Strikeforce Grand Prix: Matching Josh Barnett Against the Top UFC Heavyweights

With Alistair Overeem's exit from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Josh Barnett has become a popular choice to win the tournament. Barnett's excellent ground game makes him a tough matchup for any opponent standing between him and a win in the finals.

If Barnett does reign supreme at the conclusion of the tournament, he could potentially return to the UFC, which is something that seemed impossible after Barnett was stripped of the UFC Heavyweight Championship for testing positive for steroids.

Considering the lack of depth in the UFC's heavyweight division, Barnett would immediately become a contender. With that in mind, let's take a look at how Barnett might manage against the Top 10 heavyweights currently in the UFC.

Note: Fighters under contract with the UFC are not included in these UFC rankings until they actually compete for the organization, which means Alistair Overeem will not be included in this list.

10. Travis Browne

While Travis Browne remains a promising heavyweight, his recent lackluster performance against Cheick Kongo showed that he might not be ready for fights with some of the best heavyweights in the world.

Browne trains with some excellent wrestlers at Alliance MMA. However, his takedown defense remains unproven against a fighter at Josh Barnett's level.

If Browne were to be taken down by Barnett, it would likely only be a matter of time until the seasoned veteran secured a submission.

Barnett defeats Browne by submission in the second round.

9. Cheick Kongo

Cheick Kongo would have a noticeable striking advantage against Josh Barnett. However, Barnett, who has only been knocked out once in 35 fights, has the chin to withstand Kongo's offense.

Eventually, Barnett should be able to take Kongo to the ground and wear the Frenchman out. As Kongo fades in the later rounds of the fight, Barnett should be able to take control on the scorecards.

Barnett defeats Kongo by unanimous decision.

8. Brendan Schaub

Brendan Schaub has a bright future as a heavyweight in MMA, but Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira recently handed the former NFL player the second knockout loss of his career.

Schaub possesses some serious power in his hands, but a knockout loss to Nogueira may be a signal that Schaub doesn't exactly have the chin to stand and bang with many heavyweights.

Barnett has the chin to take Schaub's best shots, and—although he might not be known for his striking—he certainly has more power in his hands than Nogueira, who had gone more than six years without a knockout prior to his win over Schaub.

Barnett defeats Schaub by technical knockout in the second round.

7. Roy Nelson

Despite his grappling background, Roy Nelson prefers to stand with most opponents. That being said, Josh Barnett should be able to take "Big Country" to the canvas.

While Barnett's best chance of winning would be getting this fight to the ground, his advantage over Nelson in the grappling department is far from astronomical. Still, Nelson's jiu-jitsu is strongest from the top position.

Barnett likely wouldn't become the first fighter to ever submit Nelson, but he should be able to do enough to grind out a decision victory.

Barnett defeats Nelson by unanimous decision.

6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

If Josh Barnett were to rejoin the UFC, this matchup with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would be an intriguing one, as it would be a rubber match from a series the two fighters split while in Pride.

Both Barnett and Nogueira are known for their ground games, but each fighter also has underrated striking abilities. Still, this fight would most likely be decided on the floor.

Barnett has gone undefeated in his seven fights since a unanimous decision loss to Nogueira in December 2006. Even if the only indication is the fact that he has aged better since their last meeting, Barnett has to be the favorite in this matchup.

Barnett defeats Nogueira by split decision.

5. Frank Mir

Although Josh Barnett and Frank Mir are capable on their feet, both are most well-recognized for their excellent submission grappling. However, when two high-level grapplers face off against one another, there is often potential for the bout to turn into a stand-up fight.

Even if this fight were to go to the ground, it is unlikely that either fighter would be caught in a submission hold. Mir has never been submitted, while Barnett's only two submission losses came via strikes and an injury.

If this potential fight were to remain standing, Mir's underrated and ever-improving striking could make the difference. Mir is the better striker than Barnett at any distance, so Barnett's ability to win this fight would rest solely on whether or not he is capable of taking Mir down consistently.

Mir defeats Barnett by unanimous decision.

4. Shane Carwin

While Shane Carwin was able to go three rounds with Junior dos Santos in his last fight, he didn't prove that another second-round cardio collapse would be out of the question. Although Carwin didn't run out of gas against dos Santos, he also didn't keep a very fast pace in the fight as he was being pummeled by the Brazilian.

Josh Barnett has the chin and experience to weather Carwin's early storm. If Barnett can bait Carwin into expending a lot of energy in the first round, just as he did in his bout with Brock Lesnar, takedowns will come much more easily in the later frames.

If Barnett can take a tired Carwin to the ground, a submission victory is far from out of the question. There isn't a lot of evidence about Carwin's ground game to go by, but there is a very good chance this matchup could play out much like Carwin's fight with Lesnar did.

Barnett defeats Carwin by submission in the third round.

3. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar's power and athleticism creates problems for any opponent he faces, but those problems increase exponentially when the opponent doesn't present a significant threat in the striking department.

While Barnett does have some power in his hands, it's not the kind of power that will cause Lesnar to hesitate before rushing in for a takedown. Once he has Barnett on the ground, Lesnar will look to bully Barnett just as he did in his second fight with Frank Mir.

Lesnar defeats Barnett by technical knockout in the second round.

2. Junior dos Santos

At this point, Junior dos Santos has essentially shown that it will take a world-class wrestler to keep him on the ground. While Josh Barnett is excellent once the fight gets to the ground, he doesn't have the takedowns to take dos Santos down.

Without being able to take dos Santos to the ground, Barnett would be hopeless on his feet against one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division. Barnett might have the chin to survive three rounds with the Brazilian, but he wouldn't stand much of a chance of winning.

dos Santos defeats Barnett by unanimous decision.

1. Cain Velasquez

Josh Barnett is the type of fighter who needs to be able to dictate where a fight takes place in order to be successful. Against Cain Velasquez, one of the best wrestlers in the heavyweight division, Barnett would likely not be able to control the location of the fight.

If he were to be taken down by Velasquez, Barnett is still a dangerous grappler off of his back, but Velasquez hasn't shown any weakness in his submission defense to be able to predict that Barnett could submit him.

Velasquez defeats Barnett by technical knockout in the second round.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com and LowKick.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.