Quick Quote: Bigfoot Silva wants the “arrogant” Josh Barnett in the Final

“If I could pick out of everybody, I’d like to face Josh Barnett. He rubbed me the wrong way. He doesn’t talk to people. He’s a little bit arrogant; he never says, ‘Hi,’ never shakes a hand. I think that even though we’re fighters and fighting each other, we need to be friendly with each other. [Andrei] Arlovski’s the same way, but he’s already taken care of. – For complete interview by Steven Marrocco, visit SportsIllustrated.com

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva successfully advanced to the semi-final round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix last Saturday, when he defeated Tournament favorite Fedor Emelianenko via TKO (due to doctor stoppage) between the second and third rounds.  And though he hasn’t reached the final just yet, it appears the Brazilian already has an opponent in mind for when the time comes.

In order for the bout to materialize though, Silva must first face the winner of the Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum match, which will take place April 9th.  As for Barnett, he will face Brett Rogers in his own quarterfinal match-up, before meeting Sergei Kharitonov in the semi-finals.  Should both fighters emerge victorious in these bouts, the two would meet in the tournament final for the Grand Prix title and the right to challenge the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion at a later date.

 

Photo: Esther Lin | Strikeforce