Tag: Josh Barnett

Strikeforce Heavyweights Take a Back Seat to Brocktober

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce

In case you haven’t heard, BROCKTOBER! has started in earnest, with Wednesday night marking the debut of UFC Primetime, the Spike TV show hyping the upcoming Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 121.

I’m not a bi…

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In case you haven’t heard, BROCKTOBER! has started in earnest, with Wednesday night marking the debut of UFC Primetime, the Spike TV show hyping the upcoming Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 121.

I’m not a big fan of the whole Brocktober thing — I’m actually more excited about Lyotovember, when I assume the UFC will offer fans hours of programming featuring detailed analysis of how Machida’s precision striking will make him a difficult opponent for Rampage Jackson at UFC 123 — but I am excited about the Lesnar-Velasquez fight.

That’s really what we want as MMA fans: The promoters to give us fights that we’re excited about. And that’s what I was getting at a few weeks ago, when I questioned Josh Barnett for saying after he signed with Strikeforce that “Strikeforce is the home of the best heavyweight division in the world.” Whether Strikeforce or the UFC has the better heavyweight fighters is less important than whether Strikeforce or the UFC has the better heavyweight fights. And on that score it’s not even close.

Werdum Aiming For March Strikeforce Return; Wants Fedor or Overeem and Not Barnett

 (Barnett? Yeah, right. You saw what he did to Affliction, didn’t you?)
Fabricio Werdum revealed to Sherdog today that he is targeting March for his return to the  Hexagontm, but says newly-signed Strikeforce heavyweight Josh Barnett isn’t on…

 
(Barnett? Yeah, right. You saw what he did to Affliction, didn’t you?)

Fabricio Werdum revealed to Sherdog today that he is targeting March for his return to the  Hexagontm, but says newly-signed Strikeforce heavyweight Josh Barnett isn’t on his radar for his first or second fight back.

"The surgery was such a success and I’ve been working so hard with the physical therapy that I’ve already made some movement on the ground a few days ago using 70 percent of my power…I believe that by March, I’ll be back to the ring…My goal now is either a rematch with Fedor or (one) with Overeem for the belt," he said. "But actually the most important thing for me is not who they will choose, but that my body is 100 percent recovered, so I can show to the ones who thought I was lucky that I was actually ready and pretty well-trained to fight Fedor.”

According to Werdum, it’s not that he thinks "The Babyfaced Assassin" is any less of an opponent than "The Last Emperor" or "The Demolition Man," it’s that he hasn’t thought about fighting him at all.

"I thought it was a great acquisition to the event," Werdum explained. "Barnett is a really tough heavyweight. I haven’t thought about facing him yet."

Translation: "I’m waiting to see if Strikeforce is still around after I fight both of those guys and if I get an invite to return to the UFC before I commit to a fight with Josh."

Harbinger of Doom Alert: Barnett Still Talking About Fighting Fedor

(C’mon, what’s the worst that could happen? PicProps: MMA Gear Guide)
If you’re Strikeforce, this ought to make you pretty nervous. I mean, the last time Josh Barnett started angling toward a fight with Fedor Emelianenko it spelled the beginning …


(C’mon, what’s the worst that could happen? PicProps: MMA Gear Guide)

If you’re Strikeforce, this ought to make you pretty nervous. I mean, the last time Josh Barnett started angling toward a fight with Fedor Emelianenko it spelled the beginning of the end for the previous group of jokers who tried to take on the UFC. Nonetheless, the heavyweight fighter the fans love to hate went on MMA Weekly radio this week and said he still intends to make a fight with Emelianenko come to fruition, assumedly inside the Strikeforce cage.

"I’m sure it will happen at some point,” Barnett said during the on-air appearance. “And it will be just as amazing, at least for me anyways, as it would have been."

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The MMA Hour Live With Vitor Belfort, Josh Barnett, Nate Marquardt, Cole Miller

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosThe MMA Hour now airs twice a week on MMA Fighting, and we’ll be talking to two of the biggest names in the sport on our first Thursday show.

* “The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni wil…

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The MMA Hour now airs twice a week on MMA Fighting, and we’ll be talking to two of the biggest names in the sport on our first Thursday show.

* “The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni will join us in studio to discuss UFN 22 and the state of his career.

* Vitor Belfort will stop by to discuss his UFC 122 fight against Yushin Okami and having to work his way back to another title shot.

* Josh Barnett, the newest member of the Strikeforce heavyweight division, will discuss his new contract and his fighting future.

* Cole Miller, who defeated Ross Pearson in very impressive fashion at UFN 22, will look back on his win and discuss what’s next for him.

* And finally, Nate Marquardt, fresh off his win Wednesday night over Rousimar Palhares, will join the show again to look back on his big victory.

And of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193 or 212-254-0237.

Download this show and previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes here.

The MMA Hour begins below beginning at 1 PM ET.

Josh Barnett Eyes Strikeforce Debut in 2010 Against ‘Whoever’s Willing to Do It’

Filed under: StrikeforceWith the ink on his Strikeforce contract barely dry, former Pride and UFC heavyweight standout Josh Barnett made his career intentions very clear on Thursday’s edition of “The MMA Hour.”

“My goal is to be the absolute best in t…

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With the ink on his Strikeforce contract barely dry, former Pride and UFC heavyweight standout Josh Barnett made his career intentions very clear on Thursday’s edition of “The MMA Hour.”

“My goal is to be the absolute best in the world and to beat everybody who walks this earth,” Barnett told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “And you know what? There’s a lot of people out there.”

Barnett said he signed a contract with Strikeforce that is “not perfect,” but good enough to get him back in front of American audiences for the first time since a failed drug test torpedoed his hopes of getting licensed to fight Fedor Emelianenko in an Affliction event back in July of 2009.

While Barnett said he doesn’t yet have an opponent or a date planned for his Strikeforce debut, he expects to have his first fight in the organization “before the end of the year.”

Sarah Kaufman Says Fighters Need to Stand Up for What They Deserve

Filed under: StrikeforceStrikeforce 135-pound women’s champion Sarah Kaufman will get her wish when she takes on Marloes Coenen on the main card of Strikeforce’s next big Showtime event on October 9 in San Jose, and she has no regrets about what she ha…

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Strikeforce 135-pound women’s champion Sarah Kaufman will get her wish when she takes on Marloes Coenen on the main card of Strikeforce’s next big Showtime event on October 9 in San Jose, and she has no regrets about what she had to do to make it happen.

“I think it’s important for fighters to stand up for what they deserve,” Kaufman said on Friday afternoon’s Strikeforce media call, responding to questions about her post-fight remarks following a victory over Roxanne Modafferi on a Strikeforce Challengers card in July.

“You don’t want to make your organization look bad, but if your issue needs to be said, I’m happy I said what I said and I think my fight kind of backed that up,” Kaufman added. “Whether it was me talking or the fans reacting or the fight itself getting highlighted on ESPN, I think they all worked together in helping push the division and have a title [fight] on the main card.”

That title fight pits the undefeated Kaufman against a Dutch challenger who posted a loss in her last outing – a 145-pound title scrap against Strikeforce champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos – only don’t try telling Coenen that she doesn’t deserve back-to-back title shots in different divisions.