When it comes to getting into altercations, Matt Barnes is probably atop the list among NBA players and to a lesser extent, Serge Ibaka.
Not surprisingly, things heated up quickly when Barnes – who has tangled with Ibaka in the past – was asked to discuss his issue with the power forward during his appearance on ESPN’s Sportstation on Tuesday, saying he would fight Ibaka right now and claiming that he thinks he is tough but isn’t.
Ibaka may or may not have seen the show, but he saw a tweet from Sportsnation quoting what Barnes had said and reacted accordingly:
@danawhite @ufc are you interested? LOL https://t.co/tgXNbDxBPq
— Serge Ibaka (@sergeibaka9) July 21, 2015
Barnes has yet to respond to Ibaka’s tweet.
Ibaka is listed at 245 pounds while Barnes is listed at 226 pounds, so that would actually qualify as a heavyweight bout. Given that both are untrained in terms of combat (as far as we know, anyway), a real fight between the two in a cage would most likely end up being disastrous, though they’d probably respect each other a lot more if it actually happened.
A lot of people would probably pay to see that one happen either way, but Dana White of the UFC would never allow it so Ibaka will have to look elsewhere to hold such an event.
Jim Park is a blogger and editor of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.