UFC
UFC on Fox 3 Results: Lavar Johnson survives submission attempt, stops Pat Barry in first round
May 5, 2012 - 8:35:21 PM UFC on Fox 3 Results: Lavar Johnson survives submission attempt, stops Pat Barry in first round

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After ending his run in Strikeforce on a two-fight losing streak, Lavar Johnson has made his name in the Octagon on two straight knockout wins in the UFC. After an impressive debut over Joey Beltran in January, the UFC gave him a big opportunity to open up their third event on Fox, and on Saturday night he delivered.

Johnson survived a rarely seen submission attempt by kickboxer Pat Barry in the early minutes of their fight, and after getting back to his feet he went on the attack. The damage from his power strikes started piling up, and Barry was having a hard time dealing with them.

Johnson kept the pressure on, pressing Barry to the cage and delivering a vicious unanswered barrage of strikes. He got through with some big uppercuts as Barry could do nothing more than cover up, and finally Johnson dropped Barry to bring an end to the bout in the final minute of the opening frame.

For Barry, he's now lost five fights inside the Octagon, which could put his roster spot at risk. However, he's also provided the UFC a lot of excitement during his run, and that usually brings about more opportunities for fighters.

Penick's Analysis: Barry was looking to do what I thought he might in going for that submission, but once he lost it he just had no follow up on the ground. Then to top it off, he had no answer for the assault when the fight went back to the feet. It was disappointing to see, but Johnson hits immensely hard and if you can't take him out first that's just what he can do to almost anyone.