Josh Barnett: Like Trump, McGregor likes to stir pot – but is he ready for backlash?

NEWARK, N.J. – The thing about saying outrageous things is that it almost always brings a crowd.

Josh Barnett has been around the fight game long enough to know that bigger is almost always better when it comes to personalities. That’s why he throws in a little pro wrestling – which he once did on the side, by the way – whenever he can.

Barnett (34-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who on Saturday meets Ben Rothwell (35-9 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 18, thinks that as long as you’re willing to back it up, or live with the consequences when you eventually get brought back to earth, you’re doing OK.

Watching Conor McGregor, the UFC heavyweight sees a promotional strategy that’s been very successful. It’s what he’s been doing on a much smaller scale for many years as a fighter who’s crossed the globe and tried to sell fights to many different types of audiences.

“He’s pushing the buttons, and making sure you care about him even if the majority of it is hate,” Barnett said ahead of Saturday’s FOX-televised show at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. “Or sometimes it’s so extreme in one direction, sometimes you get love from the other side because people want to rally behind the person that has such a strong opinion.

“I mean, people are really jazzed about (Donald) Trump, because he just opens his mouth constantly and says just idiotic, ugh, just inane stuff. Like, wow, really, dude? That’s such an obnoxious thing to say. To me, it’s almost so over the top that I almost don’t believe that he really believes that. I think he might be trolling a bunch of people. I met the man before. Really nice. And he seemed pretty bright behind the eyes. But strong opinions get reactions.”

The question that’s still unresolved for Barnett is whether the featherweight champ is ready for what’s in store in the event that it all comes crashing down.

“If he loses, man, the backlash is going to be bad,” Barnett said. “I don’t know if he’s prepared for that.”

Check out the above video to get the veteran heavyweight’s thoughts on the phenomenon of McGregor and the champ’s evolution as a fighter.

And for more on UFC on FOX 18, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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