For a guy who seems like he’s getting screwed by his employer, Josh Barnett sure is keeping cool about it. First he had his fight with Andrei Arlovski put in jeopardy when Affliction decided they couldn’t pull off their October “Day of Reckoning” event in Las Vegas. Then, a few weeks later, they announce that Arlovski will be fighting on this Saturday’s Elite XC card (and will be paid well to do it), but he’ll face Roy Nelson instead of Barnett. And why? Barnett says he never turned the fight down, but Atencio says he “couldn’t get a hold of him.”
Barnett was cagey while telling his side of the story to MMA Weekly, but it sounds as if there’s something else going on here than just a simple case of miscommunication:
“I was disappointed, yes. That was supposed to be my fight. We talked about it at some point prior to going to Japan, and I found out that I didn’t get the fight while in Japan. I continued to work on some business there, especially after I found out I wasn’t getting the fight.”
Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t sound like a guy who just missed a phone call. It could be that Nelson comes a lot cheaper than “The Baby-Faced Assassin”, who has said repeatedly that he is not interested in fighting at a discounted rate.
In any event, whatever is going on between Barnett and Affliction seems to have implications beyond just this Elite XC co-promotion, as Barnett confirmed in no uncertain terms that he won’t be fighting Fedor in January.
Oddly, the implication from the MMA Weekly article is that this might also have something to do with personal feelings between Barnett and Fedor:
“It would be (logical) for the fans, but the fans don’t understand contracts or the way things have been put down on the back end in terms of the business aspect of it,” he said. “Or the details between both of the fighters. So, it’s not really that we want to rob the fans of something, it’s just that I don’t think it’s possible.”
He maintains his decision is based on personal and business reasons.
“There’s just some times it’s better to keep your mouth shut and just not really talk too much about things,” he said. “I’m not trying to make anybody look bad or talk about the details of it, but it’s just not a fight that’s going to happen in January. And I think that the feeling is actually mutual.”
Barnett met Emelianenko for dinner during his trip to Japan, and the possibility of the fight was discussed. It was there Barnett concluded he would not fight his friend in January.
“There’s a lot of factors that go into this one,” he continued. “It’s not so simple.”
Business concerns are understandable. Everybody gots to get paid, and they want the best possible contract terms when they step in the ring. But this stuff about it being personal? That’s a little tough to swallow. What you’re telling me is that Josh Barnett, who almost teared up after his knockout of Pedro Rizzo because he liked the guy so much, doesn’t want to fight Fedor because they’re suddenly buds? He called Rizzo “a beautiful soul” and still it didn’t stop him from knocking the guy stiff. This is one case where you really hope it’s about money.
If a Barnett-Fedor fight gets scrapped because they just can’t bring themselves to hit one another, it will be a sad day for Affliction and MMA fans, and probably a very happy day for Dana White.
Fedor Emelianenko shrugged off his injured thumb following his thirty-six second demolition of Tim Sylvia at Affliction: Banned, but now a hand injury has his next Affliction bout against Andrei Arlovski in doubt. Five Ounces of Pain is reporting that Fedor is off the October 11 card and that instead we’ll see Josh Barnett step in to take his place.
Barnett made a ripple in the MMA news pond earlier this week when he said he would not take a pay cut for his next Affliction bout, as VP Tom Atencio hinted that he may ask the fighters to do. If Barnett is going to be the main event savior for Affliction, you can bet he’s going to insist on being paid like one, especially now that he knows Tim Sylvia is walking around with $800,000 in his pocket.
Losing Fedor for their second show could turn out to be an interesting test for Affliction. If they can still draw without their main attraction, the organization might have some legs. If they can’t, the outlook becomes grim. Very grim.
This is officially an MMA catch phrase now. Thanks, Andrei Arlovski (via MMA Rated). Whether you knew what you were saying or not, you have indeed given us a wonderful gift. Even Josh Barnett’s saying it. He’s also talking about how much he loves British metal band Bolt Thrower, which he likens to “being surrounded by an army of guitars and having your skull crushed.” Sweet.
It’s bad etiquette to ask more than a few questions of any single individual in a one-on-one situation following a press conference. However, I broke an unwritten rule when interviewing Josh Barnett last week following Affliction’s press conference in New York to promote its inaugural event on July 19.
It was just a situation where once [...]
What: Affliction: BANNED
When: July 19, 2008
Where: Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
Watch: Pay Per View
Here’s the latest on Affliction: BANNED:
Main Card
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia @ HW
Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo @ HW
Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao @ MW
Ben Rothwell vs. ??? @ HW
Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead @ LHW
Rodrigo Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vernon White [...]
Have you ever wondered who was the better wrestler, Tito Ortiz or Matt Hughes? Or if Josh Barnett was tougher than Mark Kerr? What really happened in the controversial match between Ricco Rodriguez and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira?
All of those questions (and more) are answered in this outstanding collection of grappling matches from the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC).
Since 1998, the beautiful land of Abu Dhabi has played host to the Submission Wrestling World Championships. The ADCC World Championships are considered the pinnacle of ground fighting sports around the globe for world-class grapplers.
Take a walk back in time and witness some of the most competitive tournament matches in ADCC history.
THE FIGHTS:
Fabiano Iha -vs- Joe Hurley
Mark Kerr -vs- Josh Barnett
Roberto ‘Roleta’ Magalhaes -vs- Rodrigo ‘Cumprido’ Medeiros
Rumina Sato -vs- Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro
Vitor Belfort -vs- Genki Sudo
Baret Yoshida -vs- Wellington ‘Megaton’ Diaz
Matt Hughes -vs- Tito Ortiz
Jean-Jacques Machado -vs- Ricardo Arona
Ricco Rodriguez -vs- Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Noguiera
Eddie Ruiz -vs- Hayato ‘Mach†Sakurai
Mario Sperry -vs- Larry Parker
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World Victory Road’s “Sengoku II: Second Battle” event was held today in Tokyo, with Josh Barnett dominating Jeff Monson to a decision victory, Kevin Randleman winning a decision in his first fight since October 2006, and heavyweight rising star Roger Gracie scoring a first-round submission win in his second pro MMA bout. Props to Sherdog. More vids after the jump.
Josh Barnett def. Jeff Monson via decision
Roger Gracie def. Yuki Kondo via submission (rear-naked choke), round 1
Kevin Randleman def. Ryo Kawamura via decision
Yoshihiro “Kiss” Nakao def. Jim York via KO, round 2
Jorge Santiago def. Yuki Sasaki via submission (armbar), round 3
Eiji Mitsuoka def. Kwang Hee Lee via submission (rear-naked choke), round 1
Mike Pyle def. Dan Hornbuckle via submission (triangle choke), round 1
Satoru Kitaoka def. Ian Schaffa via submission (guillotine choke), round 1
Former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE superstar Josh “The Babyface Assassin†Barnett (22-5) defeated fellow UFC veteran Jeff “The Snowman†Monson (24-8) via unanimous decision earlier this morning at Sengoku II: Second Battle at Tokyo’s Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.
In an event filled with slick first-round submissions, Barnett needed a decision to overcome the wily Monson. Barnett however was dominant in his performance, controlling Monson on the ground and using his size to stifle his much smaller opponent.
In the night’s only other decision, former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin “The Monster†Randleman (17-12) returned to the win column with a controversial decision over Pancrase veteran Ryo Kawamura (8-3-2).
Randleman hadn’t competed since October of 2006 when he was submitted by Shogun Rua at PRIDE 32. The former NCAA national champion was in trouble with the law in August of 2007 and even more trouble with a gruesome staph infection last October.
It’s great to see him back and hopefully his win over Kawamura is a sign of things to come.
Also on the card, former UFC middleweight Jorge Santiago (17-7) continued his hot streak by submitting Grabaka’s Yuki Sasaki (21-14-1). Santiago was just 1-2 in the UFC, having been knocked out by Chris Leben at Fight Night 6 and Alan Belcher at Fight Night 7.
Since then he’s an impressive 5-0, dominating the competition with a variety of submissions and knockouts.
Three-time King of Pancrase Yuki Kondo (48-22-6) was submitted by grappling deity Roger Gracie (2-0). Kondo had the thankless role of late fill-in for Gracie, who was flying solo until May 5th, when Kondo was finally announced.
Here are the Sengoku II: Second Battle complete results:
-Satoru Kitaoka defeats Ian James Schaffa via submission (Guillotine Choke - R1)
-Mike Pyle defeats Dan Hornbuckle via submission (Triangle Choke - R1)
-Eiji Mitsuoka defeats Kwang Hee Lee submission (Rear Naked Choke - R1)
-Jorge Santiago defeats Yuki Sasaki via submission (Armbar - R3)
-Kiss Nakao defeats Jim York via KO (R2)
-Kevin Randleman defeats Ryo Kawamura via unanimous decision
-Roger Gracie defeats Yuki Kondo via sumbission (Rear Naked Choke - R1)
-Josh Barnett defeats Jeff Monson via unanimous decision
From the Sengoku PBP Post:
Josh Barnett vs. Jeff Monson
U WA SHOCK!
These dudes are good friends, they shook hands and even almost hugged during the staredown. They’re both standing up, attempting some decent strikes but nothing significant landing. Good low kicks by Josh Barnett, whoa spinning back kick by Barnett, working his jab and using his [...]
I might not give the most accurate play-by-play, because I’m multi tasking and trying to do other stuff at the same time as I watch Sengoku II and post this.
I say “kinda” because I don’t know how long I’ll be awake. I’m in the United States and it’s 4:20am right now as I start this [...]
