“I’ve been fighting since 2004 and have never had any issues with another athlete, even the most stuck-up. Friendship, for me, is everything, but Josh is a weird guy, a guy who doesn’t greet you when you enter the elevator, doesn’t even say ‘good morning.’ It’s how he treats Brazilian fighters especially. It’s the same thing with [Barnett and] Werdum. But when [Barnett] sees Fedor, Dana White or [Lorenzo] Fertitta, he runs to them and stays by their side all the time. He makes me sick. He’s the classic kiss-ass, a rude man. I really want to face Barnett and I’ve already said I consider him a filthy person, even though he is a great fighter, and that I’ll beat him up and close both of his eyes.” - Antonio Silva

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva surged onto the mixed martial arts scene thanks to his towering stature and slick Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Silva came into the Strikeforce organization with much hype behind him. He dropped his debut to Fabricio Werdum before reeling off three straight victories, including a very impressive victory over Fedor Emelianenko. 

With the victory over Emelianenko, Silva advanced into the second round of the Strikforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, an eight man tournament filled with some of the best heavyweights on the planet. One of those eight is the controversial Josh Barnett, the man who many claim single handily collapsed the former promotion Affliction. Silva did not mince words when it came to Barnett in an interview with Sherdog.com.

Barnett has always been viewed as one of the most talented heavyweights in the world but his attitude has gotten him in trouble on more than one occasion. Multiple videos of Dana White slamming Barnett are available on YouTube. Outside of personal squabbles, Barnett has also tested positive for banned performance enhancing drugs twice during his professional career.

Another notorious fighter, Brock Lesnar, drew the ire of Silva as well. Lesnar most recently was forced to withdraw from a planned heavyweight bout with Junior dos Santos due to his ongoing struggle with diverticulitis. The illness, which plagued him for nearly a year, returned while he was filming this season's The Ultimate Fighter alongside dos Santos. 

“I don’t want to judge anyone and I really wish it’s not a big health problem for [Lesnar], but I have some doubts,” Silva said. “That big guy doesn’t like being punched. In his last fights, he was put in the fetal position by Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, which is humiliating for a fighter. I think he pulled out of the fight against ‘Cigano,’ who is a real heavy puncher and a real tough opponent for someone who doesn’t like being punched.”

Silva is currently waiting to fight the victor of the Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum bout, which is currently scheduled for June 18.