Josh Barnett, the number four ranked heavyweight in the world by MMAWeekly's worldwide rankings, took offense to UFC president Dana White's comments during the UFC 74 post-fight press conference that no one in the world can beat Randy Couture. Barnett issued a challenge to the UFC to make him a legitimate offer, and he'd prove White's statements false.
"At the press conference Randy didn't have anything particularly to say that was inflammatory, but Dana, on the other hand, had to putwords in his mouth and sort of write checks on Randy's behalf by saying, 'there isn't anybody in the world that can beat this guy.' And I'm standing right there, and he's already seen me. It's just bull crap. I already beat him within two [rounds], not to mention, nobody is invincible."
“That just goes without saying. Two of the absolute best heavyweights in the world aren't even in the UFC, and he claims they're going to get them all. I asked him when, and he said, 'soon.' B.S.," said the twenty-nine year old heavyweight contender.
Barnett doesn't think the UFC is trying or wants to sign certain highly ranked fighters. He commented, “They're not really making efforts to get them all, and that's because to get someone like myself or Fedor [Emelianenko] in there would ruin their entire propaganda that they've been trying to build up for so long that only what's within the UFC is really what counts, and is only the real truth of MMA. It's not MMA anymore, it's Ultimate Fighting, and that's crap."
He continued, "It's more of their whole UFC propaganda notion in that things that happened before the Spike TV explosion didn't really happen. I beat him. I took him out by TKO in under two rounds, and that's the truth of the matter. It wasn't that Randy was a bad fighter, or anything like that. I was the better person that night, and I know if we were to fight again I strongly believe that I'm still the better fighter."
Asked if the UFC has made him a serious offer, Barnett replied, "Not in my opinion, certainly not in my opinion. It's ignorant to think that someone like myself, or another high level heavyweight doesn't have an idea of what kind of figures, and contracts, and sorts of things that are offered to the top guys and top fighters in the world. So don't come at somebody with something less than that. Don't insult them by making a very patronizing offer and act like we're all that there is and you need us. I'm not down for that. If they want to be serious, I've already said before I'd fight in the UFC. I have no problem doing that. And besides the fact that Randy's got the title, whatever, even if he didn't have the belt, to say somebody is unbeatable, someone is going to say something about it."
He added, "They've got the money and ability to make what they want happen to have happen.... They say they want the best in the world, well, they actually have to have them. Even right now, if you ask me, their champ, he's not ranked any higher than five. There's already people out there ranked higher than him that they don't even have."
"I've been here from the beginning, not to mention, they have a title reign that has never been taken off of me. I left the UFC. No matter what, [Andrei] Arlovski never beat me for that belt, neither did Ricco [Rodriguez], neither did [Tim] Sylvia, for sure, and then Randy just comes out of retirement and steps in and gets an automatic title shot. Fine. If that's the way they want to do it, but from my perspective I don't need a title shot. All I need is, just put me in the ring. If you say he's unbeatable, let his arm heal, and we'll go out there and see how unbeatable he is."
Barnett would like to fight before the end of the year, but said it's not in his hands. Questioned how frustrating it is for him to be on the sidelines watching rather than competing, Josh responded, "It's incredibly frustrating because it's not a matter of anything that I am doing. It's just a matter of not, in my opinion, getting legitimate offers, simply put."