Controversial Ex-UFC Champion Josh Barnett Signs with Strikeforce

He’s a controversial athlete…but he’s a former UFC champion. He’s been popped for steroids in the past…but he’s one of the best Heavyweights competing right now, and certainly one of the best not in the UFC. It could be argued that his latest steroid scandal caused the death of an entire promotion…but he’s competed in numerous high-profile fights that have drawn big money. Is he worth the risk, in the end? Strikeforce seems to think so, as they announced recently via a press release that they had signed Josh Barnett to an exclusive contract. In the press release, Barnett said the following: “STRIKEFORCE is the home of the best heavyweight division in the world and I’m proud to be able to call it my home now.”

For those that may not be familiar with the man, here’s a quick crash course on “The Babyfaced Assassin”. He made his name in the UFC due to two things: his pretty-boy good looks and his penchant for finishing opponents. Barnett became the youngest UFC champion in history when he beat Randy Couture at UFC 36 to claim the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He then tested positive for banned substances, was stripped of his title, and was fired from the UFC.

Barnett then headed to Japan where he arguably became even more famous, with several high-profile fights in the now-defunct PRIDE FC promotion. After the fall of PRIDE, Barnett would go on to compete in the short-lived Affliction promotion, and was scheduled to face Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of Affliction’s third card. After testing positive for anabolic steroids in a pre-fight drug test, the fight with Emelianenko was cancelled, which played a huge part in the event itself being cancelled, which played a not-insignificant part in the promotion itself going belly-up.

Even with the controversy and stigma surrounding him, Barnett is on a six-fight win-streak and hasn’t lost since 2006, back when PRIDE was still around. Before he tested positive for banned substances yet again, and before Emelianenko’s shocking submission loss to Fabricio Werdum earlier this year, Barnett was widely regarded (even by me) as one of the last, great, legitimate tests for “The Last Emperor” outside of the UFC. Barnett’s first Strikeforce opponent is as-of-yet unknown, as are the number of fights he will compete in under the promotion.

I think this is a pretty huge gamble for Strikeforce. I understand why they did it, though. Strikeforce needs name-value stars, they need big names and good athletes if they ever want to get back on CBS again. Josh Barnett is still a world-ranked Heavyweight, he still has name-value, the UFC has shown virtually no interest in ever hiring him again, and when he shows up clean and in shape he can still put on some fantastic fights. If it weren’t for the Affliction controversy, I’d support Strikeforce 100% on this decision and I may have even wondered why they didn’t sign him sooner.

But Barnett lost a lot of credibility and burned a lot of bridges when he got popped for juicing yet again. I know that Barnett defenders rush to his side and claim that Affliction’s horrendous mismanagement killed the promotion dead far more than Barnett being pulled from the fight with Fedor, and I honestly agree with that. But don’t think I believe for one second that Barnett’s controversy wasn’t a major nail in Affliction’s coffin. The way they hemorrhaged money was definitely a bigger nail, but that shouldn’t diminish what Barnett did: he cheated to try and get ahead, and far more people than himself would pay the price for Barnett’s actions.

Until he proves that he’s trustworthy again, I’m extremely hesitant about Josh Barnett signing with Strikeforce. If he shows up clean and in top shape, and puts on good fights, then I’m willing to wipe the slate clean and support him once again. But with his track record, that’s a massive “if”. It will be interesting to see if “The Babyfaced Assassin” has finally learned his lesson.

And what about you, fans and friends? How do you feel about Josh Barnett signing to Strikeforce?