Seeing as he was once the UFC’s youngest heavyweight champion, fans have been perplexed as to why heavyweight catch-wrestler Josh Barnett never returned to his fighting home after defeating UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 36 in 2002.
Barnett tested positive for steroids after winning the UFC gold over a decade ago and was subsequently stripped of the title.
Obviously that didn’t help his stock in the eyes of the UFC brass at the time.
Fast forward almost eleven years and 20-some fights – and after the UFC purchased many of the major MMA promotion across the globe – the two parties eventually struck a deal.
Barnett was brought back to the cage to face fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 164 in Milwaukee.
No longer “The Baby Faced Assassin,” “The Warmaster,” made his UFC return in highlight reel fashion when he destroyed the former champ with a bevy of brutal knee strikes that left Mir in a heap just minutes into the opening round.
At the UFC 164 post-fight press conference, Barnett spoke about his longevity and elation at the prospect of finally returning to his fighting home after years toiling in rival promotions across the globe.
“It’s cool, man. It’s great,” said the 35-year-old veteran. “I love to fight, period. You could put us out in the parking lot like we used to do and go at it and I’d still be happy to get out there and try to bash somebody’s brains in.”
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Barnett tested positive for steroids after winning the UFC gold over a decade ago and was subsequently stripped of the title.
Obviously that didn’t help his stock in the eyes of the UFC brass at the time.
Fast forward almost eleven years and 20-some fights – and after the UFC purchased many of the major MMA promotion across the globe – the two parties eventually struck a deal.
Barnett was brought back to the cage to face fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 164 in Milwaukee.
No longer “The Baby Faced Assassin,” “The Warmaster,” made his UFC return in highlight reel fashion when he destroyed the former champ with a bevy of brutal knee strikes that left Mir in a heap just minutes into the opening round.
At the UFC 164 post-fight press conference, Barnett spoke about his longevity and elation at the prospect of finally returning to his fighting home after years toiling in rival promotions across the globe.
“It’s cool, man. It’s great,” said the 35-year-old veteran. “I love to fight, period. You could put us out in the parking lot like we used to do and go at it and I’d still be happy to get out there and try to bash somebody’s brains in.”
Go Check out all of our social media
– You can now follow me (Andy) on my Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/AR_Official_94
_ You can like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AR_Official/244148072390274
- Official MMA Valley Twitter
- MMA Valley Brand New Facebook Page
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