Chris Barnett out of UFC Vegas 89, Mohammed Usman to face Mick Parkin instead
Chris Barnett was scheduled to face Mohammed Usman at UFC Vegas 89. The event will be held on March 23 and will take place at the UFC Apex Facility in Enterprise, Nevada.
However, Barnett has pulled out of the bout. Although the cause is still unknown, Mick Parkin steps in to confront Usman. Many MMA fans are upset with Barnett's withdrawal, as he has always been a favorite among the crowd.
Parkin (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) defeated Eduardo Neves via submission on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022 to earn a contract with the UFC. His promotional stint has commenced with consecutive unanimous decision victories against Jamal Pogues and Caio Machado.
With a professional MMA record of 11-2 (3-0 UFC), Usman is one of the brightest up-and-coming fighters in the UFC's heavyweight division. With a dominant knockout of Zac Pauga, he made a grand entrance into the UFC as the heavyweight champion of TUF 30. Since then, 'The Motor' has defeated Jake Collier and Junior Tafa in consecutive unanimous decisions.
Rose Namajunas, the former UFC women's strawweight champion, is presently the main attraction of the fight night event when she fights flyweight contender Amanda Ribas.
The card also features Julian Erosa vs. Ricardo Ramos and Davey Grant vs. Cody Gibson.
Chris Barnett reflects on his sparring session with Jon Jones
Chris Barnett highlighted how strong Jon Jones is by recalling an encounter he had with the current UFC heavyweight champion.
The 37-year-old said that during a prior sparring session, he realized right away that Jones was a different creature. Barnett related the following in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw:
"Here's the thing: I sparred Jon Jones when I was like 300 pounds, right? He was still a 205er. He threw me. He [lateral] dropped me like I was 130 pounds. And I was like, 'Yeah, you different, man. You are different, man.''
However, 'Beastboy' pointed out that there are heavyweights who could potentially match Jones' athleticism.
"But now, the heavyweight division is, I'd say, more athletic. Some of these fights that I've seen... These guys are moving out there. You got the Ciryl Ganes coming in here with his footwork, the Ngannous out there speed-wise. It's gonna be very interesting, him jumping into the heavyweight division. Honestly, I can't wait to see it. I hope they throw him up there in the top 5 quick because ain't no reason for him to come back this way. Stay over there, you good."
Check out Chris Barnett's comments below (5.43):