Chris Barnett has always been one of the best heavyweight fighters in mixed martial arts that you may not have heard of. I always said if he made it to the UFC, he would be a star! Barnett has fought all over the world as a heavyweight and a super-heavyweight competitor. Like every other fighter I have ever met, the dream is and always has been the UFC.
Well, now we will find out if I am a genius, with a great eye for talent as I have confirmed that Island Fights veteran Chris Barnett has an offer on the table to step into the octagon on short notice to face Ben Rothwell on May 22nd. A contract that Barnett is more than happy to sign.
Barnett is fun, loves to dance in the cage, pulls off moves as a heavyweight that smaller guys can’t, and oh yeah, the man can fight. I have watched Barnett for years, and have worked with him as well at various promotions including the XFC and ISLAND FIGHTS. When I say that he has all the tools needed to be there, I say that from an up-close perspective. There is no bias in my evaluation, ask guys like Alistair Overeem and Stipe Miocic about Barnett, and they’d agree that Barnett belongs in the UFC.
I spoke with XFC President Myron Molotky about the decision to release Barnett, who was scheduled to fight for XFC on May 21st vs Brett Martin:
- “Yeah…I like Chris and it was a tough one because the other side of the bout gets affected. Happy for him…he should have had this chance years ago. We only had a one bout contract so I felt it was the right thing to do as long as we were able to keep Martin in the cage too”.
Taking on a very seasoned Rothwell is no easy thing to do, especially in your UFC debut, but Barnett has never done it easy and can stand and fight against anyone. Rothwell better not sleep on the UFC newcomer in Barnett, or he’ll be the one getting slept.
Christopher James has been in the MMA industry for 15 years, Working as a ring announcer for promotions like the XFC, Island Fights, Combat Night and Fight Nights Global during his career. Chris’ love for the sport and the athletes that partake in it led him to writing and doing face to face interviews with the athletes he admired and respected. Chris isn’t conventional by any stretch of the imagination, he has his own style, and takes pride in not being a “cookie-cutter” member of the media. Unique and sometimes controversial takes are what he brings to the table, forcing folks to think a little differently about the world of MMA. He also has a love for music as he has been a dj for 25 years and his love for music gets brought to the MMA world when he gets his guests to sing on his weekly show Cage Side with Christopher James which can be seen Wednesday nights on FACEBOOK LIVE, and soon via podcast.