Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Josh Barnett has been released from his UFC contract, after a second stint with the company that lasted for five years. The reason for his release was not specified by the anonymous UFC official who first reported the news to MMA Junkie on Wednesday. Barnett has not made any comment on this release.
Barnett (35-8) last saw action in September 2016 in Hamburg, Germany, where he defeated fellow former champ Andrei Arlovski. “The Warmaster” won the fight via rear-naked choke. That third-round submission earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus as well as “Fight of the Night.