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Should Strikeforce have signed Josh Barnett? Who will they match him up with first and how do you think his time in the organization will play out?
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Josh Barnett signing with Strikeforce is a nice catch for both Barnett and the organization. Problem is, people still remember that Barnett was partially the cause for the fall of an entire organization (Affliction's MMA promotion) due to steroids, and that Strikeforce, is well, still Strikeforce. It'll be interesting for the first few fights, being that Strikeforce will push him to the top of the division, but after an initial fight with either Fabricio Werdum or maybe Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, nothing noteworthy or worthwhile will come from the pairing after the immediate future.
SAM MATTHEW, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Strikeforce definitely made the right move in signing Josh Barnett, they just have to be sure to avoid putting him on any shows in California because of his continued legal problems with the California State Athletic Commission due to failed drug tests (Barnett has tested positive for steroids in the past, appealed the decisions but never showed up for the hearings). Though he’s no longer a Top 10 fighter, for the better part of a decade he was ranked as one of the best five heavyweights in the world, and his name still means a lot to the educated MMA fan. Will he have success in the now-deep Strikeforce Heavyweight division? Doubtful. Especially not against the likes of champion Alistair Overeem, but he could prove a game opponent for Fedor or "Bigfoot" Silva. A matchup with Brett Rogers would be pretty easy for Barnett who has one of the best submission games in the heavyweight class. Likely I see Scott Coker giving Barnett an easy debut against Andrei Arlovski or Mike Kyle before pitting him against the top of the division where his last few years fighting sub-par competition in Japan will prove detrimental to his experience and he will likely fold.
ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Should Strikeforce have signed Josh Barnett if they are interested in putting on the best fights possible? Sure. Should the company have signed him to improve their bottom line? Probably not. Until Strikeforce changes its marketing and presentation, its not likely that talent acquisitions will increase its popularity. Ethically, was signing Barnett a justified move? Probably not. Steroid use increases a fighter's ability to inflict harm on his opponent. Barnett has failed three steroid tests. It's become clear that we can't trust him to fight without the aid of illegal performance enhancers, the use of which increase the odds of injuries to his opponents. That's not fair to them.
GRIFFIN MARSH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
my feelings are why not hire Josh Barnett? Strikeforce has done everything they possibly can to put themselves out of business, so why not hire a washed up UFC vet? It'll make things better!!! All levity aside, and considering the organization, I feel Josh can have some success in Strikeforce. Strikeforce doesn't have that one "great" heavyweight, so there is a chance Barnett competes for a title.
GREG ROWLAND, MMATORCH AUDIO CO-HOST
signing Barnett was probably a bad move. He's got a history of failing drug tests, which is a very bad thing. He also comes with a huge price tag from what I understand, as even if he doesn't fight MMA he does pretty good with pro wrestling in Japan, and he isn't really a top fighter. Barnett is good, but his big win streak he is on is against nobodies in modern terms and back when he fought in Pride, he lost plenty of fights.
MIKE BACIOR, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Yes, simply because they are Strikeforce, and they need another good heavyweight for some fresh matchups. However, signing a known steroid user has some risks.
TOBEN SHELBY, MMATORCH AUDIO CO-HOST
I think Strikeforce made the right call in signing Josh Barnett. The organization can use any decent fighters it can get – especially in the heavyweight division. Yes, his track record’s been spotty at times and yes, he’s not the top ten fighter he used to be. But he’s far from washed up and can provide a solid challenge to many in the division. I think Strikeforce might as well try and put together Barnett and Fedor in a match we should’ve seen back when Affliction tried to make it happen.
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Reaction to the signing is rightfully across the board. Considering the dearth of heavyweight talent in all of MMA, Strikeforce has a group of four or five guys right now to matchup against one another at the top of the division, and they're basically shuffling them between each other. With Barnett in the mix it's one more for the shuffle, but the matchups will still be fresher than others. Still, the steroid stigma remains, and it's something that he's not going to shake anytime soon. So, it was probably the right move for Strikeforce at this point to get another high end talent to the top end of their division, but I'm not sure what the end game will be yet with Barnett in Strikeforce.
RELATED STORY: Part one of this roundtable with responses from Lee, Hyden, Hobaugh, Leet and Hansen: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
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