Barnett: UFC champ Velasquez is good, but Strikeforce tourney winner better

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22049/barnett-ufc-champ-velasquez-is-good-but-strikeforce-tourney-winner-better.mma

by Dann Stupp

Everyone and his brother has weighed in on who's the world's best MMA heavyweight, and given Strikeforce's upcoming and star-studded heavyweight grand prix, the debate won't stop anytime soon.

Josh Barnett, an entrant in the tourney, understandably thinks the world's No. 1 heavyweight will be the Strikeforce grand-prix winner.

But that's no shot at UFC champ Cain Velasquez, Barnett recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

In fact, Barnett has nothing but respect for Velasquez, who's rehabbing a shoulder he injured in an October title win over then-champ Brock Lesnar. Barnett admires how Velasquez has blended his new striking skills with his wrestling foundation during an undefeated career, and he doesn't question the champ's toughness.

"I'm not saying that Velasquez isn't any good," Barnett said. "I think he's showing great skills as an MMA fighter, and his development has come along really well. He's looking really tough."

But Barnett doesn't think he's the king of the heavyweights, and he also feels Velasquez wasn't the 2010 Fighter of the Year like many pundits labeled him.

"I don't think one fight makes you Fighter of the Year," said Barnett, referencing Velasquez's 2010 wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Lesnar. "I'll go on record and say Nogueira is punchy now. He's a guy who lived on his chin in terms of fighting, and he could take inordinate amounts of punishment and survive. But your body has such a limitation for that, and eventually you can't take shots like that and weather the storm and come back.

"Your brain has just been battered way too much, and with Nogueira, I think that's the case."

That's why he thinks the upcoming Strikeforce tourney – which kicks off Feb. 12 with Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov – will determine the world's true No. 1 heavyweight.

Barnett, who meets Brett Rogers in an opening-round matchup tentatively scheduled for April, is no stranger to big tournaments. He was one of the participants in the legendary 16-slot PRIDE 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix. The tournament widely is regarded as the greatest in MMA history.

Barnett lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the rousing finale of the grand prix, which included MMA legends such as Nogueira, Werdum and Wanderlei Silva.

But Barnett likes the upcoming Strikeforce field, which also includes Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem and Werdum, even better.

"I really think this one is more solid all around because everyone's a true heavyweight in it and everyone has quite a notable pedigree, even the newer guys," he said.

So will the winner be the world's best heavyweight?

"Absolutely," he said. "Absolutely."

In that legendary PRIDE tournament, Barnett faced Aleksander Emelianenko in May, then Mark Hunt in July, and then Nogueira and Filipovic in the same night in September. It was a grueling road to the finale, and given his energy-depleting 15-minute battle with Nogueira, Barnett was on fumes for Filipovic, who made quick work of Silva earlier in the night. Filipovic ultimately punched Barnett, who had a badly swollen face, into submission.

"I could talk about things leading into training and blah, blah, blah," he said. "You can't make excuses. 'Cro Cop,' he ran through Wanderlei. He did it because he was well prepared, and he was ready to fight. He had Wanderlei's number that night, and he made short work of him – not because Wanderlei was not a good fighter but because 'Cro Cop' was really on. "

So when fans say Barnett is in in the easier bracket in the Strikeforce tourney (he or Rogers meets the winner of Arlovski vs. Kharitonov), he doesn't exactly protest.

"Thankfully, I finally got the easier side of things," he joked. "But honestly, I don't know. I expect nothing but the best from my opponent.

"[Rogers] certainly is dangerous. He's a big, powerful guy. He's going to be looking for any way he can exploit his strengths and big punching power.

The only potential hurdle to the matchup and the tourney is Barnett's status with the California State Athletic Commission. Barnett failed a drug test in 2009 and hasn't been able to get licensed since then. A series of miscommunications and postponements continually has delayed the hearing, which could get resolution on Feb. 4.

"There's some things I need to figure out with that with counsel and Strikeforce, and also, I need to hear something from the commission, as well, in terms of what exactly they intend to do or want," he said. "I definitely don't want to spend my time and fly up there to be ambushed."

(Stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com for an update on Barnett's standing with the commission.)

For the latest on "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva" and the Strikeforce in April event, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.