Josh Barnett is outspoken and brash. It rubs a lot of people the wrong way. For the longest time, he was on the bad side of Dana White. Say what you want about Barnett, but he's not stupid. So when Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, Barnett swallowed his pride and finally worked to bury the hatchet with MMA's leading man.
That and just about everything else about Barnett seems to bother fellow heavyweight Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.
"[...] when [Barnett] sees Fedor, [UFC President] Dana White or [UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo] Fertitta, he runs to them and stays by their side all the time. He makes me sick. He's the classic kiss-ass, a rude man …" [Silva told Sherdog]. "I really want to face Barnett and I've already said I consider him a filthy person, even though he is a great fighter, and that I'll beat him up and close both of his eyes."
Silva suggested Barnett is rude and snooty when it comes to Brazilian fighters.
"I've been fighting since 2004 and have never had any issues with another athlete, even the most stuck-up," explained Silva. "Friendship, for me, is everything, but Josh is a weird guy, a guy who doesn't greet you when you enter the elevator, doesn't even say 'good morning.' It's how he treats Brazilian fighters especially. It's the same thing with [Barnett and] Werdum."
Barnett faces Brett Rogers on June 18 in Dallas. With a win over Fedor Emelianenko, Silva advances to the semifinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix. Silva is awaiting the winner of Alistair Overeem and Werdum on that same card.
