Where does Josh Barnett go from here?

Stoo · May 19, 2012

With the Strikeforce HW division officially no more, being out classed by a guy in his 10th fight, history of suspensions and Josh's less than rosey relationship with Dana White, where do you see Barnett ending up?

Will he end up in the UFC?

Is he still relevant in the division? He clearly isnt shot

Who in the UFC do you think he would beat?

Lynchburg · May 19, 2012

Sadly I think Dana will say he is **** and throw him aside... he will go back to Japan or maybe Bellator.

Bellator will be a better option...

Lynchburg

Stoo · May 19, 2012

Well a NYE show in Japan against Fedor is unlikely but I wouldnt rule it out

scurlaruntings · May 20, 2012

This is a tough one. As Barnett is still competitive. But that spat with Dana is personal. Barnett doesn't play to the UFC tune so its likely he'll be back in Japan. Possibly NJPW and some JMMA.

Stoo · May 20, 2012

Apart from the personal spat, I see no reason why Barnett wouldnt be a good addition to the HW roster. Obviously a win would have left him in a better bargaining position

Dana White Says Heavyweight Josh Barnett Can Return to the UFC

UFC president Dana White and Josh Barnett have never had the best relationship.

Much of the contention from White's side stems from the fact that Barnett tested positive for steroids after winning the UFC heavyweight title back at UFC 36. A single steroid failure would normally be fine, even for a champion. You'll be stripped of your title, but you'll get a chance to regain it after you serve your suspension. All you really need to do is admit your guilt and apologize; a little remorse goes a long way.

But remorse—or an admission of guilt—is the one thing we're likely never going to get from Barnett. Multiple drug failures has shown that to be true. And Barnett has fired back at White through the years like few others are willing to do, calling him a "hindrance" and saying a "trained ******" could do White's job.

However, things seem to be getting better between White and Barnett. The pair were photographed together during last summer's annual Fight Summit in Las Vegas, and White has come out in support of a Barnett move to the UFC after the conclusion of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix:

''The way that Showtime wants to do it is when that fight finally happens, whoever wins it, they wanna do another fight on Showtime. That guy would probably come to the UFC. We'll see what happens, you know?

Josh and I have been playing nice with each other for a little while, ever since he got into the UFC. It's more than just, does he win, does he do this? You gotta be able to come to terms with the guy and be able to deal with him. If he wins the fight, I can't see why he wouldn't come here, unless we weren't able to make a deal with him.''

I think Barnett will get a crack at the UFC's heavyweight roster in 2012, no matter what happens in the finals of the heavyweight grand prix. They brought over the rest of the Strikeforce heavyweight roster, and those fighters didn't even make the finals. Some of them didn't even make it out of the first round. White is hinting that coming to a deal has very little to do with him actually winning the tournament.

Barnett's place in the UFC is secure, and rightly so. And he seems to actually want another chance in the world's biggest fight promotion, which means he'll be much more willing to sit down and make a deal than he would have been, oh, four years ago.

The one hold-up, as I see it, will be Barnett's pro wrestling career. I can't imagine White allowing Barnett to continue working matches in Japan—at least not on a regular basis—so Barnett will have a choice to make: Continue professional wrestling or finally creating and cementing a real mixed martial arts legacy in the UFC.

Click to expand...

[url]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1131679-dana-white-says-heavyweight-josh-barnett-can-return-to-the-ufc[/url]

scurlaruntings · May 20, 2012

He would be a great addition. But difficult to see what he can achieve if he cant beat an up comer like Cormier.

Stoo · May 20, 2012

Id like to see him in with Mir, if Frank is still alive after the JDS fight

or maybe a worked shoot match with Brock in the WWE

liger05 · May 20, 2012

New japan pro wrestling would be great but don't think it will happen.

Hrak · May 20, 2012

At best I think he would be a gate keeper in the UFC HW division. But I don't think he has enough left to make it to a title shot.

Primate · May 20, 2012

Barnett can be relevant in the UFC heavies, Cormier picking him up and dumping him on his head was insanely impressive, but I doubt there's many fighters anywhere that could duplicate that against Barnett.

Josh would do well against all but the top of the top.

thejokerswild · May 20, 2012

He might go back to pro wrestling

PivotPunch · May 20, 2012

He´s still a great HW Cormier was just a pretty bad matchup

KERRIGAN · May 20, 2012

Gay Porn, as the receiver.

EL BULLY · May 20, 2012

Hospital

greathamza · May 20, 2012

He has started to be a bit more ufc friendly he knows what he has to do if he wants into the ufc again and i think DW will probably snap him up sooner rather than later

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