Known primarily as a wrestler, Barrett isn’t the type of fighter who takes opponents down to ride out a decision. In his 12 professional wins ‘The Bear’ has won by TKO in 10 of those contests, 8 of which were in the first round. In January Mike Wessel was added to that list when the ref stopped the fight late in the first round when Barrett was raining down punches on the helpless UFC veteran.“A lot of people think of me as a wrestler,” said Barrett. “Wrestling is my background and it is definitely one of my strengths but I consider myself to be a well-rounded fighter. I’m not a boring wrestler.
If the fight goes to the ground I will look to work my ground and pound and get another TKO but if it stays standing I’m comfortable on my feet too. I’ve been working with Adam and Rory Singer at the Hardcore Gym and they have done wonders with my hands. I feel so comfortable standing that I took a boxing match this summer. Unfortunately my opponent backed out but I was excited to show what I could do with my striking.”
At XFC 14 Barrett will face a man he knows very well, Carmelo Marrero. The two men have spent a lot of time together in the past and were actually training partners while Marrero was in the UFC. During his time in the Octagon, Marrero is best known for his win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 64.
“I was really happy for Carmelo after he beat Kongo,” explained Barrett. “Carmelo trained at the Hardcore Gym before heading to ATT and he and I trained together a lot. I know how hard he works in the gym and there’s a reason why he has had a lot of success in the past.”
“I know what Carmelo brings to the cage and he knows what I like to do too. He is an awesome wrestler and has good standup.
I actually think his wrestling is better than mine and it will make for a tough fight. I have been busting my butt in the gym and I have a lot of faith in my hands and my cardio is very good. Carmelo is my friend but on October 21st one of us is getting their hand raised and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure it isn’t him. I don’t like fighting friends but business is business. When it’s over I’ll shake his hand and buy him a beer.”
XFC President, John Prisco, is excited about the matchup and a little intrigued to see two friends throwdown in the XFC cage.
“I’m really excited for Barrett vs. Marrero. When I put this fight together I didn’t know that these two men were friends and training partners. After the fight was finalized I found out they had trained together and it really adds a new dynamic to the fight. It also speaks to the professionalism of both men as well. You hear about friends and teammates refusing to fight each other all the time but Barrett and Marrero didn’t blink. They said ‘Yes Sir, we will fight whoever you want. Thank you for the opportunity.’ That’s what the sport is all about. It’s competition. It’s not personal.”
XFC 14 will take place at The UFC Arena in Orlando, Florida on October 21st and will air live on HDNet.
No comments:
Post a Comment