Chris Barnett expecting a “war” in “the king of the dad bods battle” against Jake Collier at UFC 279: “We are going to strike, we are going to spin”

Chris Barnett is excited to face Jake Collier at UFC 279 and to fight in front of fans again.

Barnett is coming off a decision loss to Martin Buday, however, the entire camp was a hard one as his wife was in the hospital, and 30 hours before the fight he got a call that he had to make a decision about her. Following the loss, she, unfortunately, passed away. With that, Barnett spent the next few months with his kids but now finally feels ready to fight again.

“Me coming back, I don’t want to say this fast, but me coming back was better for me,” Barnett said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I needed to get out of my own head, and I can literally say MMA saved my life. With all the stuff that went on, this one feels different. This was the right time.”

When Barnett makes the walk to the Octagon at UFC 279 he will be facing Jake Collier, which is a fight he’s excited for. He is dubbing this the king of the dad bods battle but is expecting a very fun striking battle for the fans.

“I love me some Jake, man. This is the king of the dad bods battle…  A great overall opponent for what he is going to do,” Barnett said. “We are going to strike, we are going to spin, the whole dance.”

Although Chris Barnett is excited to face Jake Collier, he is the betting underdog and if he loses he would drop to 1-3 in the UFC. However, he says there is no pressure on him to get the win as he says he knows the UFC is well aware of what he brings and doesn’t think he would be cut.

“I wouldn’t say pressure. I don’t want to be one of those guys that they just bring in and get out really quickly. They know what I’m bringing behind. The outside game plays a role in this, there is a reason why I have so many followers and why I have more followers than the popular guys or some of the champs in the UFC,” Barnett said. “They know it’s the fight game, they know I can fight but they know I know how to play that game as well. No pressure, really. I’ve had some conversations so the only pressure I can really feel is underperforming for myself.”

Ultimately, if Barnett does get his hand raised, he is hoping he can return later this year. Yet, he is expecting his UFC 279 clash against Collier to be a war so expects to be out for a few months healing up.

“We get past Jake I would love to get on a December card. If we could squeeze in another, I would definitely love that. I have a feeling me and Jake are going to war so I might need to chill for a couple of months but we are still talking January or February type thing. I stay the best me when I’m busy,” Barnett concluded.

Do you think Chris Barnett will beat Jake Collier at UFC 279?