There was a time, and it wasn’t all that long ago, that I believed Josh Barnett would never sign with the UFC.
After Strikeforce was finally put in the ground once and for all, Barnett opened negotiations with the UFC. It seemed like the perfect fit for the former UFC heavyweight champion; after all, there are no other MMA promotions in the world that can pay Barnett the kind of money he wants, and all of the world’s best heavyweights are in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
For mysterious reasons, however, the negotiations failed. Barnett remained a free agent, and those of us who want to see him back in the Octagon were left disappointed once again.
But good things come to those who wait. On Tuesday night, word came down from the UFC that Barnett had signed a multi-fight agreement to return to the promotion where he once dominated and then left in a cloud of steroid-induced shame.
Barnett is expected to make his return to the Octagon later this year, but it’s time for me to start speculating as to who his first opponent in the UFC might be. Today, I take a look at five potential UFC heavyweight opponents for “The War Master,” in order from least to most intriguing.