Josh Barnett reveals he almost walked away from MMA following the latest run-in with the CSAC
Former UFC heavyweight champion, Josh Barnett has today revealed that he almost walked away from the mixed martial arts world for good following his latest run-in with the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for steroids eighteen months ago.
Speaking via MMAFighting.com, Barnett said:
“The thought has crossed my mind to quit even dealing with organized mixed martial arts in general and just fight my own fights, however I feel like. The fact of the matter is, I fight because I have to – because it’s a thing that drives me, not because of anything else.”
“I think everybody is doing whatever they can to get an edge on their opponent, no matter what, be it taking anything whether it’s illegal or legal,” Barnett said. “Is it working? I don’t really know. I don’t think so. I wouldn’t know (a percentage of fighters using PEDs) and even if I did I wouldn’t say even if I did. … I’m a big proponent of ‘What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room.’ I’m no snitch. But I fought when there wasn’t regulatory bodies, and I fought guys who were way jacked to the gills (on steroids). I never cared – I just fought them anyways. I don’t care what pill you take or what shot or what new supplement or what diet you do. There’s only so much of anything that can really ever help you, and the rest of it is whether you’ve got it or you don’t.”
Barnett then spoke of his involvement in the forthcoming Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, explaining no one should be underestimating him, especially the other seven fighters
“Ain’t none of these guys gonna roll over for me. A guy like Kharitonov or Arlovski, Brett Rogers – none of those people are going to let me past them, for sure. I don’t know if they want it as bad as I do, but I know that they want it as bad as however they do. They want to be the champion. So I’m going to expect everybody to show up and fight me with the best them that they’ve ever been, because they want it bad enough.”
Barnett is still locked in battle with the California State Athletic Commission over his licence to fight in the state but is cleared to fight in New Jersey. He enters this one on a six-fight winning streak including wins over veteran pair, Jeff Monson and Pedro Rizzo.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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Photo by Esther Lin – STRIKEFORCE
