J. Barnett is currently ranked sixth in the Ultimate heavyweight rankings. Photo: Esther Lin/Strikeforce
Since before the fight against Mark Hunt, Antonio Pezão he already stated that Josh Barnett was an opponent he would like to face in the octagon, due to some disagreements between them in the now defunct Strikeforce. More recently, the North American veteran also came into the sights of another Brazilian, Junior Gypsy, who said he was interested in facing him. In Barnett's own opinion, however, a duel against Cigano or Pezão would not be good for his career.
“I don’t call anyone to fight. But Junior Gypsy Do you think you can beat me or beat Travis Browne? He's not even sure he can beat Cain Velásquez. Pezão, on the other hand, seems to have some anger towards me, due to our careers in Strikeforce. But I don't care about that. He wants to get some attention from the press, but I’m not going to serve as a springboard”, said the heavyweight, in an interview with the “MMA Junkie” website.
To justify his point of view, Barnett stated that he believes he is ahead of the Brazilians in a title fight and classified accepting their challenges as a step backwards. “- Honestly, all I care about right now is Travis Browne. But if I had a chance at the title, there is no possibility of giving Cigano and Pezão an opportunity. That would be more than two steps backwards. It would be idiotic. The belt is everything – commented Josh Barnett”, he concluded.
On December 28th, in Las Vegas (USA), Josh Barnett faces Hawaiian Travis Browne at UFC 168. According to Ultimate President Dana White, the winner of this fight should be UFC's next opponent. Fabricio Werdum, which is still awaiting the return of the champion Cain Velazquez after shoulder surgery. Taking into account that Cigano and Pezão are in the top-5 in the 120 kg division, even above Barnett himself according to the official rankings, a duel against one of the Brazilians cannot be ruled out either.
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