Contributor: Ben Kohn
This is the fight that I wish was the co-main because I am way more excited about this fight then I am for watching Rousey armbar Miesha again. Both Barnett and Browne are looking for big wins to stake their claims at title shots and honestly, at most these guys are 1 fight away from one after this fight. Browne is currently ranked #5 on the official UFC rankings and is on a two fight win streak over Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem. Both fights came by way of KO in the first round and, with his only loss being to #4 ranked Bigfoot after his knee was busted while dancing like a break dancer hopped up on crack, he could be the next contender with a win over Barnett. Barnett is ranked #6 as since losing to Cormier, he has beaten the legendary Nandor Guelmino and the former champion Frank Mir, Nandor by arm triangle and Mir by vicious KO. With a top 5 win, it will be hard to deny him a #1 contender’s match. Let’s see how they stack up against one another.
Browne is very large and very athletic at 6’7 and weighing in at his last fight at a very lean 236 pounds. Browne can move very swiftly for a Heavyweight of his size and has a boatload of natural abilities to compliment his growing skillset as a MMA fighter. His striking can be pretty flashy and usually takes advantage of his long limbs. His fight with Alistair, after getting murdered for the first few minutes, demonstrates his usage of his long legs, landing front kick after front kick to the body and face and finally knocking out the Reem. The problem I have with Browne’s striking is that he seemingly lacks fundamental striking technique and most of his offense is in his flashy strikes and movements. While that may work against sub-par fighters like Rob Broughton and Chad Griggs, against Overeem, he was absolutely mauled until Reem gassed out and reverted to a defensive shell. Browne’s toughness is what saved him against Overeem, not his technical abilities. Against a guy like Barnett, that won’t fly at all.
Josh is a savvy veteran with really solid striking despite his catch wrestling and submission grappling background. His 
boxing is fluid and powerful and he has good defense to go along with it. While not a kicker, he can throw a decent leg kick if he so chooses but I doubt he will do so. Despite being bigger than Barnett, Josh will definitely have a weight and most likely a strength advantage over Browne. After watching what Barnett did to Mir and Overeem did to Browne early, I expect Barnett to try and mimic Reem’s gameplan and push Browne against the fence where he will dirty box and wail on Browne for a while. Barnett does not have the power of Overeem but he can hurt Browne badly with strikes if he lands cleanly.
Barnett is one of the best Heavyweight grapplers of all time and Browne just does not stack up. Browne uses his athleticism more than anything when it comes to grappling and again, that won’t work against Barnett. Barnett’s top game is just awesome and he will easily control someone like Browne with his heavy hips and stifling top control. Barnett is also really patient and would be more than content to ride out a round with Browne tiring himself trying to escape. While I don’t think he can get a shot takedown on Browne, a trip is not out of the question if he can hurt Browne against the cage. The one thing Barnett needs to watch for is Browne’s power which can really give him issues. The elbows Browne landed on Gonzaga could easily hurt Barnett, although his chin is way better than Gonzaga, and Browne is not someone he should wildly trade with. I expect Barnett’s experience to come into play here and he will use that experience to wear down the younger fighter and get a finish late in the second.
Final Prediction: Josh Barnett by Arm Triangle Round 2
-Ben can be reached at [email protected] or @agentbenten.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
