Josh Barnett Has Been Released by the UFC

After a five-year stint with the UFC, veteran heavyweight Josh Barnett has been released from his contract.

Two people with knowledge of the situation, including a UFC official, informed MMAjunkie of Barnett’s release. They asked to remain anonymous because the news had not yet been made public.

Barnett’s release from his contract does not carry any stipulations and is considered a full separation from the UFC. The move comes three months after the 40-year-old fighter was exonerated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test, receiving only a public warning from the UFC’s anti-doping partner.

t’s unclear exactly what led to Barnett’s release rather than a return to the octagon, where he most recently defeated ex-champ Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 93 in September 2016. Calls to the fighter and his management weren’t immediately returned.

Barnett expressed dismay with the results management process for his failed drug test. While he still wanted to compete, he said he didn’t trust USADA.

An out-of-competition test of Barnett revealed the presence of ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that mimics anabolic agents and is banned year-round. Although USADA found he was the victim of a contaminated supplement, he faced a four-year suspension before ultimately going to arbitration with USADA.

An independent arbitrator took note of Barnett’s meticulous record keeping of supplements and found he was not guilty of knowingly taking ostarine. Barnett later sued the supplement maker.

Source


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Well...good news for RIZIN then.


Thoughts?

He'll probably head back to Japan, but I'd like to see him head to Bellator. 

* Edited at 06.20.2018, 8:21 PM ET *

@analias

Are bellator and Rizin allowing guys to split time? I agree there are better match-ups in Bellator for him, but most likely he's going to his 2nd home. He already has a huge following there, plus he can do his pro wrestling deal there too.

Also, if it were any other fighter in this position, I would be encouraging a lawsuit against the UFC or USADA. At Josh's age, he doesn't have many fights left and he wasn't able to compete for a long time. But with Josh, he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt. He has been a habitual line-stepper since his fight with Randy. Plus the Fedor thing.

I would be more inclined to give Barnett the benefit of the doubt if he hadn't already failed multiple drug tests.  I would not be at all surprised if Barnett requested the release given his distaste for the stringent testing regime of USADA.  

I guess what I'm saying then is that I don't feel sorry for the guy.  I am sorry to see him leave the UFC, but whatever.

@mikeyg

Not only that, USADA ain't exactly clean themselves.  They were complicit in aiding American Olympic Athletes in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul cheat the system and get away with using steroids.

* Edited at 06.20.2018, 10:30 PM ET *

@hornet. No way....

What is your source on that GreenHornet? Especially considering USADA wasn't founded until 2000. 

@bigj

I made a slight error.  It was not exactly USADA, it was its predecessor the USOC Drug Control Board. That aside, the evidence for this comes from the documentary Bigger Stronger Faster, in which the ex head of the USOC Drug Control Board Wade Exum openly stated that athletes as high profile as Carl Lewis were failing tests for banned substances, in his case Ephedrine, that should have disqualified him from being able to participate from the US Track and Field Olympic Team in '88. Plus, it was revealed in the documentary by ex Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson (the man who lost his gold medal for testing positive for steroids) that six American athletes failed their tests in Seoul and their results were withheld from the public by the IOC.  Furthermore, considering the scandal that would later be revealed under USADA's watch in its first year with Marion Jones getting busted for using anabolic steroids during the 2000 Sydney games, one has to question how USADA could drop the ball so badly.  And I for one think that, based on the shady past of its predecessor and the failures of USADA when it comes to the 2000 Summer Olympics, there is no reason not to be at least a bit skeptical of USADA's legitimacy.

* Edited at 06.21.2018, 1:29 AM ET *

did not trust USADA. ******* please Josh. We all know you are absolutely massive PED abuser. I like Josh and always had, but this is absolute ******** he trying to sell here. Good for him on finding away around the failed drug test, but come on now, don't try and sell us on some ********. Dude been caught several times. Even the way he got out of it stinks to all hell. He pretty much had very detail account of what he "took" aka what he was going to blame his failed test on. He a smart dude and props to him, but this idea USADA ****** up is laughable.

* Edited at 06.21.2018, 11:26 AM ET *

ive been saying this from day one, it the same **** jones did, except Jones payed a team of people to do this for him, while Josh was smart enough to do it on his own. Romero also did the same ****. Josh and Romero took PEDs but had a supplement they new contained PEDs, so that they could blame it on it. Jon jones is a moron, so instead he just took PEDs, had nothing to blame it on and instead hired a team of guys to find something to get him out of it aka **** pills. Only difference between them and Jon, is they were smart enough to think in advance while Jon Jones did not and is scrambling now to find something to blame the failed test on

lol that means absolute jack ****. He just blamed it on a tainted supplement, people be mad gullible.   

by the way Josh been caught what 3 times for PEDs, but where all going to pretend USADA ****** up here?

also the fact they gave him a public warning tells you they don't believe his ******** either, but because they legally have to, they can't punish him. Since he did prove his supplement was tainted.  Honestly don't see how people don't see through these scams. They find a substance that they know is tainted, they take it well using PEDs, they then blame said supplement if they get caught.  Any smart roider Barnnett/Romero are doing this.

* Edited at 06.21.2018, 12:20 PM ET *

Long time coming

Pretend that USADA ****** up? Sorry, but USADA has shown that if you got enough money than you should just keep using PEDs and if you got even more money than you might even get an exemption from it.

**** the USADA.

I also remeber barnett being caught b4. Acording to nate diaz everyone in the ufc is using peds. Seriously unfair for anyone in the ufc who is not using peds.

to be fair Nate has a jaded perspective since both his trianing partners and close friends Jake Shields\Melendes where juiced to the gills most of there careers