Josh Barnett: You have to win battles before you raid the dead of all their belongings
Posted on August 30, 2011, 04:06 PM by Joey Santosus
Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov is set to take place September 10th from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio and will be headlined by a set of Heavyweight Grand Prix Quaterfinal match-ups. Top Heavyweights Josh Barnett and Sergei Kharitonov will square off in the headlining bout, while Daniel Cormier steps in for Alistair Overeem to take on Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the co-main event. Also featured will be a Middleweight title clash between division Champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and challenger Luke Rockhold, as well as a Light Heavyweight showdown between former champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Roger Gracie.
Below are both highlights and audio from today's Media Conference Call, which included Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, as well as headliners Josh Barnett, Sergei Kharitonov, and Daniel Cormier:
Josh Barnett
Titles and things like that are spoils of war. You have to go out and win battles before you raid the dead of all their belongings. Honestly, I would love it if the finals of this tournament were for the Heavyweight title. I would love that, that would be great and it would add a nice punctuation mark at the end of it. But, it doesn't change my attitude toward getting the job done. You have to go out there and beat your opponent. Otherwise you just get to walk home with a black-eye and wounded pride.
Daniel Cormier
I think it's a great time for me to enter the tournament because I just came off the biggest win of my career. I showed a lot of progression in terms of my overall game without having to use my biggest skill set, and that's my wrestling and top control. It's a great tournament, I've always looked at it with wide eyes since it started and when the opportunity presented itself, I thought, 'You know what, this is a chance for me to do something special.' I think my skills and my team and everybody around me gives me a chance to win this competition. As I've said, styles make fights and I think I have the style to beat (Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva) and move forward into the finals.
Comments
One of the last strikeforce shows
let's see if they get to the final
It is too bad that the SF will cease to live soon enough, just like Pride.
I really liked the SF shows. Those were quality ones. SF was a doing very good job by getting more and more talants. I was expecting more exciting fights to come. Even DW admits that fans have come to like the SF.
I feel bad for Cormier. Big Foot is a GIGANTIC step up in competition for him. Anything can happen in MMA but I don't see him as being ready for this. I see him getting hurt. Bad.