On the evening of March 24th, at a Kennesaw fight venue which goes by the name of “Electric Cowboy,” Wesley Barnes accomplished something that few in the MMA world thought he ever could, but something that he always knew he would.
Barnes won the NFC (National Fighting Championships) Lightweight Title fight (NFC 92) over fellow contender Brandon Longano after a fight that lasted only 21 seconds, officially.
In just 21 official seconds (although the video replay suggests the fight was probably over within 15 seconds), Barnes became the new Georgia NFC 155-pound title holder after disposing of a previously unbeaten, and heavily favored Longano.
The commentators of the fight frantically called the event unfolding before them, using mostly the word “wow,” before arriving at their eloquent and accurate recap just moments later.
“Wes Barnes has just put Brandon Longano to sleep!” they exclaimed.
“He is the new NFC lightweight champion. Wow.”
The fight promo poster of Barnes’ most recent fight. He won the title in just 21 seconds.
He prefers to be called Wes, his friends and those close to him affectionately call him “Black Dynamite,” but now, thanks to his most recent performance, you can just call him ‘champ.’
Barnes, 33, is not what you might imagine when you picture a prototypical “MMA fighter.” He isn’t loud. He isn’t arrogant. And, for now at least, the Savannah-born Barnes isn’t shirtless, nor foaming at the mouth and itching to pummel anybody in his way.
He’s different.
Instead, the light-skinned black man with a patchy beard is soft-spoken, confident yet noticeably humble—he’s measured in his conversation responses, like a veteran boxer feeling out his opponent jab-by-jab.
On this day, just over a week removed from his title bout, Barnes is sporting a loosely fit grey V-neck T-shirt and cut off sweatpants, which are cut plenty high enough to expose his bare feet. He’s taking it easy, watching other fighters go through “technique drills” at his home gym, The Champions Training Center. Located on Montgomery Street in Savannah, the cozy gym seems to perfectly symbolize its current prize fighter.
A brightly lit room, the ceiling is nearly low enough to touch, making even the smallest of fighters feel like a giant in the ring. It’s a room wherein no space goes unused. Every crevice and every mat serves a purpose.
The ring at Champions Training Center
The slight smell of sweat in the place serves as an olfactory reminder that title belts are earned, not given.
When asked if there’s somewhere to sit and talk about himslef, Barnes wraps up the tour and picks out two seats by the entrance.
He is joined by his trainer, and self-proclaimed role model, Miuhsin Corbbrey. Corbbrey, owner and operator of Champions, leans against the ropes along the outside of the ring.
A renaissance man, Corbbrey has an impressive fighting history of his own. But, nowadays he seems more concerned with the management and growth aspect of MMA.
This is where Wes Barnes comes into the plan.
“The goal for Wes is to allow him to make money off of all the hard work he’s done while fighting,” says Corbbrey.
“My goal for him long term is for him to own a Champions Training Center like this one day, after he’s done with pro fighting.”
Corbbrey, whose thick dreads give off an easy going Rastafarian feel, is the polar opposite of Barnes. He is intense. Passionate in his speech on subjects ranging from politics, to education, to MMA and beyond.
He is well read, having already graduated with his undergrad in political science from Armstrong State University, a father and husband, Corbbrey is currently finishing up online courses to receive his Masters Degree from Boston University.
Just like when Barnes is fighting in the ring, Corbbrey stands close by his fighter on this day as well — coaching and guiding him at every turn. Even for basi biography questions, it’s easy to see Barnes feeding off of his right-hand-man.
“I got into Mixed Martial Arts when I was in sixth grade,” Barnes recalls when asked how this all began. “I remember watching a copy of UFC 3 that my dad got for me on DVD. I was already enrolled in karate, and watching that fight was what really got me hooked on MMA.”
Simple enough.
A kid, guided by his father, falls in love with a sport he watches perfected on the screen, and never loses that love. For Barnes, however, the story was just beginning.
Barnes’ promo posters like this hang on the walls at Champions
Fueled by, as he put it, “all of those people that knew me in school, those people that said I wasn’t going to be able to do anything big or anything important,” Barnes joined The Marines almost immediately after graduating from Effingham County High School in 2003.
Hardly a career choice that is ever chosen so matter-of-factly, Barnes was genuine in his recount of why he joined up. He had something to prove, to the doubters, yes. But, perhaps, he had something much more to prove to his 18-year-old self.
“When they say ‘he can’t do it,’ I say, ‘hold my beer, watch this.’”
After four separate tours of duty in Iraq, Barnes had seemingly done more than enough to prove to others what he was made of, but he says that he simply “needed something more” after returning home to civilian life.
Barnes contends that MMA is what keeps him “from doing something crazy, like riding motorcycles 100mph down the freeway or something.”
“I found that when I returned home,” Barnes explains, talking with his hands and mouth. “I needed something to put my heart into. I needed a cause. (Fighting MMA) is what gives me my sanity.”
If the fighting gives him sanity, Barnes’ opponents receive something completely different from his punches. When asked how he thinks another fighter might describe his fighting style, Barnes takes a second to consider. With a sly grin, and his hand perched curiously beneath his chin, he guesses.
“Scary. They would say it’s scary to fight Wes Barnes. They more than likely wouldn’t want to fight me again.”
“Wes is an absolute animal.” Corbbrey adds.
“He’s a monster, a killer from start to finish. He’s 100mph and guys can’t keep up with him. Take [Longano] for example, he had ten amateur fights and lost by decision once. He was undefeated as a pro. Wes made the kid look like he never fought before.”
So now what?
Corbbrey and Champions Fight Group, AKA the Barnes training, management, promotions ultra team, are working towards scheduling another fight for the light heavyweight champ, a fight that should come together in the coming weeks says Corbbrey.
“Early Summer is my best guess (for the next fight) at this point.”
Barnes will continue to fight and train out of Champions in an effort to become a role model for the youth in the troubled neighborhoods surrounding the gym. He is aware of the opportunity he has as a role model for kids in Savannah wanting to learn MMA.
When asked about his ultimate goal for himself, Barnes continues to use an invisible doubting group simply known as “they” for his motivation. That spells bad news for any of ‘them’ that dare step in the ring with Black Dynamite.
“I want to fight in the UFC at the highest level before I’m done. I want to show all of them that I can do it. For now, I’m focused on that as my only goal.”
So, if you happen to see Barnes at the gym or around Savannah, hold his beer.
The Champ has more to prove.
Sport by Travis 