The Strikeforce going out of business sale is underway with numerous fighters migrating over to the UFC. The UFC has officially announced the first list of fighters jumping over with one interesting name missing from the list.
The UFC made the official announcement on Fuel TV this week. There aren’t a whole lot of surprises on the list but there is one somewhat of a surprise off of the list. The list according to UFC so far includes…
[adinserter block=”1″]Heavyweight:
Daniel Cormier (11-0)
Light Heavyweight:
Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2)
Gian Villante (10-3)
Middleweight:
Roger Gracie (6-1)
Tim Kennedy (15-4)
Lorenz Larkin (13-0)
Luke Rockhold (10-1)
Ronaldo Souza (17-3)
Welterweight:
Roger Bowling (11-3)
Jason High (16-3)
Nate Marquardt (32-11-2)
Tarec Saffiedine (14-3)
Bobby Voelker (24-8)
Lightweight:
Ryan Couture (6-1)
Pat Healy (29-16)
Kurt Holobaugh (8-1)
Adriano Martins (24-6)
Gilbert Melendez (21-2)
K.J. Noons (11-6)
Josh Thomson (19-5)
Most MMA fans, at least the ones the follow the sport on the Internet already know about some of the bigger names signed. High profile fighters like Daniel Cormier and Gilbert Melendez already have fights booked on UFC shows. Robbie Lawler isn’t on the list although he is booked for an upcoming UFC event. But the absence of one name in particular is making waves in the MMA world of social media and that is Josh Barnett.
The former UFC heavyweight champion is not on the list and as of now it is fair to assume that his future is in limbo. UFC president Dana White has talked highly of Barnett and indicated soft interest at times in recent years. Barnett is probably the biggest “name” on Strikeforce not in the immediate transition plans.
The biggest reason for this is probably money. Barnett reportedly made $250,000 just for showing up to fight Nandor Guelmino on the final Strikeforce event, taking home $12,000 for the win. Barnett would certainly have to come down off of his show price to make a deal happen. So before you get ready to annihilate Dana White for holding a grudge, Barnett’s financial demands may actually be the deal killer here.
[adinserter block=”2″]Some presumed that Barnett would head to Bellator if he couldn’t snag a UFC deal. With his pro wrestling background, Barnett would be the perfect co-promotional fighter for Bellator and TNA Wrestling. Unfortunately it would appear that Bellator has no interest in Barnett at his current asking price.
Regardless of whether Barnett joins his former colleagues or not, it is an impressive list. The added roster gives the UFC the deepest talent roster in the history of the company. The middleweight in particular immediately boosts the division right up there with the lightweights in regards to talent and competition.
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