MMARR: Randy Couture was coming off two consecutive Victories over Pedro Rizzo, you had come off a loss at UFC 30 to Pedro Rizzo, does that play with your mind at all coming into the fight?

Barnett: NO!! in fact, right as soon as I lost that fight, if they let me go back out there and do it again, I would Finish it!!!

MMARR: Right then and there?

Barnett: Right then and there!!!

MMARR: You seemed pretty upset because you had never lost before, how did that feel for you?

Barnett: Like SHIT!!!

"Laughs"

Barnett: Pardon my French! I can’t stand to lose, and like I have always said, if I lost it was because of my mistake, not because of them. I gave him the opportunity to beat me and I beat myself up over it, and I wanted to keep fighting. If they would have let us fight later that night and have us do it again, I would have been right out there fighting.

MMARR: I don’t know if Pedro would have wanted to do something like that.

Barnett: No, he was beat up pretty bad.

MMARR: You controlled some of that fight and it seemed like just a few mental lapses and…

Barnett: We went low kick for leg kick, his leg was all swelled up, and my leg felt pretty good. I know he landed some good shots too. I bruised him, gave him a lot of lumps and cuts. In fact when I watched the tape and they slow motioned it, I hit him with an elbow that staggered him, I wish that I had noticed that I had done that at the time. I could have followed it up and maybe K.O’d him.

MMARR: Much was made of your injury coming into the fight, you had a black band around your leg.

Barnett: Well I always wear knee pads because it is hard on my knee’s as a Heavyweight to shoot sometimes, but Nah it didn’t really play a factor in the fight. It caused me some problems in training, but it has been worse, a whole lot worse, and I have always gone out there and won my fights.

MMARR: Now that you have faced off with him what are your thoughts on the former Champion Randy Couture?

Barnett: I think he is still an incredibly tough fighter, but even greater man. I just hope that this loss does not keep him from continuing his career as a fighter. I think he still has a lot left in him. Age really is not a factor because he doesn’t fight like an old man, HE IS NOT OLD!!!

MMARR: He seemed like he squeaked out the first round, did you feel that he won the first round?

Barnett: Yeah, I feel like he won the first round 10 - 9 …but I felt that at the end I landed a lot of knee’s to the ribs and turned him into the fence, and given a little more time I could have really opened up on him.

MMARR: Is there anyone in the Pride Organization that you would like to test yourself against?

Barnett: Of Course I want to beat Nogueira!!!

MMARR: Nogueira is ranked number one by the Mixed Martial Arts Media what are your thoughts on that? Do you think he deserves to be Number one?

Barnett: Sure, he has defeated a quality opponent in Coleman, and I believe a lot of hype surrounding Heath (Herring) helped propel Nogueira up to greater status. BUT, I would like to see how they feel after my very convincing and fast defeat of Randy Couture. I have never had a fight go over two rounds in the UFC.

MMARR: When you talk about a lot of the hype surrounding Heath Herring does that mean you don’t believe a lot of the hype surrounding Heath Herring?

Barnett: I think that he has a lot of work to still be done. I think that he is very tough and brings a lot to the table, but I think that some people have over stated some of his abilities in certain area’s. Really in some ways it makes him better as a fighter and gives his stock a rise. He has done an amazing job with his marketing, and his training. He is a smart guy, I met him back in Superbrawl 13, and (He is a) great guy, very tough fighter. He has got a lot of skills in all area’s which has also helped him out a lot and he is a big strong guy. He is an Ox!!! But he goes out there, well spoken, articulate, and he is a great guy. On top of that he markets himself and fights like a Wildman and he is really good. Some of these things have really helped him out in making his presence be known, but in other ways it is also starting to hurt him somewhat. People are putting more expectations on him than he should have to deal with, and if it causes him to lose a lot of steam then it is not really fair to him.

MMARR: Speaking of abilities and strengths where do you thing your greatest strength lie as a fighter?

Barnett: I think my greatest strengths as a fighter are a combination of my tenacity and the fact that I fight to finish the entire time. I keep moving forward constantly, and I just go from one thing to the next. If I am not striking you, I am submitting you, and if I am not submitting you I am throwing you. It does not matter I can go from one thing to the next before you can make a correction.

MMARR: Who in the UFC heavyweight division impresses you and is there anyone there that you would like to face off against at this time?

Barnett: Ricco has really improved his game by leaps and bounds. I am really impressed at his development over the years. He has really proved himself a top ten heavyweight in the world. As far as anyone that I would really like to fight, whoever is willing to further my goal as being the top heavyweight in the world. That is all that matters to me.

MMARR: So you want Nogueira?

Barnett: Nogueira, or If he were to lose whoever beats him. Or someone else they consider to be the next great thing, I will fight him.

MMARR: What do you think MMA needs to push it’s popularity into mainstream audiences?

Barnett: I think we can still use better marketing. I think we have done a great job to this point, but I know in Seattle it is dead air.
They don’t promote it well enough up there, I think that some of the fighters need to be built up a little better, I mean the most you ever saw of me up until this point is them just showing Pedro (Rizzo) getting his one moment of glory!

Barnett: I am supposed to be the Number one contender, how is that supposed to make me look good? Or, all sorts of Highlights of Randy (Couture) getting kicked in the head by Pedro (Rizzo) even though he mauled him twice. Yet he doesn’t look like a heavyweight Champion when you portray him that way, So things have to be changed there. And I feel that now that we have really put ourselves in the position where we have quality contenders and Champions, we have built up some people, we have some fighters that are known names and have proven themselves time and time again. We need to start just creating some just exciting fights. Fights that are maybe not necessarily top contenders, but you know that someone is going to get knocked out, or submitted.

MMARR: Speaking of getting knocked out I heard Matt Hume say he would like for you to be a K1 champion is there any truth to that?

Barnett: Yeah! There is a lot of truth to that. We would pursue it if come the opportunity. I am not trying to make a brag or a boast, "Now since I am the heavyweight champ I am going to challenge K1 fighters", we truly believe that in our training that we train to be world class at everything. I have trained with Maurice Smith, Roman Roytberg, Tommy Glanville, Guys that are champion kickboxers, Curtis Schuster. I hold my own, and I feel that if I train strictly for kickboxing that I could fight in K1, I don’t know if I would be the champion, but you never know until you try.

MMARR: Where did the Victory dance come from? The Throat slashing motion did you invent that yourself?

Barnett: My first fight when I was 19 years old I went out there and choked a guy unconscious and soon as I dropped him, I just started cutting my throat. It just comes out of me…...that is the kind of mentality I have when I fight. I fight half crazed and I don’t stop till the ref stops me and if you don’t pull me off, I am just going to keep punching the guy until he quits moving.