Josh Barnett on the Comeback Trail?
by Kid Nate on Jul 12, 2010 11:31 AM EDT
in MMA News
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"I'm an architect of my own fate, so you can imagine there's some CAD drawings of where I'm going and what I'm doing," he quipped. "Opportunities are going to come to me. Tom Huggins has a bunch of stuff in the works and is hot to use me. There's always a possibility for Sengoku or Dream, even though Japanese MMA is crippled right now."
Up first for the self-proclaimed "world's strongest pro-wrestler" will be a puroresu stint in September for the Inoki Genome Federation. However, Barnett is just as eager to get back into the gym as he is to get into the ring or the cage. He told Sherdog.com he's excited to continue working with Nicolas Sainac, the 1988 savate Grand Cup champion, whom Barnett said is "like a surgeon with his feet."
...
"I'll apply (for my license to fight in the U.S.) when available," he said. "I'll go up in front of those guys and see what they say, and do my thing. I offered to go up and give them another test. I said, 'I'll take the test right now,' when they said I had a bad one. When it comes time, I'll do it."
I'm pretty much a hopeless optimist slash magical thinker when it comes to fighters. But even I have to admit that the chances of Josh Barnett ever fighting relevant competition at heavyweight seem pretty damn slim.
He fairly thoroughly botched his appeals with the CSAC by failing to appear at his hearing. We'll know fairly soon whether the CSAC will hold that against him when he is eligible to re-apply for licensing with the commission.
Should he get licensed to fight in the U.S., he would be an excellent addition to Strikeforce's roster. Will Scott Coker and Showtime care to give Barnett a slot on a card? The man has failed not one, not two, but three steroid tests in the past and has still never admitted any culpability. I don't know that I would want to bet my career as a network executive that Josh Barnett will pass the requisite drug tests necessary to fight in the States.
I'm crossing my fingers because I'm a huge fan of Barnett's brand of catch wrestling based MMA, but I'm not holding my breath.
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I’m going to be disappointed in whomever signs Barnett – be it Coker, Rebney or White.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2010 11:08 AM EDT reply actions
it's too bad
he made himself irrelevant with all the dirty testing. There are a lot of good match ups I’d like to see with him but he just doesn’t deserve it anymore.
"A man that does not fall, does not stand up."
So, is Barnett actually suspended, or just not licensed?
I have to plead ignorance when it comes to those wacky AC’s. Do they only suspend guys when they test positive in a fight? Or also when they apply for their license and in random out of fight testing?
I just can’t keep up with these jokers anymore…
Barnett failed a licensing drug test, because he didn’t get his license they can’t suspend him but they can say he can’t re-apply for a license for one year. Athletic commissions can only suspend licensed fighters but unlicensed fighters can’t fight in the US so not being allowed to re-apply becomes basically the same thing.
by who me on Jul 12, 2010 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not exactly
Suspended fighters can’t fight in other states either. Barnett can apply for a license anywhere in the United States tomorrow.
by Jonathan Snowden on Jul 12, 2010 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
I’d hope that the other ACs would honor California’s and not license him.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2010 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
They do; it’s an unspoken rule that unless there is some mitigating circumstance that they don’t interfere with each others’ judgments/rulings, for pretty obvious reasons.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Josh wasn’t punished though. He just wasn’t licensed.
by Jonathan Snowden on Jul 12, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
The date CSAC set for him to be able to re-apply will be the same for every athletic commission. Its not a punishment as such but if you fail to get a license then you have to wait a specific length of time to re-apply, in Barnett’s case there is also the appeal he filed but never went to. Every athletic commission is going to know about that and the date given when he is eligable for re-application for a license.
by who me on Jul 12, 2010 1:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I don’t know that I would want to bet my career as a network executive that Josh Barnett will pass the requisite drug tests necessary to fight in the States.
For this reason his first fight back in the US will be either an undercard fight for Strikeforce or a tournament bout for Bellator. If someone is going to give him a chance he can’t be more than one piece of the puzzle.
dana would never sign him
and i doubt coker wants the headache that he brings, he has enough problems as is
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
half agree.
If Fedor re-ups, I could see SF trying to put together the once highly anticipated Barnett-Fedor fight.
I could see him signing even if Fedor doesn't resign.
They will need challengers for title fights. After Werdum / Overeem, what’s left?
Shane Del Rosario won’t be ready even if he beats Lolohea Mahe.
Lashley says he will fight for the title, but that has yet to be seen.
Oh for sure, but they would instantly thrust him into the main event of a high profile card, if was against fedro.
If they do, that’s playing some serious Russian roulette with their main event. I think any promoter with a shred of responsibility makes him fight at least once before they do so. First, there’s very little recognition of Barnett in America at the moment (except among hardcores, and he’s really tested their patience of late, too…) and he needs to be introduced again. Second, he needs to prove he’s not going to be a massive liability and cock up the whole show.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
I agree with the part about Dana
Barnett is as much of a potential problem as Fedor / M-1, without the fan base.
I wouldn’t be even slightly surprised to see Barnett fight in Strikeforce though.
how many headaches can coker deal with though?
fedors a huge problem, overeems been a problem, and with the whole mw tourney fiasco i think barnett and his ridiculous antics would be the straw that broke the camels back for coker and cause him to lose whats left of his sanity
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
At this point, I don't want to see him fight in the states again.
While he was in one of my favorite fights (Barnett/Rizzo) I think he has little respect for the business, himself, or the fans.
Josh and Ken Shamrock need to ride off into the sunset together.
anyone know
when he’s able to reapply for his license? Nate, you said we should know “fairly soon,” so is that w/in the next month or two, or by years end?
He tested positive in early July/09 during the licensing for his fight with Fedor. Technically, the year is up already, but there may have been some alterations to the date given his repeated no-show appeal shenanigans. It sounds like he isn’t planning on re-applying until he knows he has a fight (probably so he has time to cycle off….).
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Is he so disliked by other fighters/trainers that they won't hook him up with the untestable/quick flush products,
Or is he just not the sharpest tool in the shed?
by BigDNotDallas on Jul 12, 2010 12:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Really wondering this also. I’m no steroid expert but by all indications the testing that is done currently by the athletic commissions is pretty much a joke (nothing random, only just before fights, no blood). So really baffling that someone that comes across like a pretty smart guy can manage to get caught three times.
Hey, we’d finally have our UFC/Pride HW unification!
As far as I know, Barnett has never admitted to not being the UFC HW champ (on account of winning it off Randy before pissing hot the first time around) and since Fedor is/was the last Pride HW champ…
I’ll get my coat.
You don't like wrestling in MMA? Go watch K-1.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Jul 12, 2010 12:00 PM EDT reply actions
Wow.
That joke just gets funnier and funnier.
Except, you know, backwards.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
If you like it, you should put a rec on it.
Josh Barnett's better days
I would say are behind him. It seems to me at thins point he just begs to keep his name in the relevant fighter discussion, meanwhile fighting lackluster oppoonents, failing drug tests, and fighter bashing more than Sherdog.
I would say, much like his physique, some things just will never change.
by Dr. Leo Marvin on Jul 12, 2010 12:29 PM EDT reply actions
Remind me:
“I’m an architect of my own fate, so you can imagine there’s some CAD drawings of where I’m going and what I’m doing,”
How did designing a better body work out for Josh?
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
If you like it, you should put a rec on it.
hating on barnett is like hating on leban
ppl we just read a post about the comeback of chris leban…why cant barnett do the same? both guys are almost the same in personality..steriods..attitude..lol give the guy a chance…im a big fan of leban..i havnt had the pleasure to see much of barnetts fight game..but i say i hope he gets signed in the states and we will see…both SF and UFC needs some more HW talent.. the ? i have if fedor and barnett did square off for affliction would have barnett won? i think he would have.
by prodigymma on Jul 12, 2010 3:29 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
It’s Leben by the way, big fan :o.
I'm a lover not a fighter
by spectaa on Jul 12, 2010 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
o damn
all i can say is i f’d up…lol
by prodigymma on Jul 12, 2010 3:56 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think if Chris Leben failed two more drug test then perhaps fans would view him the same way as Barnett now. Josh Barnett doesn’t need to come back from a string of lackluster losses he needs to gain back fan/promoter trust after his third positive steroid test, not an easy thing to do.
Yeah, let’s not forget what the fallout was of Barnett’s last hot test: it pretty much killed Affliction as a promotion. Yes, they were on life support before that, but he was the one to pull the plug. He’s a huge risk for a promotion to take on, and he hasn’t shown that he’s really altered his behaviour (see: scheduling appeals and failing to show, repeatedly).
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
worst comparison ever.
"they mad at me, I keep going hard reppin/
cause what's your Rampage to Rashad Evans/"
-Joe Budden (Something To Ride To)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/76866807deabe3c1/
by Nightwhistler on Jul 12, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
Leben flunked one test, admitted that he fucked up and took his punishment like a man.
Barnett has flunked THREE tests, never admitted once that he juices, and continually appeals and issues denials until his sentence is up and then flees the country to ply his craft where no one will test him.
Josh Barnett
I have never been a fan of this guy,because he comes across as a jerk and a douche bag.
by TERRENCEFROMSOUTHEAST on Jul 12, 2010 8:34 PM EDT reply actions
I have always been huge fan of Barnett. I have watched almost all of his fights and he is a very gifted fighter. He can wrestle, he can strike, has great submission skills, and can take a solid punch. He could still be in some great fights with top fighters.
HOWEVER, for someone who comes off as a very intelligent person he seems to do a lot of boneheaded things. The Affliction debacle and his flip attitude to the CSAC makes no sense. I just hope he gets it together so we can see a few more great fights before its too late.
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