Josh Barnett
Joshua Lawrence Barnett is an American mixed martial artist, submission wrestler, professional wrestler, and color commentator. Barnett previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he was the youngest-ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. Barnett was the final Openweight King Of Pancrase, a finalist in both the 2006 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix and the 2012 Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship Grand Prix. He has also competed in Affliction, World Victory Road, DREAM and Impact FC.
Barnett is one of the most prominent modern-day catch wrestlers. He won an IBJJF no-gi jiu-jitsu world championship in 2009 - despite no formal jiu-jitsu training, the Metamoris Heavyweight Championship in 2014, and a Snake Pit Catch Wrestling World Championship in 2018.
As a professional wrestler, Barnett made his in-ring debut in 2003 in the main event of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's annual January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, in a bout against IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata. Since then he has also wrestled for Inoki Genome Federation and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. In January 2015, Barnett began working as a color commentator for NJPW's weekly program on America's AXS TV.
Early life
Barnett had a troubled childhood and often got into fights. He was put into anger management programs at a young age and learned to cope with his anger by participating in athletics. After seeing UFC 2 as a sophomore, he decided that he wanted to be a mixed martial artist. Barnett had originally attended the University of Montana to play football for the school as a walk-on, but decided to pursue fighting instead. At the recommendation of an instructor at Montana, Barnett went to train at the Bushidokan dojo of Jim Harrison. Although he did not have the money for classes, he received training in exchange for helping with maintenance and labor at the dojo.Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Before his professional debut, Barnett engaged in mutual combat fights he organized with men via the internet. They would share information, arrange a location, agree upon rules, and use improvised gloves, often fighting several times as well as training together.Barnett's professional debut was on January 11, 1997, in Washington, against Chris Charnos for United Full Contact Federation. He accepted the fight with less than two weeks notice while home for winter break after being contacted by organizer Matt Hume, his former high school wrestling coach, and won by submission via rear-naked choke in under three minutes. Barnett started training in catch wrestling and no-holds-barred with Hume's AMC Pankration team to prepare for his next fight. After winning, he decided to drop out of university and pursue fighting full-time. Barnett was required to pass an evaluation involving conditioning, training, and an interview to join AMC. He would compile a 9–0 record with seven first-round stoppages and wins over future UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, Bobby Hoffman, John Marsh, and Bob Gilstrap twice. With these dominant showings, Barnett was invited to compete in the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Barnett made his UFC debut at UFC 28 on November 17, 2000, against 6' 10" Gan "The Giant" McGee and Barnett won via TKO in the second round. Despite suffering a KO loss in his next fight against Pedro Rizzo at UFC 30 he would bounce back and win his next two fights over 7' 0" Dutch kickboxer Semmy Schilt via armbar submission at UFC 32, and then received a submission win in a rematch with Bobby Hoffman at UFC 34. Subsequent to his win over Hoffman, Barnett tested positive for banned substances and was given a warning by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Barnett was then given a title shot for the UFC Heavyweight Championship against then-champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 36. He won via TKO after using the ground and pound technique to become the youngest-ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. However, after the bout it was revealed that he had again tested positive for banned substances and his title was stripped.Pancrase and PRIDE
Barnett competed in MMA in both PRIDE and Pancrase in Japan. While in Pancrase, he became the Openweight King of Pancrase by defeating Yuki Kondo. Winning this title put him alongside the likes of Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock and Bas Rutten as one of the few fighters to be a titleholder in both Pancrase and the UFC.In his first fight in PRIDE, at PRIDE 28 against Croatian Mirko Cro Cop, he suffered a simultaneous fracture and dislocated shoulder injury that required surgery and over six months of rehab. His first fight back post-injury was a rematch against Cro Cop at PRIDE 30, which he lost by a unanimous decision. He came back with a win against Kazuhiro Nakamura at PRIDE 31. Josh Barnett was scheduled to fight Pride World Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko for the title but withdrew from the fight due to an appendicitis. Barnett underwent surgery to remove his appendix later that night.
Barnett later beat Alexander Emelianenko by an americana submission in the second round of the PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute. He submitted Mark Hunt via kimura in the first round of the Openweight Grand Prix at Pride Critical Countdown Absolute. Barnett defeated Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira by split decision in the semi-finals of the Openweight Grand Prix, however he lost the final match of the PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute to Cro Cop on September 10, 2006, submitting after an unintentional finger poke to the eye. In a post-fight interview, Barnett explained the incident: "I opened up my guard and I grabbed his leg to go for a leg lock, and in the scramble Mirko put his hand out to post and he caught a finger deep in my right eye. And as soon as it happened I let go of the leg and grabbed my face, and I couldn't see anything at the time and I had no idea where he was and I just didn't want him to punt me in the face with a kick when I can't see and I'm blinded. He said, you know, 'Sorry' and I said to him that he was winning that night and it was an accident. He didn't mean ". This also marked the third time he was beaten by the MMA legend.
Next, Barnett fought the Polish judo gold medalist Pawel Nastula at PRIDE 32, the organization's first show in the United States. To fight again in Nevada, the Nevada State Athletic Commission required that Barnett pass a mandatory drug test. In a surprisingly competitive match, Nastula controlled the first round and most of the second. Barnett reversed Nastula from the bottom and was able to secure a toe-hold submission, which earned him the victory. At a post-fight press conference, Barnett complimented Nastula on his performance. Nastula, however, subsequently tested positive for steroids. Barnett then lost a rematch by unanimous decision to Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira at Pride Shockwave 2006.
World Victory Road: Sengoku
After the bout against Nogueira and the acquisition of PRIDE by the UFC, Barnett did not participate in any MMA events in 2007. Barnett did not follow many other PRIDE veterans to the UFC because he desired to join an organization that included the top Heavyweight fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. In 2008, Barnett joined the newly organized MMA promotion, Sengoku, and fought in consecutive main events at Sengoku 1 and Sengoku 2, submitting Hidehiko Yoshida with a heel hook in the third round, and defeating Jeff Monson by unanimous decision.Affliction Entertainment
Since his contract with World Victory Road was not exclusive, Barnett was able to join other MMA events. Barnett participated in the inaugural MMA event held by Affliction Entertainment, in July 2008. Seven years after his only knockout loss to Pedro Rizzo, he avenged that loss at Affliction: Banned with a knockout of his own in the second round.In January 2009, Barnett fought PRIDE veteran Gilbert Yvel at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Barnett defeated Yvel by a submission resulting from strikes in the third round. His next match-up, scheduled on August 1, 2009, against Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction's 3rd event Affliction: Trilogy, was one of the most anticipated match-up between the then ranked number one Heavyweight Emelianenko and number two Heavyweight Barnett. Dana White announced if Barnett were to defeat Emelianenko, he would sign him back into the UFC and would grant him a title shot against UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. However, the fight was officially pulled 10 days before the fight by the California State Athletic Commission after Barnett tested positive for anabolic steroids for a third time. The event and Affliction Entertainment itself was cancelled July 24, 2009, as a result. Barnett requested that they test his "B" sample hoping there was an error in the test. His "B" sample was also positive.
Post-Affliction
Due to the positive drug tests, Barnett made a re-licensure appeal to the California State Athletic Commission. The CSAC postponed Barnett's appeal three times. The first two postponements occurred because Barnett's law firm required additional information from the laboratory that conducted Barnett's tests. Michael J. DiMaggio, Barnett's attorney, was unable to attend the hearing because of travel problems, causing the third extension, which would have taken place February 22, 2010.Barnett was a no-show at his hearing on February 22, 2010, making this the fourth delay in his appeal. Shannon Hooper, Barnett's manager, told MMAjunkie.com that on Monday February 22, 2010, Barnett was in Japan on Sunday February 21, 2010, for a professional wrestling match and would return to the U.S. later that day. He claimed he was unaware that his presence was required, but the CSAC stated they had notified him of this months before. Barnett later signed on with MMA organization Strikeforce.