Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American mixed martial artist Josh Barnett.
Last updated on September 12, 2024.
Joshua Lawrence Barnett is an American mixed martial artist, submission grappler, professional wrestler and color commentator currently signed to Bellator MMA, where he is expected to compete in their Heavyweight division. Barnett previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the youngest ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. In 2003, Barnett won the King of Pancrase Openweight Championship and was a finalist in both the 2006 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix and the 2012 Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix. He has also competed in Affliction, World Victory Road, DREAM and Impact FC. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Barnett was the World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion in 2009 and won the inaugural Metamoris Heavyweight Championship in 2014.
Strikeforce needs a real champ. It needs a real champ like me or Cormier.
A guy with my size and speed, the technical savate kicks can be very dangerous for a heavyweight.
Wrestling is difficult - it is not just about doing moves and running around, and creating high spots. It's so much more subtle than that.
The worst thing you can do to a fighter is stop it before you give him a chance to give all he's got.
Hard times have been on Josh Barnett. Dealing with athletic commissions. Everybody's saying, 'You did this and you did that. You're the problem for this.' That's hard times. Hard times on my family. Hard times on my friends. Hard times on me.
When you look at a guy like Cain Velasquez, he's a tough kid who's fought his way up the ranks, but he doesn't even have as many fights as I have wins.
We understand in this sport, of course, people will develop friendships. But at the same time, in our business, you'll fight, and we're OK with that.
There are a lot of subtle things that are very, very important in wrestling, and to pick those up just takes time and experience. The only way that I really feel is best to do that is to go on the road. I learned every day by showing up early and leaving late.
I know I can win title belts.
The unfortunate part about trial by fire in fighting is that people punch you in the face.
I'm a born fighter.
My interest in wrestling began when I was a little kid, watching NWA and WWF on television.
You have to beat your opponent, otherwise you get to walk home with a black eye and wounded pride.
To me, professional wrestling is made up of that: Olympians, world-class power-lifters, fighters, boxers, and you name it.
I know that I can beat anybody in the world.
I fought 'Travis Browne's' all my career. They just had a different name at a different point in life. They had the same type of skillset. They're basically the same type of guy.
A lot of people take shortcuts in terms of using athleticism and defensive tactics to try and have the right game plan to go out there and win in the mixed martial arts 10-point must system. The finishing ability is put aside a little bit. But to learn to really finish takes more skill. It comes down to finishing. I go out and finish people.
To be in the UFC would mean to go back to where I already won the belt, to go back to where I was a champion at 24 years old, and try to cement my legacy as an MMA fighter.
The way business is conducted on a governmental and legal aspect is completely different in China. The idea for us to have Facebook or Twitter as 'oh, well it's the Internet, anyone can put up whatever they want and be whatever they want.' It doesn't work like that in China. There are much more govermental restrictions on a lot of things.
The concept of USADA is not bad.
I just make sure I'm in good shape to fight whoever's in front of me.
We look at MMA and working pro wrestling as one and the same, they're just two different sides of the coin.
I don't need to chase titles because I've fought in so many title fights and so many title fight-level matches that if somebody thinks I need to give them a reason to give me a shot at any belt in the world, then clearly they don't know what they're about as far as MMA.
Honestly, I feel like the more entrenched into professional wrestling I got, it became apparent to me that it was really a part and parcel with MMA. There wasn't a whole lot of difference at all. If anything, I refer to it as the other side of the same coin.
As long as you're moving forward whether it be one step or ten feet man, you got to keep going.
If every punch thrown was a knockout, then fantastic, but most punches don't end up in knockouts and most submissions don't end up being the one to finish the match.
If I were to fight Fedor I think it'd be a great match and I don't think there'd be any problem.
There will be another Travis Browne when Travis Browne is done being Travis Browne.
I can fight for a title against anyone in any league, anywhere, anytime.
I'm glad Ralek Gracie and Metamoris have been so gung-ho about me competing for them and being their champion. I've liked the response I've been getting and to be able to go out and represent where I'm from in catch-as-catch-can. I go out there and I've beaten my opponents, but we're picking each other off the mats, smiling and shaking hands.
I couldn't think of a worse thing than to be anywhere with Chael Sonnen for 20 minutes.
Any way I can beat somebody up, I want to learn it.
The thing about 'Bigfoot,' he's a big guy and he's agile for a big guy, but he's not that agile and he's not that athletic. In fact, being a big guy is probably his greatest asset.
This isn't the Best Friend Fighting Championship. This is MMA.
I have been doing some savate training.
I always remember the fact that all businesses are for sale if you bring them the right number.
You're the favorite when you've won, you're the loser when you lost.
My goal is to be the absolute best in the world and to beat everybody who walks this earth. And you know what? There's a lot of people out there.
Fighting is not the only thing in my life. It never was the only thing in my life. I have other pathways if I have to ply a trade. I wouldn't be sad about doing these other things, either. I enjoy them as well.
If I focus on one person, the idea is that, oh, now you've attained this goal and beaten one person. One person. Well, what about the rest of them? Now how are you going to feel about fighting them? What's the motiviation there?
We're not going to do any titles in Bloodsport. That's really just for a very very very simple reason and that is because as an indie wrestling promotion, there is no guarantee that we can ensure that we can have return on talent. If someone gets picked up, there's nothing we can do to make sure we keep them.
I think Metamoris really likes having me as their champion, as far as I know, anyway. I think I've done a good job of being a champion and showing what a champion is.
Having a professional grappling outlet is great for other submission wrestlers out there beyond Abu Dhabi, which happens every two years.
I grew up in a great era of professional wrestling. WWF was just really coming into it's own. The start of WrestleManias, the legendary performers like Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, Honky Tonk Man, Iron Sheik, Sgt. Slaughter.
I've seen some folks with Olympic backgrounds go into combat sports and it just not being for them. You know, doing Judo or something else you might excel, but as soon as a punches are flying, they're out.
What your strengths are are always going to be the things that you're going to go back to, especially in the that spot where you need to draw from deep within. You're tired. You're exhausted. The ability to really think things through is highly reduced from being in the midst of battle.
The fighter knows best. Let them do their job. If they want to quit, they'll quit.
I hate to disappoint.
When you can't trust someone, what are you supposed to do? Continue to give them the opportunity to break your trust?
One of the greatest struggles of bureaucracies is they get built and created, but they design themselves in such a way that they can never be at fault. They can never be wrong, they can never have made a mistake and they never want to relent.
Working is working, and there's a lot of great guys in WWE that I'd love to put on a match with.
Titles are spoils of war.
I think Cormier is a great opponent. He's a guy who has competed at the highest level of athletics and I'm going to have to train really hard for him.
You know, there is more to being a coach than just techniques.
The thing is, wherever I go, I'm a wrestler. I'm not an entertainer or superstar or whatever. I'm a wrestler first, and I won't concede on that.
You have to go out there and win battles before you can raid the dead of all their belongings.
There was no title fight in any organization in the world that in my opinion was absurd for me to be a contender in.
I felt like Jeff Cobb was an absolute perfect fit for Bloodsport.
Hard times is not being able to get a fight. Hard times is, knowing the company, waking up one day and seeing they been sold to your competitor, not knowing what you're going to do. Where's my contract at? Where's my money? Where's my security?
I've only got so much time on this Earth and then that's it. So I better make the most of it.