Josh Barnett
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Josh Barnett | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname | The Babyface Assassin |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (190 cm) |
| Weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Nationality |  American |
| Born | November 10, 1977 |
| Town of birth | Seattle, United States |
| Fighting style | catch wrestling |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 20 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 13 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 0 |
Josh Barnett (born November 10, 1977, in Seattle, Washington) is an American heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter and a professional wrestler. He has an MMA record of 20-5-0 as of January 2007, and is considered one of the best American fighters in the sport's history. He holds notable wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Randy Couture, Dan Severn and Yuki Kondo.
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[edit] Biography
Barnett made history as the youngest UFC heavyweight champion ever after defeating Randy Couture in early 2002. Later that year, the title was stripped from Barnett after he tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid. His fighting license was temporarily suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
At this point, Josh Barnett began his career overseas as a professional wrestler in the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization. He achieved moderate success there and would continue to compete in MMA fights. In his fight on October 31, 2004 with Mirko Filipović, he suffered a freak shoulder injury that required surgery and over six months of rehab. His first fight back post-injury was a rematch against Filipović, which he lost by unanimous decision. He came back with a win against Kazuhiro Nakamura at PRIDE 31. He later beat Aleksander Emelianenko (brother of current PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko), by a keylock in the first round of the PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute. He submitted Mark Hunt via kimura in the second round of the Open Weight Grand Prix at PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute.
Josh Barnett defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by split decision in the semi finals of the Open Weight Grand Prix, and then lost the final match of the PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute to the Croatian mixed martial artist Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović on 10. September 2006. This was his third consecutive loss to Mirko Filipović, and second due to submission caused by injury.
Barnett recently fought the Polish Judo gold medalist Pawel Nastula at PRIDE 32, the organization's first show in the USA. In order to fight again in Nevada, the Nevada State Athletic Commission required that Barnett pass a mandatory drug test, which he did. In a surprisingly competitive match which had Nastula in control of the first round and most of the second. Barnett reversed Nastula from the bottom and was able to secure the toe-hold submission which earned him the victory. At a post fight press conference Barnett complimented Nastula on his performance. Ironically, it was Barnett's opponent, Nastula, this time who later tested positive for steroids[1].
Barnett lost a rematch by unanimous decision to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE Shockwave 2006.
[edit] MMA Record
| 20 Wins (4 (T)KO's, 13 submissions, 2 decisions), 5 Losses (1 KO, 2 submissions, 2 decisions), 0 Draws. | |||||||
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
| Loss | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE Shockwave 2006 | 12/31/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Pawel Nastula | Submission (Toe Hold) | PRIDE 32 The Real Deal | 10/21/2006 | 2 | 3:04 | |
| Loss | Mirko Filipovic | Submission (Injury) | PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute | 9/10/2006 | 1 | 5:32 | |
| Win | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (Split) | PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute | 9/10/2006 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Mark Hunt | Submission (Kimura) | PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute | 7/1/2006 | 1 | 2:02 | |
| Win | Aleksander Emelianenko | Submission (Keylock) | PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute | 5/5/2006 | 2 | 1:57 | |
| Win | Kazuhiro Nakamura | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | PRIDE 31 Dreamers | 2/26/2006 | 1 | 8:10 | |
| Loss | Mirko Filipović | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 30 Fully Loaded | 10/23/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Mirko Filipović | Submission (Injury) | PRIDE 28 High Octane | 10/31/2004 | 1 | 0:46 | |
| Win | Rene Rooze | TKO (Punches) | K-1 MMA-ROMANEX | 5/22/2004 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Semmy Schilt | Submission (Armbar) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003-Inoki Festival | 12/31/2003 | 3 | 4:48 | |
| Win | Yoshiki Takahashi | Submission (Triangle/Armbar) | NJPW-Ultimate Crush | 10/13/2003 | 2 | N/A | |
| Win | Yuki Kondo | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Pancrase-10th Anniversary Show | 8/31/2003 | 3 | 3:26 | |
| Win | Jimmy Ambriz | TKO (Punches) | NJPW-Ultimate Crush | 5/2/2003 | 1 | 3:05 | |
| Win | Randy Couture | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 36-Worlds Collide | 3/22/2002 | 2 | 4:35 | Wins UFC Heavyweight Title but fails drug test |
| Win | Bobby Hoffman | Submission (Strikes) | UFC 34-High Voltage | 11/2/2001 | 2 | 4:25 | |
| Win | Semmy Schilt | Submission (Armbar) | UFC 32-Showdown in the Meadowlands | 6/29/2001 | 1 | 4:21 | |
| Loss | Pedro Rizzo | KO (Punch) | UFC 30-Battle on the Boardwalk | 2/23/2001 | 2 | 4:21 | |
| Win | Gan McGee | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 28-High Stakes | 11/17/2000 | 2 | 4:34 | |
| Win | Dan Severn | Submission (Armbar) | SB 16-SuperBrawl 16 | 2/8/2000 | 4 | 1:21 | |
| Win | Bobby Hoffman | Decision (Unanimous) | SB 13-SuperBrawl 13 | 9/7/1999 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | John Marsh | Submission (Kimura) | SB 13-SuperBrawl 13 | 9/7/1999 | 1 | 4:23 | |
| Win | Juha Tuhkasaari | Submission (Armbar) | SB 13-SuperBrawl 13 | 9/7/1999 | 1 | 3:32 | |
| Win | Bob Gilstrap | N/A | UFCF-Night of Champions | 3/14/1998 | N/A | N/A | |
| Win | Chris Charnos | Submission (Choke) | UFCF-Clash of the Titans | 1/11/1997 | 1 | N/A | |
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] Mixed Martial Arts
- PRIDE 2006 World Openweight Grand Prix runner-up
- UFC Heavyweight Champion (03/22/2002-07/30/2002)
- Pancrase Open-weight champion (08/31/2003-present)
[edit] Trivia
- Barnett is a graduate of Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington
- Barnett is also known as an otaku to his Japanese fans. Famously traveling to the Akihabara district of Tokyo in order to purchase games, figures, etc, and also using the theme song "Ai o torimodose" from the anime Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) as his entrance theme. At PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute, Barnett called out current PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko, with a famous quote from the anime, "omae wa mou shindeiru", translated to "You're already dead".
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Previous champion Randy Couture |
7th UFC Heavyweight Champion |
Next champion Ricco Rodriguez |
