Strikeforce Grand Prix: Where Would Josh Barnett Rank in the UFC?

When the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix began, many analysts came in with the assumption that not only would the winner of the tournament be the top-ranked heavyweight in Strikeforce, but that he would also be generally considered the top-ranked heavyweight in the entire world of MMA.

But with the loss of Fedor Emelianenko and the drop-out of Alistair Overeem who has since left the organization for the UFC, suddenly Josh Barnett has become the odds-on favorite to walk away with the tournament crown. Certainly there is still prestige in the tournament, but a tournament victory from Fedor, Overeem or even Werdum would have almost surely secured them the title of top dog in the heavyweight division, at least for the meantime, while Cain Velasquez was out with an injury.

Now the writing is on the wall for the inevitable demise of Strikeforce as an organization as Zuffa continues to transition many of the company’s top fighters, including champions, over to the UFC.

Given that Barnett is now the top-ranked heavyweight on the Strikeforce roster, it is reasonable to think that despite his past differences with UFC management, he could be considered for a possible spot on the UFC roster. So if that happened, where would he rank, given his current accomplishments and the volatile nature of the heavyweight division?

Read on as we breakdown and rank the top 10 of the UFC heavyweight division: Josh Barnett edition.

10. Brendan Schaub

He got smashed by “Big Nog” in his most recent fight at UFC 134, but Brendan Schaub still has to be considered one of the top-10 heavyweights in the UFC at this time.

The 28-year-old Schaub is still raw in many ways and has now taken two knockout losses to fellow top-10 opponents, but his streak of crushing victories over Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchscherer, Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko “Cro Cop” over the past year and a half have been good enough to keep him hanging in the top 10 of the division.

No opponent has been set at this time for Schaub’s next fight, but he should see a rise up in the rankings if he gets another top-10 opponent and can actually pull out a win this time. Perhaps a fight with Shane Carwin would be appropriate at this time, with both fighters coming off of losses?

9. Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson is coming off of back-to-back losses, but in his defense, they both came against consensus top-five opponents in Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir.

Nelson’s unique physique has been called into question in the losses, with many believing that the former IFL champion could realistically shed enough weight to come in quicker and more athletic for his heavyweight fights, or even drop down to the 205-pound the light heavyweight division. UFC President Dana White has even called his fighter’s shape into question, adding that “the fat thing isn’t funny anymore.”

Nelson will need to get back into the win column if he hopes to stay in the top 10, but his victories over Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub keep him here for the time being. 

8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

A career-revitalizing victory over Brendan Schaub at UFC 134 was just enough to put the legendary Brazilian Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in at a solid eighth place in today’s rankings.

Nogueira had been knocked out by Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir in two of his previous three fights and many were beginning to question whether he still had “it.” Big Nog answered those questions, however, with the punishing first-round knockout of the up-and-coming Schaub.

This victory was an emotional one for Nogueira and his team and he is now scheduled to fight Frank Mir in a rematch at UFC 140 from Toronto. 

7. Shane Carwin

Shane Carwin took nearly a year off between his UFC 116 loss to Brock Lesnar and his UFC 131 bout against Junior dos Santos. Not only that, but he even took that fight on short notice, filling in for Lesnar who had dropped out of the bout due to illness.

There is much respect that should be given to the former UFC interim heavyweight champion for taking a fight against a dominant fighter like dos Santos on such short notice, but the way he was completely dominated on his feet may prove to be the most damaging loss of his career.

Carwin is known as perhaps the most heavy-handed MMA fighter in the world today, but he was completely unable to catch dos Santos who utilized a much more polished boxing technique to pick apart the Colorado-native on his way to a decisive, unanimous decision.

We do not yet have an indication as to who will be Carwin’s next opponent, but if he takes another year between fights, expect to see him drop lower on this list.

6. Josh Barnett

As the title of this rankings article indicates, Josh Barnett would hypothetically check in at No. 6 among heavyweights if he were to transfer over to the UFC.

Barnett is currently on a seven fight win streak which dates back to 2008. Unlike other top former Pride stars who have struggled in America, Josh Barnett has been one of the most dominant heavyweights in recent memory.

The former UFC heavyweight champion has barely even been challenged, even against fighters who many believed would give him a run for his money like Jeff Monson and even Brett Rogers. Barnett was so dominant against Brett Rogers in the opening round of the Strikeforce grand prix that he is now generally considered the favorite to walk away with the tournament championship.

But before he can do that, he will have to get through one of the most skilled strikers in the heavyweight division, Sergei Kharitonov, whom he battles this Saturday night in the semifinals of the tournament. A victory would likely only keep Barnett at his current ranking or maybe slightly move him up, but a loss could see him fall out of the top 10 entirely.

This will be an important night for Barnett and his future as a potential UFC fighter down the road.

5. Frank Mir

Yes, he has lost to a fighter lower than him on this list in Shane Carwin, but Frank Mir is also coming off of back-to-back victories over Mirko “Cro Cop” and another top-10 fighter in Roy Nelson, which is why he shows up a few spots higher than Carwin on this list.

Mir’s biggest weakness seems to be against the ultra-powerful fighters like Carwin and Brock Lesnar, but he has used finesse to out-box and punish high-level opponents like “Big Nog” and Check Kongo. His jiu-jitsu remains some of the best in the entire heavyweight division and he is always a threat to win any fight he is in.

Mir will have a chance to improve his ranking with a second victory over Nogueira in December when the two heavyweights step into the cage at UFC 140.

4. Alistair Overeem

The freshest face to the UFC heavyweight division is one of the most chiseled fighters ever to step into an MMA cage, Alistair Overeem.

The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion may not be familiar to the UFC audience, but his freakish highlight reel speaks for itself. He may not have the wins over as many top-level heavyweight opponents that others do, but he has been trying to get into the UFC for years and will now have his chance.

Overeem will jump right to the top of the pack if he is able to dismantle his scheduled opponent, Brock Lesnar, in his first Octagon appearance later this year. 

3. Brock Lesnar

The former UFC heavyweight champion has taken quite a bit of time away from the cage since he lost his title to Cain Velasquez, but it hasn’t been by his own choice.

Brock Lesnar’s battle with diverticulitis is well-documented, but he finally got surgery to fix it earlier this year. According to UFC President Dana White, Lesnar should be ready to return to an active training regiment in the upcoming weeks. He’ll need to be at 100 percent health as he will be fighting a man who some believe to already be the best heavyweight on the planet, Alistair Overeem.

There is no “quit” in Lesnar, though, and though he is listed now as a slight underdog against Overeem, he remains above him on the rankings due to his success against top-level opponents; even if he did lose to Velasquez. 

2. Junior Dos Santos

It should be expected by now to see the No. 1 contender ranked second among the heavyweight elite in the UFC. Junior dos Santos deserves this ranking and some would even say that he could make a case for being No. 1 given the lack of action that the champion has seen since winning the title.

Dos Santos is now a clean 7-0 in the UFC with five wins coming by way of punches. His boxing is considered by most to be the most technically sound among top-level fighters and he could prove to be a very interesting matchup for Cain Velasquez when the two take the main event the very first UFC on FOX card this November.

1. Cain Velasquez

When you’re the champ, you’re on top of the world.

Even though he will have spent over a year out of the cage when he fights Junior dos Santos on November 12, Cain Velasquez is still widely considered the No. 1 heavyweight in the world... And for good reason.

Velasquez violently destroyed two top-10 opponents in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock Lesnar in back-to-back victories in 2010 on his way to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. As a “small” heavyweight by most standards, Velasquez shocked onlookers as he not only out-struck Lesnar at UFC 121, but also seemed to out-power him as well.

He even did what no one else has been able to do when he essentially just stood right back up after being taken down by the former NCAA Division-I national champion wrestler early in the first round.

Velasquez’s physical abilities are off the chart as not only is perhaps the hardest puncher in the division according to ESPN’s Sports Science, but he may also have the best cardio we have seen. There are just so many great aspects to Velasquez’s game and it is no wonder that he is the only fighter in the top 10 who possesses an untarnished record at 9-0.