With the announcement that the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Zuffa, had purchased the Strikeforce promotion, former UFC heavyweight champion “The Baby Faced Assassin” Josh Barnett (29-5) sees this as an opportunity for him to fight in the octagon again against the best in the world.
Barnett and the UFC parted ways way back in 2002 after he was stripped of the UFC title after testing positive for banned substances after defeating former champion Randy Couture at UFC 36 for the belt. He and UFC President Dana White also started a bitter exchange at that time, which has continued till this day.
Sherdog.com talked to “The Baby Faced Assassin” and got his thoughts on the UFC’s acquisition, as well as where he feels his future may lie.
“If he (White) hates me, he hates me; but if he sees the value in what I bring to the table as a fighter I think that will speak for itself. But you know what? I don’t hate Dana and I do business, and I’ll go out there and do the absolute best that I can do and if he happens to be my employer … literally, if Dana White has an office that I have to write into every day, because that’s the person I report to for my business, well that’s what I’ll do…”
“Whether he wants to think about it or not, here and now, no bulls**t, Dana White is pretty f–king metal and I am a metal dude … we’ll at least have that sort of respect that can’t be overlooked.”
“I know the biggest thing that will affect my career, and that’s going out there and winning this tournament. That’s the biggest thing that I can actually make a difference in, that’s something I actually have control over.”
Barnett is currently scheduled to meet fellow Grand Prix Tournament participant Brett Rogers on June 18 in Dallas, Texas.