Recently signed Josh Barnett looking to make a splash
For over a year, Josh Barnett was effectively out of the big leagues of mixed martial arts. And now that’s he’s back, recently signed to Strikeforce, he’s looking to make a name for himself –again– in the
American MMA scene.
"They've got great fights for me," he said. "They have good accessibility on CBS and Showtime. I'd love to go out there and suplex somebody on their head on CBS. It would be a great opportunity. It works
well with my overall vision of what I'm trying to do.”
Barnett was essentially a pariah of the MMA scene after the debarcle and collapse of the Affliction MMA company. In August 2009 he was set to take on then number one heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in the main
event of Affliction: Trilogy. But barely a week before the event he was tested positive by the California State Athletic Commission for steroids and suspended, and with no suitable replacement the event collapsed. It was the third time in his career he’d been
tested positive for steroids. Once he’d beaten Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight championship, only to be stripped of his belt once he tested positive.
After his most recent failed test, his name was blackened in the MMA world. He was simply too big a liability for some promotions, and many fans were reluctant to forgive.
Barnett though says he’s not too worried about trying to win over everybody.
"I don't feel a need to cater to people for any reason whatsoever," he said. "I treat those that are my fans respectfully and try to to what I can for them as an athlete. But I don't do things for other people.
I do them for myself. To do them for any other reason is insincere and a counterproductive way of going about things.”
Now at least one major hurdle has been cleared. After over a year of wrangling with the CSAC, he’s now been almost cleared to fight in the state, which is crucial for more than one reason. One is that Strikeforce’s
strongest market has always been California, and also that other state athletic commissions typically respect each other’s decisions.
"I imagine that when we need to cross that bridge, we'll do it," Barnett said. "I don't see any reason to do it any other way. I don't have a fight scheduled. I'm licensed as a 'second' (lead cornerman/trainer)
in California already.
"When I need to fight in California, I'll gladly come in front of them and fill out the paperwork. If they want me to present any case in front of them, I'll do whatever is necessary. I'll make it happen.
Until then, I'm just going to live my life like everybody else does."
With Emelianenko also signed to Strikeforce’s heavyweight division, there may be a chance to put together the elusive fight that brought down Affliction MMA. The two fighters are known friends, and yet still
have consistently expressed a desire to fight each other. Emelianenko was dethroned recently by Fabricio Werdum, and Barnett’s year of fighting lesser competition in Japan has lessened his star power somewhat, so the fight may not have the same appeal it once
did, but it would still be a huge fight.
Still, the former UFC champion and finalist in the 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix is ready to fight whomever Strikeforce puts in front of him, whether it's his long-time friend or not.
"When the opportunities arise, I've got to be ready to go out there and fight everybody as if it's the only fight I'm ever going to have and prove who I am."
"When the opportunities arise, I've got to be ready to go out there and fight everybody as if it's the only fight I'm ever going to have and prove who I am."
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