Jump to content

Bellator MMA * General News Thread


Egg Shen

Recommended Posts

  • Paid Members

i had to look Outlaw up, hes the guy who beat Roger Huerta in Israel recently, long win streak and his last loss being a split decision loss to Gregor Gillespie.Z

I still wish they'd gone with a full on Bellator vs. Rizin theme though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in the mid-2000s I supported three heavyweights - Sergei, Arlovski, and Barnett. Yet, I have no doubt in retrospect that Barnett was the best of the three. In fact, he was probably the 2nd or 3rd best heavyweight of his generation. He holds victories over most of the notable heavyweights of his time. These include Hunt, Monson, Nelson, Couture, Sergei, Arlovski, Mir, Aleksander Emelianenko, and Big Nog. Had he stayed in the UFC in the 2000s I believe he would have continued to dominated the heavyweight division for much of the decade. 

Barnett's career suffered from two issues - Mirko Cro Cop and drug testing. He failed two drug tests during his initial run with the UFC. The first failed test, after UFC 34, was initially hidden from the public and only warranted a warning from the Nevada Commission. The second failed test is one of the most infamous drug busts in MMA history. Barnett tested positive for three different steroids after beating Couture at UFC 36 to win the heavyweight title. He was subsequently stripped of the title and released from the promotion. It didn't help his case that he publicly pleaded innocence in the aftermath, when all involved knew that it was his 2nd failed test in as many fights. 

He later re-emerged in Japan, where he was free to juice freely. Between 2003 and 2008 he posted an impressive 11-4 record fighting in Japan. He even returned to America in 2006 under the Pride banner, and surprised many, including myself, when he passed the Nevada commission's drug test. Three of his 4 losses in Japan came to Cro Cop. Barnett was unable to get his clinch game going against the Cro Cop - who had wisely invested in a wrestling coach to supplement his deadly striking game. Barnett considers Cro Cop to be the best fighter he ever fought, and is perhaps the only heavyweight of his era that truly had his number. We will never know how he would have measured up prime for prime with Fedor. We almost found out in 2009 when the pair were pencilled in to fight for the Affliction promotion. However, Barnett yet again failed a drug test and the entire show was cancelled. 

Where does a 42 year old Barnett fit into the heavyweight division of 2019? Well, he'll be a decent name to feed to Bader and Minakov, and a gatekeeper for the likes of Fortune and Moldavsky. There is also a possibility that he'll finally fight Fedor. Whatever route his Bellator career takes, I just hope he doesn't piss hot, for what would seem like the umpteenth time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

The Cro Cop vs Barnett series was weird. Just looking at their records it says Cro Cop went 3-0 but that doesn’t really tell the whole story as when you watch the fights, two of them have asterisks next to them.

First fight - was over before it got going and ended in less than a minute with Barnett’s shoulder popping out. It had to go down as a loss because he tapped (I think) when he realised his shoulder was knackered but it wasn’t like Mirko actually bettered him that night. In fact, Barnett was in top position in Cro Cop’s guard when the injury happened. 

Second fight - This is the only one without controversy. And Cro Cop won fairly clearly by decision. 

Third fight - Cro Cop won but not without controversy again because he poked Barnett in the eye while he was punching him on the ground. Like the first fight, it went down as a submission because Barnett tapped. Which was understandable considering he couldn’t see and had Mirko Fucking Cro Cop standing over him with a choice of punches, soccer kicks and stomps to blast him with. Cro Cop was getting the better of the fight before the poke, and he was on fire throughout that tournament as well. Chances are it would’ve been his night regardless. But it’s a shame two of their three fights were marred with controversy. And the second fight wasn’t much good really either. 

So while the head-to-head scorecard is 3-0 to old Mirko, it’s a bit of a strange trilogy. I feel like Cro Cop was the better fighter but he really never showed he was clearly the superior fighter over the course of their three fights. It’s an odd one. And it’s a shame their series didn’t really deliver considering it was two of the very best Heavyweights in the world and both pretty much smack bang in the middle of their primes. It could’ve been so much more than it was.

Barnett’s two fights with Big Nog are where it’s at. I wish they’d had a decider because they finished up at 1-1 and they were both absolute classics. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

Third fight - Cro Cop won but not without controversy again because he poked Barnett in the eye while he was punching him on the ground. Like the first fight, it went down as a submission because Barnett tapped. Which was understandable considering he couldn’t see and had Mirko Fucking Cro Cop standing over him with a choice of punches, soccer kicks and stomps to blast him with. Cro Cop was getting the better of the fight before the poke, and he was on fire throughout that tournament as well. Chances are it would’ve been his night regardless. But it’s a shame two of their three fights were marred with controversy. And the second fight wasn’t much good really either. 

Barnett had also fought for 15 gruelling minutes with Big Nog earlier in the night. Whereas Cro Cop had knocked out Wanderei inside the 5 minute mark.  

Moreover, Cro Cop had an easier run to finals night. He hardballed DSE by threatening to retire if he didn't receive more money and preferential matchmaking. He thus fought the undersized duo of Minowa and Yoshida to make it to the semi-final stage. By contrast, Barnett had to face Aleksander Emelianenko and Hunt - two legit heavyweights - to make it to finals night. 

I still think Cro Cop was all wrong for Barnett. But aye, the 3-0 scoreline doesn't tell the full tale. I had forgotten how their first fight ended. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

Yeah, Barnett definitely had the harder route to the finals. Actually, I’m struggling to think of anyone who had a tougher run in any of the Pride GPs than Barnett had in 2006. Aleks, Hunt, Nog and Cro Cop? Yeah fuck that. I’d be taking all the PEDs as well. 

Edit - Shogun in 2005 is up there actually. He fought Rampage, Little Nog, Overeem and Arona. He made the Rampage and Arona fights look easy but, going in, that’s a hell of a gauntlet to get through. 

Edited by wandshogun09
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

Fedor/Barnett back in Pride was the one fight i always believed would be tough for Fedor, shame it never happened.

It's a shame Barnett's standing alongside the alltime greats is hampered by his steroid use though, such a shady career.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...