It's been greater than a decade since Josh Barnett last set foot within the UFC Octagon, but his return has become talked about almost since day he left this promotion.
Now with an excess of 10 years between appearances, Barnett seems poised to make his UFC resurrection a real possibility.
Barnett was most most recently a mainstay in Strikeforce where he competed inside heavyweight division until a promotion folded earlier this year and most fighters under contract shifted to your UFC. It was different for Barnett, however, who finished out a final fight on his deal with Strikeforce in Economy is shown, and immediately after your promotion folded, his representatives began negotiating a brand new deal for him to land inside the UFC.
Unfortunately, at the time a deal could not be pushed, so Barnett and your UFC went their isolate ways with neither saying anything bad about the dealings with the other.
Now just a few months later, it appears Barnett and his team will be ready head back to the negotiating table along with the UFC because the former heavyweight champion hopes to end out his career while using promotion where he first came to prominence so many rice.
"It's a myriad of things, " Barnett told MMA's Excellent Debate Radio about why he really wants to return to the UFC. "It's the fans together with how desperately they manage to want to see these have weighed on my mind concerning making a decision towards visiting the UFC. I can go to places in public and people come up and go are planning to fight in the UFC? Make up with Dana (White) or screw that Dana! I go I don't think it's anything personal. I don't think Dana sits at property and plans and screw Josh, nothing like that.
"It's the place to be. If I really just want to round out my career I will go back there and additionally finish what I going and go directly subsequently belt. "
The relationship Barnett has distributed to UFC President Dana Along with white over the years could be described as strained at times, but over the last few years the a couple have seemingly settled what ever grudge once existed. Now whenever Barnett's name is stated, White reacts with some slew of compliments and generally has merely good things to say concerning former UFC heavyweight.
A similar can be said for Barnett, who points out that will his relationship with White isn't an different than any fighter using a promoter and the problems they had in past times are long buried together with dead.
"As much as everyone wants to don it Dana, I don't think there's anyone person that has anything against me being a fighter or an company. If anything, I'd love to just have a seat with Dana and say I know what you need and I can plug that, " Barnett claimed. "Tell me that you might have somebody that can fill in where I can fit with the skills that I've. Nobody is as fantastic a fighter as myself that can promote as good as me, talk as good as me, and potentially leave the house there and grab the gold and become your champ at the exact same. That guy doesn't be found. "
Barnett isn't sure when or in cases where a UFC deal will literally come to fruition now where the last work just couldn't be concluded. He's hopeful, however, that they can return to this company and kick off an alternative relationship with a big fight within the heavyweight division.
The fight that most intrigues Barnett is some showdown against fellow ex - heavyweight champion Frank Mir. The two fighters have been intertwined with the other person for several years since Barnett and Mir are two of the best grapplers in the category, and a ground fight between them appears like a recipe for an exceedingly exciting matchup.
"In terms of guys like Frank Mir this can be a name that gets apply to my plate constantly, inches Barnett commented. "It's surprising for me, and I have some understanding why people interested in that—we're both exciting fighters—but folks are just frothing at the mouth to see me and Frank go at it with the ring. They have for decades and years. It's only continued to increase even during the last six months. "
While a fight with Mir is towards the top of a potential wish catalog for Barnett, he's not necessarily contacting him out or anybody inside the UFC's heavyweight division even. His business is so that you can sign a contract, train within the gym and then appear on fight night to set on the best performance possible irrelevant of who is standing across from him inside cage.
Barnett's greatest desire is always to face the best fighters the UFC has to offer, so whether it's Mir and also another top name in the division, he'd gladly face any one for his return fight with the promotion.
"I'm not here to call people available, " Barnett said. "I don't really need any intent in looking to make fights happen because in most cases there's so many factors at the office that really take it out of one's hands, I don't really read the point, but if I'm honest this thing comes with star power but it's something people continually ask everyone.
"(The fights) would come to be barnburners, they would be the stuff people would talk about for many, many years to come. "
Contract negotiations will never be easy so there's state table for Barnett to truly return to the promo, but he's got a superb feeling that if the fans continue to ask for him to find back in the Octagon, Along with white, matchmaker Joe Silva and all of those other UFC can make that happen.
"I think it can be realistic, " Barnett said regarding the prospect of returning for the UFC this time. "I think if you wish it to be far more realistic? Go out along with write them, call these, tweet them if you guys wish to make that happen. I think to step funding the ring and me and Mir are matched up right from the start, I think that's one right straight from the gate that would find people really excited. If it's not Mir, then whoever, just me being in the UFC is going to get people jazzed all the way up. "
Damon Martin is often a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes have been obtained first hand unless otherwise noted
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