The UFC’s heavyweight division could have been very different if a new star had stuck around.
Current champion Tom Aspinall was recently named the UFC’s best-ever heavyweight by a current UFC star.
The division currently lacks some star power, but this hasn’t always been the case, with it being one of the promotion’s most important weight classes for a long time.
There has always been talk about who the real heavyweight GOAT is, with Daniel Cormier believing that Cain Velasquez would’ve held this mantle if it wasn’t for his injuries.
Another fighter who had the potential to reach these heights ended up having his run in the promotion cut short for different reasons following a spectacular victory.
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Dana White questioned what Josh Barnett could have accomplished if he hadn’t left the UFC after becoming champion
MMA fans have been criticizing the current heavyweight landscape due to the depth in terms of big names and exciting rising contenders.
There was one fighter back in 2002 who had the potential to be the division’s new star after he became the youngest heavyweight champion in UFC history at just 24 years old.
At UFC 36, Josh Barnett became the first man to beat the legendary Randy Couture inside the Octagon when he pulled off a comeback win in the second round.
Unfortunately, Barnett’s reign didn’t last long due to him testing positive for banned substances for a second time and being stripped of the belt.
He went on to fight for various other promotions before eventually returning to the Octagon in 2013 when he was towards the end of his MMA career.
In a press conference that took place months before he returned, Dana White was asked about Barnett re-signing to the UFC, where he spoke about the potential that the heavyweight had.
“It’s up to him. He’s a big boy. He’s been around a long time. He kind of flies by the seat of his pants, anyway. I mean, even after he won the title, imagine if Josh Barnett stayed in the UFC his whole career, what he could have accomplished, the money he could have made, and all the things that could have happened. But he’s his own guy, he wants to do his own thing. I got no problem with that.”
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Josh Barnett is set to be back in action this weekend in his other pursuit away from MMA
Josh Barnett hasn’t competed in MMA since 2016, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t kept himself busy in another form of competition.
The former UFC heavyweight champion regularly puts on wrestling events with the GCW promotion, titled ‘Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport’.
His event is set to return this weekend at London’s Electric Ballroom on September 28, where Barnett himself will face off with a fellow fighter.
England’s Oli Thompson has a pro MMA record of 23-18, having fought for the UFC on two occasions all the way back in 2012.