Fedor ready to fight Barnett

Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko has agreed to fight Josh Barnett at Affliction 3.

Reports suggest the fight will be taking place this August.

Emelianenko confirmed in an interview with M-1Global.com that he has agreed to fight Barnett, despite their friendship.

“Besides Josh’s qualities as a fighter, he is also one of the best representatives for MMA in the USA. We often had drinks after our fights in PRIDE and Affliction so I do consider him a friend,” Emelianenko commented.

“I am always 100% involved in the negotiations especially with regards to the Barnett fight, We discussed this fight with the whole team (trainers, coaches, management), so as a team we agreed to a fight with Barnett.”

“I consider Josh as one of the truly best in MMA, I think he is really in his prime right now,” he added. “Just like when I fought Cro Cop, he was in his prime as well. At that time it was one of the most anticipated fights in MMA history (and) my fight with Josh can be that as well.”

“Every opponent is a danger for me and Barnett has a great ground game,. He is capable of adjusting his gameplan any minute in the fight.”

Tags: Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett