Cormier: Barnett’s generation ‘starting to slow down’
At the “Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Finale” press conference, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker detailed the highlights of Josh Barnett’s extraordinary 10-year…
At the “Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Finale” press conference, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker detailed the highlights of Josh Barnett’s extraordinary 10-year career, including Barnett’s win over Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight championship.
While TUF 10 noobs may not know much before Kimbo Slice, Daniel Cormier apparently didn’t either.
“I really had no idea,” said Cormie whose MMA career is but three years old. “I didn’t know he beat that many guys.”
“No knock on Josh, but everybody that fought in that era is starting to slow down. He was in the battles just as they were. So I think it’s going to take a guy to bring it out of him, to show him that it is mileage, and time is starting to catch up to him.
“Maybe after the fight, people will say, ‘He’s slowing down. He’s not what he used to be.’ But guys don’t slow down on their own. Somebody has to actually show them that the time has come, where it’s starting to catch up, all the battles and all the wars.”
“[Barnett] beat all those guys, but a lot of those big wins are back before 2005, so it’s not like all these wins are recent. A lot of those wins are way back in the day, so Josh is a completely different fighter than he was.”
“Back in the day, if a guy had a leg lock, he could be a world champion. Well, the game’s changed now, and it’s advanced. All that stuff doesn’t really pertain to me.”
Oddsmakers say that Cormier is the underdog in the fight, though only by a slight margin.
“They saw I’d come a long way, and I’ve had eight months, and I’ve gotten better at every turn, and so why wouldn’t I get better?” Cormier asked. “So they’re giving me a shot.”
Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier
Saturday, 19 May 2012
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California, United States
10:00 PM ET
U.S. Broadcast: Main card: Showtime, Undercard: Sho Extreme
Main Card
Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier
Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson
Nah-shon Burrell vs. Chris Spang
Rafael Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle
Virgil Zwicker vs. Guto Inocente
Prelim Card
Quinn Mulhern vs. Yuri Villefort
Gian Villante vs. Derrick Mehman
Bobby Green vs. James Terry
Gesias Cavalcante vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg