Josh Barnett Gets Main Card Opponent for Strikeforce: Champions Card
It appears Josh Barnett will get at least one more fight under the Zuffa banner.
According to mmajunkie.com, Barnett will get a main card slot against up-and-coming Austrian heavyweight Nandor Guelmino, a fighter included in an article I wrote yesterday.
The event, which features prelims on Showtime Extreme, takes place Jan. 12 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
This card will serve as the final Strikeforce event before the company closes and most of the talent migrates to the UFC. It is unknown if Barnett or his counterpart Guelmino will move over to the company.
Barnett lost his latest outing, a unanimous decision to Daniel Cormier in the finals of the Strikeforce Grand Prix. Previous to that, "The Warmaster" won eight-straight fights dating back to 2008.
Barnett was a former UFC Heavyweight Champion before being stripped of the title for failing a steroid test.
However, Barnett owns recent notable wins over Sergei Kharitonov, Brett Rogers, Gilbert Yvel and Jeff Monson. Barnett is a catch wrestler with a great ground game and submissions.
Guelmino, on the other hand, has spent his career fighting in Europe. "The Hun" has amassed an 11-3-1 record in that time, finishing nine opponents by either knockout or submission.
Guelmino will likely give up about 20 pounds on Barnett in this heavyweight affair. We will see if that affects the outcome of this fight.
