Strikeforce
Josh Barnett says he "showed up to fight" in Strikeforce GP semis; petitions for Title in finals bout with Daniel Cormier
Sep 12, 2011 - 11:20:57 AM Josh Barnett says he "showed up to fight" in Strikeforce GP semis; petitions for Title in finals bout with Daniel Cormier

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Josh Barnett didn't need much time to take out Sergei Kharitonov on Saturday night, getting him to the ground and methodically working his top game until locking in a fight ending arm triangle choke. Barnett credited his preparation for all aspects of the game, and while he gave credit to Kharitonov's skills, he said it was his readiness for everything in the fight that gave him the edge.

"I showed up to fight," Barnett said at the post fight press conference (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com). "Fighting involves boxing, kickboxing, whatever you can pull out of your ass to hit somebody. Grappling, submissions, wrestling. ... You have to go out there and fight this guy, and you better be ready to start from point A to all the way to point Z. Point is starting on the feet. I can fight anyone in the world. I've been there as sparring partners for guys. One of them won the K-1 [kickboxing grand prix].

"I know what it's like to fight on the feet, on the ground and grapple. It's not about doing any one thing. It's always about how to put your game on your opponent. ... That's what it means to be a fighter. Getting hit is part of the plan. I like getting hit. I like the violence. I like the pain. He puts something on me, and I'm going to put it back."

After notching the win, Barnett attempted to convince Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker to make his finals fight with Daniel Cormier for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Title.

Coker had previously stated that the winner of the tournament would not be crowned the new Champion with Alistair Overeem jumping ship to the UFC, and in fact the organization made a belt specific to the Grand Prix winner. However, Barnett thought he'd at least attempt to change his mind.

"All right, Scott," he said. "I love you, but you're my man. Why don't we sweeten the pot? Why don't we put that title on the line between me and Cormier? Either one of us is a grand champion. Either one of us is the kind of guy who will hold it proud, hold our pants up with it, and people will look at us and say, 'Those guys are champs. That's the kind of people we want representing our company; that's the kind of guy I want to look up to and say, 'Hey, you want to see a fighter? You want to see a real bad ass? He's right there. You see the gold around his waist? That's not a joke; that's a reality. The people he had to step over to get it? He earned it.'

"I think [with] that tournament belt, [they did] a beautiful job. That's an amazing belt, but Strikeforce needs a real champ. They need a champ like me and Cormier. One of the two of us has to be it. Because besides us, who is it?"

Coker didn't bite on that request, but nevertheless Barnett's next fight is set. If he can take out the increasingly impressive Cormier early next year, there won't be any other fighter in the organization with a case for being the division's Champion.

Penick's Analysis: Strikeforce is in no hurry to crown new champions in the divisions that have vacant titles because there's a definite possibility the organization isn't around this time next year. There are a lot of questions as to whether or not Strikeforce will be kept around past the expiration of the Showtime deal, especially with Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem already in the UFC and Dan Henderson expected to join them. I don't see Showtime taking the option for Strikeforce past its current expiration with the top fighters being siphoned out, and thus no new champions are likely to be crowned. That said, the fight between Cormier and Barnett will still crown the best heavyweight in Strikeforce, and they'll still be awarded a belt, so it's only a matter of official distinction at that point.