Just 11 days prior to the biggest fight of his life, against Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, who at 24 became the youngest heavyweight champion in UFC history, won't be licensed by the California State Athletic Commission for the Aug. 1 clash because of a positive pre-fight drug test, as confirmed by SI.com.
Barnett initially told Sherdog.com he submitted a urine sample three weeks ago, but was unaware of any results. He also promised to clear his name, though he wasn't quoted offering a denial of the report. Early Wednesday, Affliction vice president Tom Atencio confirmed to SI.com that Barnett failed a drug test because of a "performance-enhancing substance that is banned by any organization that tests for drugs."
In 2002, after trouncing Randy Couture to take the UFC title, Barnett received a six month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for steroids. To this day, he denies taking performance-enhancing drugs in advance of the fight with Couture.
Bill Douglas, assistant executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission, declined to comment when SI.com reached him by e-mail late Tuesday. He said, however, a "comprehensive" statement would be released Wednesday.
So far, Vitor Belfort and Bobby Lashley are reportedly on the shortlist to replace the 30-year-old Barnett.
"I think it is safe to say that every suitable non-UFC heavyweight is in the mix with the intention to get the best contender available under the circumstances," M-1 Global's American legal counsel Steve Bash, better known as Emelianenko's Russian-English translator when the fighter is in the U.S., said over e-mail.
Belfort, now a middleweight, was approached by promoters Tuesday afternoon and agreed to meet MMA's No. 1 heavyweight if the money is right.
"We want the fight, but also to be paid comparably to others who have fought Fedor," Belfort's trainer, Shawn Tompkins, said via text message.
In 2007, Matt Lindland moved up from 185 pounds to fight Fedor for a purse of $750,000. Former UFC heavyweight champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski earned $800,000 and $1.5 million, respectively. Barnett was expected to earn as much as Arlovski.
With an international replacement difficult to secure on short notice due to visa concerns, suitable candidates are in limited supply for Emelianenko, who is scheduled to be in Moscow Wednesday to secure travel papers for next week's trip to the U.S.
If Belfort comes to terms, Tompkins expects him to step into the ring near 215 pounds. Considering the Brazilian was preparing to fight his countryman Jorge Santiago at 185 on the Affliction "Trilogy" card in Anaheim, Calif., it's likely the "Phenom" would make for the fastest opponent Emelianenko has ever faced. Since Emelianenko, longtime Pride champ and current WAMMA heavyweight king, relies on speed for much of his success, the possibility of him fighting sans that advantage is intriguing. There remains, however, major risk for Belfort and the potential for a completely one-sided fight. Though the 32-year-old Brazilian recently drew praise and interest for performances at middleweight, challenging Emelianenko on short notice could be detrimental to more than his comeback.
Eight months and four fights into his career, Lashley said he wasn't overly interested in the prospect of meeting Emelianenko (30-1) at this time.
Other candidates include Brett Rogers, the 10-0 Strikeforce heavyweight. Rogers is interested and would ask for a purse approaching at least the $800,000 Affliction Entertainment paid Sylvia to fight Emelianenko, a source told SI.com.
Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker is away in Italy and could not be reached Tuesday.
A fallback position for Affliction Entertainment and M-1 Global, which are working together on their third pay-per-view card from the Honda Center, is heavyweight Paul Buentello. He is slated to fight Dutch striker Gilbert Yvel on the same card Aug. 1.
Atencio did not reply to a request for comment.
With Barnett's (24-5) latest positive test, it's no stretch to suggest his career in the U.S. is done. The highly-ranked heavyweight could return to Japan, where he fled after getting caught in Nevada, but any chance of enjoying a bountiful prizefighting career in America just went bye-bye, along with perhaps the viability of Affliction as a fight promoter and the possibility that fans will ever see him fight EmelianenkoSource
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