MMA legend Josh Barnett spoke about fighters calling out professional wrestlers-turned-MMA fighters Brock Lesnar and CM Punk during a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour” on Monday.
Barnett, who admits he’d like to fight Lesnar, says that experienced MMA veterans calling out the likes of Lesnar and Punk are being “kind of cowardly.”
“That would be huge business. It would be a great match to make happen,” said Barnett. “I can never make that, I could never force the issue. But I’ve always put my voice out there in terms of wanting that fight. Then again, at this point it just sounds like I’m joining the chorus of all the MMA heavyweights that have called (for a fight with Lesnar). It’s kind of the same thing as CM Punk in that these (MMA) guys are all out there running their mouth saying how they want to beat up Punk or beat up Lesnar because they think it’s an easy payday.”
Barnett continued, “They see some lack of ability in their MMA game because of them not being fighters for pretty much their whole life. If they are going to go out there and get all of that glory and all of that notoriety to go beat this guy up, they see it as an easy shot which is, I don’t know, in some ways kind of cowardly, actually. For me, I think of it as the business side of things. Not the business side in that I’m going to make so much money, but business in that, it’s two pro wrestlers with styles; yeah, seeing the two of use go at it because people will find interest in it and the fight will be interesting itself. Not just in that I’m some guy that is going to try and bully some other guy who has got less experience and then act like I’m king shit of turd mountain.”
The UFC Heavyweight contender concluded, “All these guys are like, ‘yeah give me Punk, give me Punk.’ It’s like, okay dude, you’ve got like 30 fights and three different titles in other little organizations and now you want to go fight a guy with zero fights? Look at how fucking bad ass you are.”
