Mar 11, 2010 - Before his positive steroid test caused the fight to be scrapped, Josh Barnett was scheduled to fight Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight clash of the titans last summer. Now Barnett is just a week and a half away from a return to MMA after more than a year off -- and he's expected to face a slightly easier opponent than Fedor.
Josh Gross of SI.com reports that Barnett is likely to face Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga at Dream.13 on March 22. That's a rather embarrassing step down in quality of opposition for Barnett, and a reminder of just how far Barnett has fallen since eight months ago, when he was regarded by many as the No. 2 heavyweight in the world and a real threat to Fedor.
Mighty Mo, for those who don't know, is a 39-year-old kickboxer from American Samoa who has a 3-1 MMA record and has never beaten anyone remotely credible; the three guys he's beaten have a combined record of 31-33-3.
Barnett vs. Mighty Mo is, basically, a joke, but it's a joke that will draw a fair amount of attention in the MMA world simply because Barnett isn't that far removed from being an elite heavyweight. Beating Mo doesn't do anything for Barnett, but for Barnett, this is all about getting back into the ring. Maybe it's a step toward getting back into the ring against an opponent who's actually credible.
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