Josh Barnett will make his return to the UFC against Frank Mir. Photo credit: Sherdog.com.
Former champion against former champion.
Josh Barnett will return to the UFC after 11 years away from the franchise and face Frank Mir at UFC 164, the organization announced earlier this week.
Barnett won the UFC heavyweight belt in 2002 when he knocked out Randy Couture. The American then tested positive for steroids in a drug test soon after, and ended up losing the title and employment. Barnett has since been with several organizations, including Strikeforce, where he competed in the Heavyweight GP. In the final, he was defeated by Daniel Cormier, who debuted in UFC with a win over Mir at UFC on Fox in April.
Mir suffered a setback in his title shot against Junior dos Santos, and proved quite apathetic in combat with D.C. in April. Nevertheless, the fighter has his moments, and often makes exciting fights. He was heavyweight champion in 2004, when he beat Tim Sylvia.
Mir and Barnett are both black belts in Jiu-Jitsu and most of their wins have come by submission. It is likely that this fight bring a show ground for lovers of MMA and Jiu-Jitsu.
UFC 164
BMO Harris Bradley Center – Milwaukee (USA)
August 31, 2013
Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett
Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida
Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier
Ben Rothwell vs. Brandon Vera