JUMP TO CATEGORY
Staff Picks
MMATorch Podcast
Upcoming Events
MMA News
UFC
Strikeforce
Other News
WEC
Bellator
PPV & TV Events
UFC Events
Strikeforce Events
WEC on Versus
Other Events
TV Reviews
The Ultimate Fighter
Live Event Reports
Opinion & Analysis
Keller's Take
Penick's Take
Ennis' Take
Pelkey's Take
Williams' Take
Hyden's Take
Amadi's Take
Hansen's Take
Matthew's Take
Sutcliffe's Take
Perez's Take
Schielke's Take
Leet's Take
Staff Columnists
The Specialists
All Business - Carter
Dream Fights - Schwartzbard
Whatever Happened To? - Teal
UK Scene - Park
Best Bets - Walker
Book Reviews - Hobaugh
Styles Clash - Berriola
K1 Beat - O'Donnell
The Ninth Side Comic - Conlan
Submission Spotlight - Dziekan
Roundtables
Guest Editorials
Reader Reax
Rich Hansen
Interviews
Champs & Rankings
Ask the Torch
DVD Reviews
Torch Flashbacks
Torch MMA Polls
Torch Trivia
VIP Feature Alert
About Us
Contact Us
Prediction and Betting Contests
DREAM NEWS: Josh Barnett makes his MMA return vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga at DREAM 13
Mar 14, 2010 - 7:03:36 PM
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Josh Barnett finally has an opponent for his MMA return. After much speculation and several fighters turning down fights with "The Babyfaced Assassin," multiple published reports state that he will make his return next weekend at DREAM 13 against Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga.
Formerly regarded as a top five heavyweight before a third failed steroid test pulled him from the biggest fight of his career against Fedor Emelianenko and essentially killed Affliction, Barnett has now been out of MMA action since a January 2009 victory over Gilbert Yvel at Affliction's Day of Reckoning pay-per-view event.
The failed test came during the licensing process in the State of California, and as he was simply refused a license at that time he has not been subject to any further discipline or suspension by the commission. Still, Barnett has appealed the test's result, but the hearing for the appeal has been delayed on multiple occasions throughout the year for a number of reasons on Barnett's part.
"Might Mo" will take only his fifth MMA rules fight in this bout, which will air live at 3am ET in the U.S. on HDNet from the March 22 at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, but Siliga is a highly accomplished K-1 kickboxer who is also a two time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. He was set to return last June to face Mirko Cro Cop before Cro Cop decided to stay in the UFC.
DREAM 13 is headlined by a DREAM Featherweight Championship bout between Bibiano Fernandes and Joachim Hansen, and also features former EliteXC Lightweight Champion K.J. Noons in action on loan from Strikeforce.
Penick's Analysis: Barnett's got a long way to go to return to the ranks of a respected top heavyweight. The fact that he has missed multiple appeal dates for the steroid test failure doesn't give him much in the forum of public opinion in regards to his case. The simple fact of the matter is that he's now been popped three times for steroids, and any argument he wants to make in claiming his innocence is going to fall on deaf ears.
With that out of the way, as far as the fight goes it's a good match up. Barnett should be favored, as he can submit "Mighty Mo" on the ground if the fight gets there, but Siliga has the power and the striking ability to take him out. Barnett's got KO power himself, so really he should win this fight and still could wind up facing Fedor in Japan at some point, but it's highly likely that he won't be welcomed back to a U.S. promotion anytime in the near future.
FAVOR: Would you help MMATorch by taking a short survey to create demographic info for our ad company? CLICK HERE
ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here . Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE UFC NEWS AND MMATORCH EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
BECOME AN MMATORCH VIP MEMBER FOR JUST $2.99 A MONTH, ELIMINATE ALL ADS, GET EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Help support MMATorch by answering a brief anonymous demographic survey: CLICK HERE
Comment on this article below ad...
(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)
(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)
CLICK TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING
OR CHOOSE SPECIFIC CATEGORY LISTING FROM DROP MENU
JUMP TO CATEGORY
Staff Picks
MMATorch Podcast
Upcoming Events
MMA News
UFC
Strikeforce
Other News
WEC
Bellator
PPV & TV Events
UFC Events
Strikeforce Events
WEC on Versus
Other Events
TV Reviews
The Ultimate Fighter
Live Event Reports
Opinion & Analysis
Keller's Take
Penick's Take
Ennis' Take
Pelkey's Take
Williams' Take
Hyden's Take
Amadi's Take
Hansen's Take
Matthew's Take
Sutcliffe's Take
Perez's Take
Schielke's Take
Leet's Take
Staff Columnists
The Specialists
All Business - Carter
Dream Fights - Schwartzbard
Whatever Happened To? - Teal
UK Scene - Park
Best Bets - Walker
Book Reviews - Hobaugh
Styles Clash - Berriola
K1 Beat - O'Donnell
The Ninth Side Comic - Conlan
Submission Spotlight - Dziekan
Roundtables
Guest Editorials
Reader Reax
Rich Hansen
Interviews
Champs & Rankings
Ask the Torch
DVD Reviews
Torch Flashbacks
Torch MMA Polls
Torch Trivia
VIP Feature Alert
About Us
Contact Us
Prediction and Betting Contests
(c) 1999-2010 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.
Staff Picks - Top Ten Articles
ALSO: UFC PPV Reports: Results, analysis, fight ratings of all recent events
JUMP TO CATEGORY
Staff Picks
MMATorch Podcast
Upcoming Events
MMA News
UFC
Strikeforce
Other News
WEC
Bellator
PPV & TV Events
UFC Events
Strikeforce Events
WEC on Versus
Other Events
TV Reviews
The Ultimate Fighter
Live Event Reports
Opinion & Analysis
Keller's Take
Penick's Take
Ennis' Take
Pelkey's Take
Williams' Take
Hyden's Take
Amadi's Take
Hansen's Take
Matthew's Take
Sutcliffe's Take
Perez's Take
Schielke's Take
Leet's Take
Staff Columnists
The Specialists
All Business - Carter
Dream Fights - Schwartzbard
Whatever Happened To? - Teal
UK Scene - Park
Best Bets - Walker
Book Reviews - Hobaugh
Styles Clash - Berriola
K1 Beat - O'Donnell
The Ninth Side Comic - Conlan
Submission Spotlight - Dziekan
Roundtables
Guest Editorials
Reader Reax
Rich Hansen
Interviews
Champs & Rankings
Ask the Torch
DVD Reviews
Torch Flashbacks
Torch MMA Polls
Torch Trivia
VIP Feature Alert
About Us
Contact Us
Prediction and Betting Contests
Staff Picks
UK SCENE: A bad week for UK fighters capped off at UFC 118; Daley's continued dismissal and UK news in brief
THE TAPPER'S TOOLBOX: Fixing the little mistakes in your BJJ game - "How to break guard"
PARK: A look at five era-changing losses by UFC Champions following B.J. Penn's UFC 118 loss to Frankie Edgar
ALL BUSINESS: The UFC 118 and Fan Expo Live Experience - Thoughts From a Fan Who Loves This Business
PENICK: Frankie Edgar had "The Answer" for a disappointing B.J. Penn at UFC 118
PARK: Randy Couture vs. James Toney at UFC 118 reminiscent of the initial UFC event's stylistic clashes
MMATorch Podcast
MMATORCH EXCLUSIVE: The Audio Choke with Collins, Rowland and Shelby 8/31 (52 min.) - UFC 118 event review and breakdown
VINTAGE AUDIO ('95): Keller interviews Dan Severn trainer after UFC 4, going behind the scenes at early UFC event (22 min.)
MMATORCH EXCLUSIVE: The Audio Choke with Collins, Rowland and Shelby 8/24 (102 min.) - Strikeforce Houston review and UFC 118 preview
MMATORCH EXCLUSIVE: Fighters and Writers audio with Carter, Hansen and McDermott (57 min.) - UFC 117 review and discussion
MMATORCH EXCLUSIVE: The Audio Choke with Collins, Rowland and Shelby 8/10 (85 min.) - UFC 117 review, Strikeforce Challengers and WEC 50 preview
MMATORCH EXCLUSIVE: The Audio Choke with Collins, Rowland and Shelby 8/3 (104 min.) - UFC on Versus 2 review, UFC 117 preview and more!
Upcoming Events
Bellator 27, September 2
Bellator 28, September 9
Shark Fights 13, September 11
UFC Fight Night 22, September 15
Bellator 29, September 16
Bellator 30, September 23
MMA News
BELLATOR NEWS: Joe Soto says "dirt bag" Joe Warren only better than him at s*** talking ahead of Bellator 27 meeting
UFC NEWS: FightMetric named the official statistics provider of the UFC
UFC 118 SALARIES: James Toney tops disclosed payroll with $500,000 for his three minute loss to Randy Couture
UFC NEWS: Alan Belcher undergoes another eye surgery for "blurry vision"
UFC NEWS: Gabe Ruediger to get one more shot in the UFC after one-sided UFC 118 loss to Joe Lauzon
BELLATOR NEWS: Weigh-in results for Bellator Fighting Championships 27
PPV & TV Events
KELLER'S UFC 118 BLOG: Toney vs. Couture, Edgar vs. Penn... Random Thoughts in Chronological Order
UFC 118 RESULTS: Penick's live round by round report of Edgar vs. Penn II, Couture vs. Toney event from Boston
UFC 118 Prediction and Betting Contests
STRIKEFORCE: HOUSTON RESULTS - Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza captures vacant Middleweight Championship with decision win over Tim Kennedy
STRIKEFORCE: HOUSTON RESULTS - Penick's live round by round report of King Mo vs. Feijao event on Showtime
BELLATOR 25 RESULTS: Pelkey's live round by round report of Horbuckle vs. Blackburn headlined event from Chicago
TV Reviews
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REPORT 6/9: Hyden's (Virtual Time) rundown of all the fights, all the drama in a 2 hour episode on Spike TV
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REPORT 6/2: Hyden's (Virtual Time) rundown of all the fights, all the drama on Spike TV
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REPORT 5/26: Hyden's rundown of all the fights, all the drama on Spike TV
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REPORT 5/19: Hyden's (Virtual Time) rundown of all the fights, all the drama on Spike TV
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REPORT 5/12: Hyden's rundown of all the fights, all the drama on Spike TV
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REPORT 5/5: Hyden's (Virtual Time) rundown of all the fights, all the drama on Spike TV
Live Event Reports
BELLATOR 26 RESULTS: Carter's Live Report - Heavyweight, Bantamweight, and Women’s 115 lbs. Quarterfinal Tournament Bouts
STRIKEFORCE: HOUSTON RESULTS - Unaired preliminary card results for event from the Toyota Center
BELLATOR 24 RESULTS: Carter's Live Report - Season Three Debut Show
LOCAL SCENE: First round finishes abound at "Combat on Capitol Hill 2" in St. Paul, MN
LOCAL SCENE: Havoc at the Hyatt II brings good fights and controversy to Minneapolis on Saturday night
BELLATOR 21 RESULTS: Carter's Report of the Lightweight Tournament Finals
Opinion & Analysis
UK SCENE: A bad week for UK fighters capped off at UFC 118; Daley's continued dismissal and UK news in brief
ROUNDTABLE (pt. 1): What's next for B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian after their UFC 118 losses? Marsh, Hyden, Hobaugh, Leet and Hansen
THE TAPPER'S TOOLBOX: Fixing the little mistakes in your BJJ game - "How to break guard"
HYDEN BLOG: Change Can Be A Good Thing
PARK: A look at five era-changing losses by UFC Champions following B.J. Penn's UFC 118 loss to Frankie Edgar
ALL BUSINESS: The UFC 118 and Fan Expo Live Experience - Thoughts From a Fan Who Loves This Business
Interviews
STRIKEFORCE QUOTABLES: Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal says he deserved to lose to Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante because he abandoned his gameplan
QUOTABLES: Paul Daley says UFC "God" Dana White rules the UFC with an iron rod
UFC QUOTABLES: Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar says he's fine with fans taking time to believe in him after consecutive wins over B.J. Penn
QUOTABLES: Shaquille O'Neal says he wants to fight one MMA fight against Hong Man-Choi
BELLATOR NEWS: Travis Reddinger credits trainer Sergio Cunha for his progression; ready for "explosive" bantamweight tournament
UFC QUOTABLES: UFC welterweight and former pro boxer Marcus Davis doesn't think James Toney will be able to do anything at UFC 118
Champs & Rankings
UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II Prediction and Betting Contest Results
MMATorch Staff Rankings - August 2010
UFC 117 Prediction and Betting Contest Results
UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin Prediction and Betting Contests Results
MMATorch Staff Rankings - July 2010
UFC 115 Prediction and Betting Contest Results
Ask the Torch
Ask MMATorch: Answers to your questions about Shamrock, Half vs. Full Guard, Hammill, UFC Pay
DVD Reviews
DVD REVIEW: "UFC: Rampage Greatest Hits" a great collection of fights for Rampage fans new and old
DVD WORLD: Pride 33 "The Second Coming" - Dan "Hollywood" Henderson vs. Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (pt. 8)
DVD WORLD: Pride 33 "The Second Coming" - Nick Diaz vs. "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (pt. 7)
DVD WORLD: Pride 33 "The Second Coming" - Alistair "Ubereem" Overeem vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (pt. 6)
DVD WORLD: Pride 33 "The Second Coming" - Sergei Kharitonov vs. Mike Russow (pt. 5)
DVD WORLD: Pride 33 "The Second Coming" - Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Mac Danzig (pt. 5)
Torch Flashbacks
FLASHBACK: Keller's full fight report and more Dana White quotes on UFC's debacle of an event back in 2001
KELLER: Dana White had a night even worse than Strikeforce's on Saturday night back in 2001
FLASHBACK (3 YRS AGO): Keller's UFC 69 Report with Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra, Koscheck vs. Sanchez, Huerta vs. Garcia
ENNIS (Flashback 2006): Pride vs. UFC: Which Aspects of Each Promotion Would You Keep?
FLASHBACK - 3 YRS AGO: Ennis's UFC 67 Report - Rampage and Cro Cop debut, Anderson Silva defends, Scott Smith, Roger Huerta
1 YR AGO - PENICK'S UFC 88 REPORT: Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill, plus Hendo, Marquardt (w/star ratings)
Torch MMA Polls
MMATORCH POLL: Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney says not all MMA fans are NFL fans. Be heard, are you a fan of one sport alone or both?
NEW MMATORCH POLL: Who should Anderson Silva face next?
POLL: Should Liddell retire or fight again? Should Cro Cop retire or fight again?
MMATORCH POLL: Which fight are you anticipating more - Lesnar vs. Carwin or Silva vs. Sonnen?
POLL: What should Paul Daley's punishment be for the post-fight cheapshot at Koscheck?
MMATORCH POLL: Who will win and how in the UFC 113 main event between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Prediction and Betting Contests
UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II Prediction and Betting Contest Results
UFC 118 Prediction and Betting Contests
UFC 117 Prediction and Betting Contest Results
UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen Prediction and Betting Contests