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After the closing of Strikeforce the one fighter that was the most questionable to come into the UFC was Josh Barnett and for good reason: he spends his time as a pro wrestler when he isn’t an active fighter. MMA Fighting is reporting that Barnett declined the UFC’s terms for as to yet unknown reasons. Per MMA Fighting:
“We agreed on guaranteed compensation,” LaBarre said. “In fact, we never even countered. We accepted their original offer.
“However, there are some outlying issues — one in particular — that as of this point we were unable to agree on.”
LaBarre said he didn’t feel it was appropriate at this time to discuss which issue both sides couldn’t come to terms on.
“We want to find the best deal for Josh and his final MMA home,” LaBarre said.
Kubryk’s Analysis: The elephant in the room is that potentially he passed on the offer because of drug testing, which would be reasonable considering his past. My guess is that they asked him to not be a professional wrestler while he isn’t fighting, which is reasonable but also a good source of Barnett’s income. He would have to pass a drug test when he signed the contract, of course, and that’s the underlying issue that people are going to presume is the case.
Until Zuffa or Barnett, or his people, opt to issue a public statement as to why they couldn’t come to terms anything is pure speculation at this point.
Tags: Josh Barnett, UFC
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