Josh Barnett waited 11 years for his return to the UFC. Once he got there, he didn’t take much time getting the job done.
The UFC 164 co-main event matchup of former UFC heavyweight champions against Frank Mir ended with a premature referee stoppage, but there’s no doubting Barnett was dominating the fight. “The Warmaster” scored a TKO victory at 1:56 of the opening round Saturday night in Milwaukee.
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“I know I didn’t want it to stop, I’ll tell you that much,” Barnett (33-7) said. “Me and Frank are the type of guys that would rather die than quit. … That’s the way it goes.”
Barnett came charging out at Mir from the get-go, and while Mir withstood the early flurry and managed to do some damage in the clinch, Barnett eventually took control of the fight. Barnett landed a monstrous knee which dropped Mir on hands and knees to the mat.
While he appeared a shot or two away from going out, Barnett didn’t have the opportunity, as referee Robert Hinds jumped in and stopped the fight. Mir popped up and protested the stoppage.
Barnett won for the 10th time in his past 11 fights. Mir (16-8), the longest tenured current fighter on the UFC roster, has lost three straight fights.