
When I say Barry isn't good enough for the level of competition he's facing, I don't just mean the UFC, I mean national MMA in general as I don't envision Barry performing too well in Bellator or WSOF either. Both promotions have several fights that would have no problem beating Barry: Kongo, Lavar Johnson, Arlovski, Mike Russow, and that's just a few off the top of my head.
What's keeping Barry around at this point is his fights are exciting, but getting knocked out is no good for anyone especially when it's 230lb plus guys knocking you out. It also feels that Pat Barry is easier to put away with each outing - example being Barrry's most recent fight against Soa Palelei where it looked as if Barry's chin had deserted him.
With all this being said Pat Barry is a great fighter, just not the well rounded fighter required to compete at the top level in MMA. Having competed to one the the highest levels in Kickboxing while with K1, Barry may find that not only may he have more success fighting under kickboxing rules in 2014, it will be a whole lot safer for him.
Thiago Alves
Alves' inclusion is very similar to Overeems in the fact that he can't afford to lose in 2014. Unfortunately though for Alves by the time he steps in the octagon he will have been out of action for over 2 years.
2-4 in his last 6 fights, Alves will be in desperate need of a win his next outing, or face the likely chop from the UFC.
Fighting for a health purse of $60,000 a fight, Alves does not come cheap, especially when you consider the UFC have been footing his medical bills for the last 2 years.
Should Alves ultimately be cut in 2014 it's hard to see any promotion paying anywhere near this kind of money especially when you consider the only 2 leagues (WSOF and Bellator) on the planet who may be willing to dig deep enough to cough up that kinda change, have divisions chocked up of guys that would beat Alves.The likes of Fitch, Palharis, Lima, Burrell etc. shouldn't have a problem despatching an apprehensive Thiago Alves who is worried about being taken down, and therefore hesitant to strike.
That being said, when he is trading Alves Is a formidable striker capable of finishing just about anyone on Gods green earth with a variety of strikes. He is still a marketable name too thanks to his 2008/09 title run, so much so he actually headlined the last UFC event he fought at before his injury.
With a catalogue of brutal knocks, and a marketable name, signing Alves would be an attractive proposition for almost any kickboxing promotion out there. Should Alves be released from the UFC, he may actually be better off leaving MMA for kickboxing, a sport that may suit Alves' fighting style a little more at this point.
Cris Justino
Justino is an absolute beast. Facts are Justino could carry on fight MMA and beating the worlds best 145lb women in the world as she has done her whole career, but what's the point? Justino insists on fighting at 145lb, a weight category 10lbs heavier than anyone actually cares about.
Being one of the most feared strikers in all MMA - men and women, Justino has made of career of battering high level strikers such as Gina Carano and most recent French Muay Thai champion Jenifier Colomb at all kickboxing event Lion Fights.
If it is genuinely true and Justino can't go down to 135lbs, I really don't see the point in her sticking around fighting 145ers who can't / won't bring their weight down for a shot at the UFC either. Having recently competed in a kickboxing event to great success, maybe Justino should consider hanging up her 4 ounce groves and commit full time to a growing sport which can provide her with a greater level of competition, and the opportunity to fight more often.
