Josh Barnett is no longer a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster.
Despite being allowed to compete after his legal battle with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Barnett will not be returning to the Octagon. Barnett’s last bout was back in Sept. 2016 when he submitted Andrei Arlovski. MMAJunkie’s Steven Marrocco broke the news on Twitter:
Veteran heavyweight Josh Barnett has been released by the UFC. Story coming to https://t.co/81ChzC22BM.
— Steven Marrocco (@MMAjunkieSteven) June 20, 2018
Back in late 2016, Barnett failed an out-of-competition drug test administered by USADA. The substance in question was ostarine. “The Warmaster” maintained his innocence and said contaminated substances were to blame for the positive test. After going through arbitration, it was determined that Barnett was cleared to compete once again.
While many believed that this opened the door for Barnett to return to the Octagon and get back to business, he has fought his last fight with the promotion. At this time, the reason for Barnett’s departure is unknown. The former UFC heavyweight champion is a busy man outside of fighting. He serves as the color commentator for AXS TV’s New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) broadcasts. He’ll also have the occasional wrestling match over in Japan under the Inoki Genome Federation.
Barnett has gone 3-2 since his UFC return. Before his Aug. 2013 bout against Frank Mir, “The Warmaster” hadn’t been with the promotion since 2002. Barnett made his exit after defeating Randy Couture to capture the heavyweight title. He was stripped of the gold after a failed drug test.
Barnett would go on to make waves under the Pride FC banner. There, he took on the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop. Over two years after his final Affliction bout, Barnett made his way over to Strikeforce. He went 3-1 under the Strikeforce banner, with his only loss being at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Are you surprised to hear the news of Josh Barnett’s UFC release? Which promotion do you think he signs with?
