Sherdog.com’s Loretta Hunt, citing multiple sources close to the California State Athletic Commission, is reporting that Josh Barnett will not be licensed for his upcoming fight with Fedor Emelianenko.
According to the sources, Barnett tested positive for a presently undisclosed drug in a pre-fight drug test and will thus not be allowed to compete. Speaking to Sherdog, Barnett, who tested positive for steroids in 2002, said that he has not yet received any information about the test result but would work to clear his name if the CSAC does end up announcing what Sherdog is reporting.
Scheduled as the headline bout–the most anticipated among diehards in the promotion’s short history–for the August 1 Affliction card, the Fedor vs. Barnett bout would be canceled if the story proves true. The CSAC has promised to release a detailed report on Wednesday.
Though Affliction has not publicly commented on the story, sources close to the company say it is eyeing Bobby Lashley and Vitor Belfort as possible replacements. Belfort, who is slated for a Middleweight fight against Jorge Santiago on the card, has already agreed in principle. Lashley, however, told Sherdog that he has not yet received a formal offer and would probably not take the fight on such short notice.
“I don’t know if I would want it right now. Since the last fight, I haven’t really been into training again,” he said. “That fight is next week. That would be something I would really have to take a look at. To just jump in there probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing for me right now. A lot of people would say that might be a money fight. They figure, ‘If we give him enough money, will he do it?’ That’s what people tend to look at. I don’t want to get into fighting for the money so much right now.”
Both face risks in losing to the fighter many say is the sport’s pound-for-pound best. Lashley, who is undefeated and taking a gradual approach to the sport as he develops his skills, risks exposing his weaknesses and suffering a devastating (from a mental and physical perspective) loss early in his career. A crushing loss to Fedor would potentially hinder Belfort’s ability to score UFC President Dana White’s talked-about title shot against Anderson Silva, although given the skill and weight advantage Fedor holds over scheduled middleweight contender Jorge Santiago, a loss to the heavyweight kingpin would not be as damaging to Belfort’s Middleweight career as would a loss to Santiago.
