Josh Barnett – It’s Time for My Return to Mixed Martial Arts
By Dave Carpinello
With his return to mixed martial arts coming soon, the “Baby-faced Assassin” took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for PunchDrunkGamer.
PDG: With the wrestling you have been doing and training your team for Ring Of Fire: How is your personal MMA training going?
Josh: Not too bad. With the wrestling and coaching it keeps me on the mats and I’m out there sparring all the time to help the fighters I train with. Erik [Paulson] is also working with me to keep me sharp. We knew a fight would come, and I thought I might get one at any moment last year, so I made an effort to be ready.
PDG: Your first fight since 12/2006, Yoshida; It seems like a great fight for your return as far as good competition and a chance to gauge yourself. What do you expect from your opponent and yourself in this fight?
Josh: It’s a great fight for the Japanese fans and the organization. I think it will really draw them in and I’m very happy to have the chance to compete against someone like Yoshida-san. He’s a good guy and a good fighter. I trained with him many times and always found him to be a strong fighter. I think he’ll want to keep this fight on the ground but I couldn’t care less about where we go as long as the crowd loves it.
PDG: A lot of news sources (besides PDG) were saying you would be fighting Aleks again. If you had your choice and a promotion put the deal together, would you be fighting Aleks or Fedor Emelianenko?
Josh: No one offered me a fight against Aleksander in April and I don’t know how the rumor got started. I know he wants to rematch, which I’m fine with, but nothing’s been proposed by any promoters yet. Anyone who wants to be the best has to fight the best, but my career, and Fedor’s too, is not based on us chasing each other down. If it’s meant to be, it will happen. He is a great fighter and anyone would be honored to fight him.
PDG: On a level from one to ten… How excited are you to comeback to professional MMA? and why?
Josh: I’m really excited since I never intended to take a year off. It’s one thing to choose and accept to sit but another when you see so many of your peers finding success. I have a lot of goals to meet still and I feel like I’m far from reaching my top potential.
PDG: What can your fans expect to see from the “Baby-faced Assassin” in his return?
Josh: More and better of what they have come to enjoy about my fights. As I improve, so will my fights, and it’s as simple as that.
PDG: What did you think of UFC 81 with Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar?
Josh: I think that fight showed that the UFC doesn’t necessarily have the best competition pool at heavyweight. Lesnar obviously needs more work and hopefully next time he’ll come out to train with me like Greg Nelson proposed. Mir knows how to break a limb or two and his experience paid off.
PDG: Thanks for the update Josh.
Josh: No problem, anytime!
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