Antwain Britt: Wants Dan Henderson, Time Alone in the Cage with Kimbo

by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 6, 2010 1:13 PM EST

Antwain Britt made an impressive debut at Strikeforce: Evolution, earning a stoppage over previously undefeated Scott Lighty.

Last week, I caught up with "The Juggernaut" to talk about his win, his fighting history and who he'd like to fight next:

I’m lobbying for Dan Henderson. That guy is like my hero. He’s an Olympic wrestler and coming up, we come from the same kind of background being another guy who wrestled and being able to crossover and pick up striking pretty well. I would love to have that fight. It would be an honor to get that fight.

But really, whoever they put in front of me. Honestly, I’m thinking, if I was the Powers That Be, I think a really good matchup would be like we talked about earlier with myself and "Feijao." I think it would be the kind of fight to test these two up-and-comers and see whether they deserve to go up or down. I think it would be a really good fight for the fans, the classic "jiu jitsu versus striker" deal.

Like you said, "King Mo" is a possibility. Kevin Randleman is a possibility, "Babalu" – whoever they put in front of me. For people who have seen my fights, my gameplan never changes; I’m going to go out there and throw heavy hands, I’m a wrestler and that helps me stay on my feet to throw those heavy hands, so I think any one of those fights would be good for the fans to see. As far as Strikeforce is concerned, I think it would be more beneficial to match me up with someone like Mo Lawal or Dan Henderson to put butts in the seats and sell some tickets.

In addition to wanting a step up in competition and promotion to the main card, Britt also had some thoughts on a certain former street fighter currently fighting for the UFC:

I would love to beat up on Kimbo Slice. I would love to just punish that guy. In all honesty, I think during the season, people got a really good read into more of the person that Kimbo was and he’s a really a pretty good guy, it’s just, you know, his popularity in this sport are for all the wrong reasons.

Like we were saying earlier, if you can sell yourself, do it, but I would love it if they just closed the cage behind us and let us go at it. That would be fun.

From the frustration of not being able to continue on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter to the experience of fighting in the YAMMA Pit, Antwain Britt answers every question with complete honesty and makes for a terrific interview.

Check out the rest of my interview with "The Juggernaut" Antwain Britt and stay tuned for more from Heavy.com.

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great read

good interview buddy

Making the world a better place, one dirtbag at a time.

by CC11 on Jan 6, 2010 2:15 PM EST reply actions

Thanks – always a good time putting together an interview like this.

Never thought I’d be able to talk about the YAMMA Pit with anyone…

by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 6, 2010 2:31 PM EST reply actions

I would be shocked if Antwain Britt fought Dan Henderson…..

by Jonathan Snowden on Jan 6, 2010 2:44 PM EST reply actions

Probably not going to happen, since Hendo vs. Shields is very much in the works and one win with the company doesn’t put you opposite their latest prized acquisition.

I think he’s more likely to get the matchup with Feijao, which would still be a very good fight.

by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 6, 2010 3:39 PM EST up reply actions

kimbo helping mma grow, when haters gone realise it?

“his popularity in this sport are for all the wrong reasons”. kimbo being so popular that he is brought in fans that didn’t even know wtf mma was

by staytrue2010 on Jan 6, 2010 3:09 PM EST reply actions

To an extent, you’re completely right – Kimbo has certainly drawn the interest of some who never would have known what the sport was or watched an event if not for the bearded brawler.

That said, he has also gotten to the place he is now as one of the most recognizable and well-known MMA fighters in a way that has to be hard to take for many fighters, Britt included.

He was erroneously pushed as the face of the sport – covers of ESPN the Magazine, features on TV, appearances, all kinds of stuff – when he was nothing more than a streetfighter with a massive YouTube career…

People don’t watch Kimbo because they’re interested in the technique of the sport or the skill, dedication and commitment it takes to be great; they watch to see some dude potentially get KTFO’d…

That’s good, but only if they stick around to watch the rest of the fights and keep tuning in when Kimbo isn’t fighting.

by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 6, 2010 3:38 PM EST up reply actions

You are absolutely right as to why most people tune in to watch Kimbo.

What’s sad is that Kimbo is actually improving as a Martial Artist. His attitude and demeanour in interviews is commendable. He even refrained from talking return smack about Bas. It’s too bad more people don’t see the big steps he’s taken to improve his game. I was one of the nay sayer’s to Kimbo, but when I saw him use a whizzer on Houston Alexander and come down in full mount I changed my mind. Not that Alexander is a ground specialist by any stretch of the imagination, but Kimbo having already surpassed him in skill on the ground says a lot to me.

by bubbafat on Jan 8, 2010 7:37 PM EST up reply actions

I’m surprised he didn’t call Fedor out

by TLow on Jan 6, 2010 3:15 PM EST reply actions

hahaha...Britt is too funny

All the dudes he mentioned would put him to sleep. He has some ways to go to be on those fighter’s level. He got the potential, but he’s not there yet. Saw him in a UWC fight in Northern VA. Wasn’t really impressed. I think Kimbo would knock him out.

by Akorn on Jan 7, 2010 12:03 AM EST reply actions