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Josh Barnett is obviously scared to fight Junior Dos Santos.
The free agent heavyweight might be stating otherwise, but only in an attempt to hide his cowardice.
On Feb. 6, MMA fans were baffled to hear Barnett announce his refusal of the UFC’s well-publicized contract offer. Barnett’s agent, Leland Labarre, indicated that the UFC’s offer was generous, yet somehow unacceptable. When questioned, Labarre was cryptic about the specific reason why a deal could not be made.
On Saturday in London, Dana White shed some light on the issue when he told reporters Barnett turned down a fight against Dos Santos. This prompted many MMA fans to question whether Barnett had enough guts to step into the Octagon with a knockout artist like Dos Santos.
Barnett’s camp immediately went into damage control mode. In response, Labarre released a statement from his client.
“I was excited to fight Junior,” the statement read. “I thought he was a favorable match up for me, but Zuffa was unwilling to give me something that they gave Eddie Alvarez. Although things seem to be working out well for me, I feel bad for the fans.”
This is poor justification for any fighter to completely walk away from the negotiation table. In fact, every other high-profile Strikeforce fighter was able to agree to a contract with the UFC. One of those Strikeforce fighters is Daniel Cormier, who dominated Barnett to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Cormier, like the other Strikeforce fighters have transitioned smoothly into the UFC. All of these fighters have shown eagerness to take on top contenders. Barnett, however, saw the UFC’s intent to give him hard fights and ran.
The magnitude of his cowardice is even greater since he has continually refused to explain his decision the media. It is sad to see Barnett is hiding behind his agent’s prepared statements.
His fans certainly deserve better.
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