Does Barnett get a pass from many?

[GoldenAzazel]

I think Brazilian fighters who pop (Anderson, Vitor, Wanderlei etc.) get more hate sometimes because they never shut up about respect. You can't say you seen the Nog's feed a bus a carrot but you can cheat?
One of the most disrespectful things you can do is not give someone a fair contest and I'm sure that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

That being said I don't really support cheaters either way, so I guess this doesn't really apply to me.

 

[Organic Damage]

The worst thing about Barnett roiding is that he doesn't even look like he's roiding. I mean, shit, why even bother?

 

[Bend NvR Break]

People aren't jealous of his physique so he gets a pass

 

[Starkist]

This would be news if he actually passed a drug test.

 

[Which Doctor]

A massive chunk of the MMA fanbase are huge dweebs that are too insecure to admit they love Pro Wrestling.

The Warmaster and The Shockmaster are their gods who rule Nerd Valhalla, playing Magic and reliving Savage/Steamboat all day, drinking Mountain Dew and Faygo all night.

1337xXxHUZZAH 4 TEH HOT POKETZ!!!xXx1337

Spoiler

 

[Lowercase p]

He's a white american, so it's all good. Yoel Romero on the other hand, fuck that cheater.

Same reason Tim Sylvia got a pass....oh wait. Why do we have to bring race into everything?

 

[Woliwo]

It's extremely hard to dislike that guy.
So he surely does.

 

[JustforBROCK]

Nobody really ares because he hasnt been near the top of the sport since he popped in UFC. He's just a guy who fights, end of story. He'll keep popping and coming back as long as they let him, but he'll never be more than what he is now. A flabby white guy who wins sometimes and loses when he counts.

 

[Goodfella86]

Barnett just gets a pass. He's been a top 10 HW since 1965, he's an articulate nerd, and he's very, very white. It's the dark ones you have to worry about....

 

[mkt]

People aren't jealous of his physique so he gets a pass

True, but he's roiding for performance. And he may have had unfair advantages, even if you can't tell it from his dough boy physique. I've certainly known some strong guys who didn't look the part.

 

[PapaBherd]

People are used to it.

 

[BGDDYKWL]

I think part of it is the cheating doesn't seem to be helping him, nor would anyone in a million years guess it by looking at him. It's like PEDs don't work on him. Still doesn't make it ok, but it's not as bothersome to fans as someone like Lesnar/Romero getting popped, cause they're athletic freaks.

 

[WinZip]

I think Barnett has a lot going for him that helps him with the fans. He's intelligent, well-spoken, and is into a lot of the things that a lot of fans are into - pro wrestling, music, etc. He almost comes off in a "just like one of us" way, but with the insight and experience in MMA that makes him revered.

Still a cheating bitch, though. Not a very good cheating bitch at that...he's been caught 4 times, including twice (!!!!!) in his original stint in the UFC, when testing wasn't nearly as well implemented as it is today (even outside of USADA).

 

[dualityzme]

He's basically a very cool nerd that likes anime and heavy metal. And he could kill just about anyone on this planet with his bare hands.

I find it very hard to dislike the guy.

Agreed. He is like a care bear full of rage.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

I've certainly known some strong guys who didn't look the part.

Definitely. Vice versa is also true. I've seen guys who look like they could bench press a tree but actually couldn't lift a twig.

To be fair to Barnett, regardless of his normal looking body (or Rothwell for that matter), he could bend most people on this planet into real life pretzels.

 

[andnowweknow]

Josh has cheated, plain and simple. He's also a straight up warrior. Hence the problem. If he was built like Anthony Johnson, the response would be very different.

For the record, Josh is a bad ass motherfucker and it sucks he popped but he's still the fucking man.

 

[mkt]

...he's been caught 4 times, including twice (!!!!!) in his original stint in the UFC, when testing wasn't nearly as well implemented as it is today (even outside of USADA).

Yeah, if a fighter got busted back in 2002, they were definitely on some heavy gear.