Bryan Barberena wasn’t excited to retire from MMA, but that’s exactly what would have happened if the UFC hadn’t offered a new deal following his fight in March with Matt Brown.
Just after earning a “Fight of the Night” award for the performance, Barberena revealed he had completed his contract and wasn’t interested in competing anywhere else if the UFC didn’t want to bring him back.
“Absolutely, [I would have retired],” Barberena said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “I talked about it. Nobody knew it was the last fight on my contract, maybe some diehards who pay attention to that, whatever, but I didn’t tell anybody besides my wife.
“I didn’t want the whole fight with Matt Brown to be about, ‘It’s the last fight on his contract, what is he going to do next, how much is it going to make him push harder?’ I didn’t want be about that. I wanted it to be about fighting Matt Brown and putting on a performance and beating him. It was something I had discussed .”
so I waited.
Thankfully, Barberena got a new contract and made the most of it with a stunning knockout of Robbie Lawler this past Saturday at UFC 276.
Barberena said his entire career was built around earning a spot in the UFC roster. If the organization suddenly lost interest, he was OK hanging up the gloves even if he actually wanted to compete again.
The same stakes apply even though the new deal allows for the welterweight to move forward.
” My goal was to reach the UFC,” Barberena stated. “That was the goal, to get here, stay here as long as possible. Obviously, I want to go out on my terms, but I still want to fight.
“Like I said, I feel like I’m hitting my stride, I’m getting to my best, and I still want to fight and put on shows, but I wanted to do it in one organization, and that’s the UFC. After that, it’s over. .”
Barberena received a quick call regarding a contract renewal after Brown’s fight. UFC President Dana White personally rang the veteran welterweight to assure he would be back.
“Dana White called me, and we discussed it, Barberena said. We left the scene of the fight [in Columbus],, and are now heading back to the farm to care for the animals. I drove home, and he Facetimed with me during the drive. He was like “You are not going anywhere. We’re going get this figured out .’
.”
“He was enthusiastic about the fight and said that it was an amazing fight. It was all sorted, the paperwork went out and we’re .”
Barberena requested that his next fight against Lawler be made, as he was just coming off his win over Nick Diaz.
“It’s the fight that I wanted,” Barberena said. “I love the way Robbie fights. Robbie brings it each time and tries to smash your head. That’s what excites me the most and what excited me about the fight.
” When I asked him why, that was his sole explanation. He wasn’t the ex-champion or what anyone says about his age. It doesn’t matter to me. He’s dangerous as hell. He’s dangerous as hell. Some don’t want him. I needed an entertaining fight .”
Barberena was “shocked” when he got the call that the Lawler fight was coming together. Even more significance was attached to the matchup because it was being held at UFC 276 as part of International Fight Week. The date held special significance for Barberena after his first encounter with Lawler took place at a similar event a decade ago before he ever imagined he’d one day end up in a fight against him.
“I met Robbie Lawler right before my very first amateur fight at International Fight Week — the very first International Fight Week thing they did,” Barberena said. “Went there, seen him there, talked to him a little bit. “I was asked by him if I was fighting. I replied, “No, I wasn’t about to fight.” Then, fast forward and I’m able to meet him again at International Fight Week, but this time, it’s in an octagon. It’s a complete-circle moment.
“Actually, I did see him. It was my wife, my father, and me. He was sort of standing at a booth, or something, but no one was actually approaching him. My dad went up to talk to him, and when I went back, my dad was talking to him, so I walked up and he started talking to us.
“My dad introduced us, ‘Yeah, this is my son,’ and so we started talking, and he’s like, ‘Do you fight?’ And I said, ‘Not yet, but I’m about to do my first amateur fight.’ He was a nice guy – kind of quiet, but super nice. Naturally, I was familiar with his identity. I was watching UFC at that time. That was the time I became a UFC fan. .”
Barberena was awarded a “Fight of the Night Bonus” for Lawler’s knockout in the opening bout of his UFC contract.
Now, he eagerly waits for his next chance and targets anyone from Niko Price through Gilbert Burns to Santiago Ponzinibbio.
“I want to continue to win,” Barberena said. Barberena said, “Continue winning fights and performing. The rankings will follow if I keep doing that. I’ll get a number by my name, next thing you know I’m a title contender and next thing you know, I’ll be fighting for the title.”
