It has been more than 11 years since Josh Barnett last held UFC gold, but it might not be that much longer until he gets a chance to hold it once again.
Now, at 36 years old, Barnett no longer goes by “The Babyfaced Assassin” moniker that he did back in the UFC 36 days, instead going by his new nickname of “The Warmaster.” And, just like back in 2002, Barnett is still one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world.
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In fact, Barnett is quickly closing in on another UFC title shot, and if he defeats Travis Browne in a featured heavyweight attraction at UFC 168, he’ll be right there in regards to the title picture. Only, this time, he’s not connected to PEDs like he was when he beat Randy Couture for the title in March 2002. This time around, Barnett has been subject to random drug tests by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and as long as he remains clean, he won’t have to worry about the belt being stripped away from him like when it was after he tested positive for banned substances after the fight with Couture. And the fans won’t have to worry about cheering for a cheater.
The fight against Couture was Barnett’s last fight in the Octagon until 2013, as he returned earlier this year to fight Frank Mir at UFC 164. In the 11 years that he was away, Barnett travelled all around the world to fight, competing in the legendary PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, Sengoku, DREAM, Affliction, and finally in Strikeforce, where he was a finalist in that promotion’s heavyweight grand prix.
Sure, Barnett lost a decision to Daniel Cormier in the finals of the grand prix, but other than that he’s been pretty much flawless in the last five years, as he’s won 10 of his last 11 fights. In fact, since leaving the UFC back in 2002, Barnett has only lost five times in 25 fights—the decision loss to Cormier in the finals of the grand prix, a decision loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in PRIDE at the height of “Big Nog’s” career, and three losses to Mirko Cro Cop, a fighter who just simply had Barnett’s number. That’s it.
Now, look at who he has beaten: Mir, Sergei Kharitonov, Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Mark Hunt, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gilbert Yvel, Semmy Schilt, and Brett Rogers, just to name a few. Yes, those guys aren’t the best heavyweights in the world, but they are all solid, and as far as out-of-UFC competition goes, I don’t think Barnett could have fought many better fighters in his 11 years away from the Octagon.
But now that he’s back, he’s going to have to step up his competition level, especially if he plans on making another – only this time clean – run for the title.
After taking out Mir in impressive fashion at UFC 164, Barnett jumped into the top six or seven of the heavyweight division and earned a fight against Browne, who is ranked just above him and considered by many to be nearing a title shot himself. Should Barnett go in there and take out Browne, he’ll move into the elite of the division and earn a fight against Fabricio Werdum to confirm who the true No. 1 contender is to Cain Velasquez’ belt. And to me, that’d be a pretty amazing career turnaround, very similar to how Robbie Lawler left the UFC a decade ago and now has come back with a vengeance and will fight for the vacant welterweight title next year.
Some might say that Barnett still being at the top of the heap at 265 pounds all these years after he first won the UFC belt shows the heavyweight division has, and always has been, weak. But I disagree. I think what it shows is that Barnett is just that damn good. And now that he’s winning without PEDs, he’s proving what many of us have always known, and that’s that Barnett is one of the most talented heavyweight fighters to ever compete in MMA, and always has been.