“I even told them to offer him my full purse if he could beat me” – Finding a fight for Leeroy Barnes

Ask Leeroy Barnes where he sees himself in the current UK MMA middleweight division and you’ll get a pretty comprehensive response.

“Honestly, right at the fucking top. And I’m prepared to prove that.”

Leeroy Barnes Portrait Header

It’s a characteristically assured answer from an outspoken figure, one that comes with a guarantee: he’s willing to back it up. In a sport that often finds competitors hiding away from the biggest fights, or taking the easier option, Barnes is looking to face the best the UK can offer. And he’s not being shy about.

“I’ve been asking for top UK guys for three fights now and nobody will step up! Cage Warriors have had to go overseas to get the level of opponent that I wanted to test myself against!” Barnes exclaimed. “I’m not here just giving it big licks, I’m actively trying to prove it and back what I’m saying but the opponents haven’t been available.”

Even finding himself opposite Victor Cheng (10-2) at Cage Warriors 78 has done little to appease Barnes. “I don’t think Cheng is somebody that I will blow through easily, but don’t get me wrong, he won’t hear the final bell.”

Not one to pull punches, Barnes shuns the oft-used cliché of ‘fighting whoever they put in front of me’, opting instead to identify EXACTLY who he wanted.

“Cage Warriors negotiated with him for a week and it didn’t come off! I even told them to offer him my full purse if he could beat me to try and make the bout more appealing for him.”

 

KARMIC MATCHMAKING

No. 2 ranked UK middleweightLuke Barnatt has stayed busy since parting ways with the UFC in May last year, racking up three straight wins on the UK and European circuit. He’s even picked up a belt along the way, and narrowly avoided a high profile bout with Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller (through no fault of his own).

“To be honest, I’ve said I think I’m in the top tier of UK middleweights and that’s what I wanted to prove,” Barnes explained. “I wanted to the fight the highest ranked UK middleweight that I could. That was Luke Barnett, ranked at number two!”

Of course, it’s nothing personal against Barnatt. For Leeroy Barnes, this was just a fight that made sense for him, if not for the former UFC fighter. “I like Luke, he’s a cool guy and I understand he has an agenda of probably getting back to the UFC and staying in the number two spot behind Bisping, but I was disappointed he didn’t take the fight”

“I remember when I was ranked 10 and he was about 18 and people talked about us fighting, I said he wasn’t worthy, so in a way it’s probably just karma.”

A COMEBACK (ALMOST) TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING

It’s been a while since Barnes competed inside the CWFC cage – a string of losses that began with a dropped decision to Norman Paraisy, and ended with a KO loss at the hands of Kyle Redfearn. Despite those not-so-halcyon days, Barnes welcomes the Cage Warriors return, and is already setting his sights pretty high.

“It feels great, it’s something I’ve spent nearly two years working towards, not only fighting for Cage Warriors but contesting for the belt, so this show is just a step on that journey that I need to overcome on my way, just one more goal to achieve on my list of steps.

“I asked for [Cage Warriors middleweight champion] Jack Marshman on this fight, a bit cheeky I know because I’ve not really earned my shot at that title at this stage, but that’s what I wanted! Unfortunately he’s already committed to something I’ve heard.”

So what’s different this time around?

“I’m ready for this now. I’ve prepared for this for nearly two years, I’m ready for it and my life is ready for it. For nearly two years, every single day I think about and I work towards that belt, I’m excited to test the work I’ve put in and I’m excited for everybody to witness it.

“I wasn’t ready before, my life wasn’t ready before, I wasn’t mature enough, I wasn’t mentally strong enough, I wasn’t good enough to hold that belt. I’ve learned about myself, I’ve become the man I need to be, I’m ready for this, I’m confident and I’m looking forward to embracing the pressure, thriving on it and letting people witness how dangerous I am.”

Victor Cheng might not be the man Barnes asked for, but he’s the man he’s got, the man who – as far as Barnes is concerned – is in his way right now. “All my goals lead step-by-step to a major title, preferably the Cage Warriors world title, and Cheng definitely fits into that,” Barnes explained. “I would have preferred to take on a top class UK guy and cement my place before going into Europe, but sometimes you are forced to take big steps and overcome them.”

I’ll be demanding my shot after I come through this next tough test. I believe I’m the only UK guy with CWFC that deserves to fight Marshman.

 

NEXT GENERATION

En route to Cage Warriors 78, Barnes has taken a detour with his training, venturing to Liverpool to spend time with the Next Generation team. Given the increased focus on the gym in the last year, was this a considered career move to spend less time at Team Rough House and train with the rising stars at Next Generation?

“Well, with Jimmy [Wallhead] rightfully concentrating on his UFC debut, he’s spending a lot of time at London Shootfighter which means I’m not getting as much time to work with him as I would like, but yet again I’ve embraced this change and used it as a chance to mix up my training and step out of my comfort zone with different guys.”

With CWFC lightweight champion Chris Fishgold defending his belt on the Liverpool show, and featherweight star Paddy Pimblett also set to feature, the timing couldn’t have been better for Barnes to switch up his training camp a little.

“I used to visit Next Gen to spar with Danny Roberts when he was based there and I’ve spent a lot of my career around Liverpool. I get on well with Paul Rimmer, the head coach, who’s a good guy and always makes me feel welcome. I get on well with [Chris] Fishgold, Paddy [Pimblett], [Adam] Ventre, Ellis Hampson, and all the guys there.

“There’s also a lot of bigger guys down there that people probably won’t have heard much of, but are also massively talented guys to push me – it really is a high class gym. I’ll probably try and get in there as much as can in the mornings over the next few weeks.”

 

#THETIMEISNOW

Victor Cheng has not competed since 2012, leaving a three-fight win streak in his wake that included victories over Ion Pascu and Faycal Hucin. Only injury stopped the Swede from competing for the CWFC middleweight title, following his decision victory over Hucin. Make no mistake, if Cheng picks up where he left off, Barnes has his work cut out for him.

It might not be Luke Barnatt, but Cheng is a significant roadblock, one that must be overcome to mount any sort of title challenge. Put simply, this would be the biggest win of Barnes’ career so far.

It’s been a long wait for Leeroy Barnes to get back on a stage where he feels he belongs. It’s a different landscape this time, with a new champion in Jack Marshman, and the new BT Sport/UFC Fight Pass platform to perform on. If ever there was a time to shine, it’s now.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 78 are available HERE.

Follow Leeroy Barnes on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.


AUTHOR:

JJ SADDINGTON

MANAGING EDITOR

WASTEMAN.SIDEMAN.PAR.

Comments