Josh Barnett vs. Frank Mir is slated to be the co-main event of UFC 164, which is the second mixed martial arts (MMA) offering of the week, live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Aug. 31, 2013.
At yesterday's pre-fight press conference (read what Hemmi said about it here), however, one would think Barnett (32-6) was setting up a future grudge match against high profile (or not) free agent Ben Askren. Their recent exchange is stemming from some choice tweets "Funky" had to say regarding Barnett and VADA Testing.
When reporters asked the heavyweight grappler about the tweets (video), Barnett informed the media that it was not their job to "help the losers."
"I am not here to make press for small people. I just don't understand, I don't call people out. The process is much more difficult than that. There's a bunch of people who decide it. To me, it's more of a reflection of, why antagonize someone for no reason? Why garner attention by doing something negative? Why not do something on your own merits? Do it for your own positive reasons rather than piggyback on someone else. I have a 260-pound grown man who wants to tear off one of my arms. I'm in the mood for violence. He took it to two, I took it to 100. To all you other press guys, going forward, don't ask me about it. Don't help the losers."
Barnett, regrettably, has an ugly history when it comes to drug tests.
What was interesting about the whole ordeal was Dana White chuckling directly beside "The Warmaster" following his response. This coming after all the talk surrounding the former current Bellator 170-pound champion making the jump to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Assuming Bjorn Rebney doesn't f--k him first.
Is Askren going about his down time positively? Or do you think this is a product of him trying to garner a buzz at the expense of an easy target?