It’s no secret that Josh Barnett is not particularly beloved by UFC President Dana White.
The brash and outspoken UFC head honcho has stated on multiple occasions that among the Paul Daleys and Karo Parisyans of the world, Barnett stood out as a man who would likely never compete inside the Octagon, following the lack of remorse shown for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.
After claiming the UFC heavyweight title with a dominant TKO victory over Randy Couture in 2002, Barnett tested positive for several banned substances, which eventually led to stripping the “Baby-Faced Assassin” of the belt.
Once the submission wrestler was shunned by White, he took solace in the Japanese circuit, where he became a fixture of the rivaling Pride organization, defeating the likes of Aleksander Emelianenko, Mark Hunt and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira along the way.
Barnett eventually found a new home, signaling a return to the United States, where he competed under the Affliction banner, which at the time wielded the best heavyweight roster around, including former champions Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and the touted Fedor Emelianenko, among others.
After decisive victories over Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel, Barnett was pitted against Emelianenko, challenging the Russian for the WAMMA (World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts) title.
Unfortunately, the bout never came to fruition as the Seattle native again tested positive for banned substances, specifically Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid.
Though he vehemently denied the use of PEDs, the damage to Barnett’s image was irreversible.
Eventually, Strikeforce deemed all of Barnett’s sins forgiven as they included him in their prestigious Heavyweight Grand Prix, where the CSW representative has made his way to the finals after submitting former title challenger Brett Rogers and fellow Pride vet Sergei Kharitonov.
During his run through the tournament field, Zuffa, the subsidiary of the UFC, acquired the San Jose-based promotion including all of their assets, putting Barnett in bed once again with Dana White and the crew.
Whether Barnett will make his way back inside the Octagon in the future remains to be seen.
However, there will be no denying his viability in the promotion if he can best Olympian Daniel Cormier in their Grand Prix finale battle come next March.
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