MMAConvert.com

Josh Barnett appears to be content with whatever happens in regards to his future in MMA.

Barnett, a former champion, remains unsigned after the closing of Strikeforce earlier this year. He talked with Bleacher Report about his current situation recently.

For me, it’s more about getting the right kind of deal done. Because if I’m not fighting, I’m okay. I can do other stuff. I’ve got other things to do. I’ve got other aspects of my career to work on and to work with. I’m okay with that. I’m going to stay in the gym and stay training and stay active in martial arts. It’s not like I’m just going to drop off and all of a sudden have to get ready for a fight. What secures your future is what’s on paper. That’s all I can really count on. The time that it takes to get that correct is the time it’s going to take.

It appeared as if Barnett was close to joining the UFC again a few months ago, but issues came up in the negotiations and no deal was reached.

I don’t have any personal vendettas or anything of the sort with any of those companies. It’s really just a matter of coming to terms with something I feel like is the right deal for me. I have no doubt if I’m in the UFC or Bellator or wherever, that I’m going to bring value and offers to wherever I’m at. I don’t have any doubts how I would fare against anybody in the world. I’ve been in plenty of fights in the ring, out of the ring, and I know what I’m capable of and how good I am.

Could Barnett still compete with the elite members of the UFC’s heavyweight division? Or has his time passed him by?

Former champion Josh Barnett remains a free agent in terms of MMA, as he hasn’t signed a contract since Strikeforce folded earlier this year.

Well, Barnett could be interested in signing with Bellator MMA and TNA Wrestling, posting on Twitter that he is looking to “wrestle” Hulk Hogan.

I totally wanna wrestle Hulk Hogan. There, I said it. Not taking it back.

— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) March 25, 2013

Bellator and TNA are owned by the same company, as Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has appeared on both shows. It’s possible that Barnett, who enjoys freelancing inside the squared wrestling circle, could be talked into joining the MMA company and competing on the wrestling side, as well.

UFC president Dana White leaked a bit of information over the weekend, stating that officials had planned to pair former UFC heavyweight champions Josh Barnett and Junior dos Santos together.

However, Barnett declined to accept the prepared agreement between the two sides, and dos Santos has since signed to face Alistair Overeem at UFC 160 later this year.

“Josh Barnett is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy. He does his own thing, beats to his own drum,” White said. “Josh Barnett’s never been a guy to say I don’t want to fight this guy, or I won’t fight that guy.”

It’s been over 10 years since Barnett last stepped foot inside the Octagon, as he defeated Randy Couture for the title. He was later found to have used a banned substance, and was suspended and eventually released by the UFC.

Dos Santos will be returning to the cage for the first time since a December loss to Cain Velasquez for the title.

UFC president Dana White isn’t about to go begging for Josh Barnett to return to the promotion.

But, if the former UFC heavyweight champion wants to begin his quest to another title run, White would be more than happy to have him back.

“I know there’s an offer on the table for him,” White said. “If he wants to take it, it’s been offered. And if not, he’s always been his own guy.”

Barnett’s manager recently came out and said they would not be agreeing to the proposed contract due to an issue with a certain stipulation. While neither side has stated what that is, one would have to guess it may involve Barnett’s passion for professional wrestling – and the UFC’s typical decision to not allow fighters to perform in other arenas.

Barnett went 3-1 in his UFC career, including a win over Randy Couture for the title. He was stripped of the belt after a failed drug test, and later released. The 35-year-old is 32-6 in his MMA career.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett appears to be headed elsewhere, as MMAFighting.com reported on Wednesday that “The Warmaster” and the UFC have broke off talks.

“We agreed on guaranteed compensation. In fact, we never even countered. We accepted their original offer,” said LeLand LaBarre, the manager for Barnett. “However, there are some outlying issues – one in particular – that as of this point, we were unable to agree on.”

LaBarre declined to explain what that one issue was, saying it was not the right time.

Barnett (32-6) last fought inside the Octagon back in 2002. He won the heavyweight title from Randy Couture, but was stripped of the belt after failing a drug test. He later went on to fight in several promotions, including Affliction and Strikeforce.

In his last appearance, Barnett defeated Nandor Guelmino inside the Strikeforce cage.

UFC president Dana White had stated several times during recent interviews that he felt negotiations between the UFC and Barnett were going smoothly, and that he expected him to be coming to the promotion this year.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett appears likely to have his next MMA fight inside the Octagon, according to UFC president Dana White.

“We’re talking to Josh Barnett. Yes, we’re open to bringing him into the UFC,” said White, during a recent appearance on UFC Tonight. “It’s about making a deal now.”

Barnett fought in the promotion several years ago, defeating Randy Couture to become the UFC heavyweight champion. He failed his post-fight drug test, however, and was eventually released from the UFC after issues with his contract negotiations.

Barnett went on to fight in Japan before coming back to the U.S. and competing in both Affliction and Strikeforce. “The Warmaster” has hinted several times that a return to the UFC is likely, but has made sure to also state he will only accept a deal that benefits him.

Photo credit: Sherdog

Josh Barnett has yet to secure a contract with the UFC, but based on his recent post on Facebook, it appears the former heavyweight champion is leaning that way.

Barnett last competed earlier this month in Strikeforce, earning an easy victory over Nandor Guelimino. He last fought for the UFC 11 years ago, failing a post-fight drug test and being stripped of the title.

Contract issues saw Barnett exit the promotion shortly after, and he continued to compete in MMA around the world.

No, I am not in the UFC yet, but I would love to be in the UFC fighting in the Octagon again being back on the mats where I won the heavyweight title 11 years ago. It’s the biggest promotion, with the most exposure, and the best heavyweight division. Plus it’s abundantly clear – it’s where you guys want to see me fighting. I don’t know at this point where my next fight is but I will train and prepare for war with the world because that’s what I do…and the next battlefield could be the UFC.

UFC president Dana White has stated in recent interviews that he believes Barnett will be back in the UFC in the near future.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney knows that he will have a slightly larger bank account to work with now that his promotion is airing on Spike TV.

However, that doesn’t mean Rebney is going to go out and sign every single free agent available to him.

Two of the more intriguing ones – Josh Barnett and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson – came up to Rebney recently.

(Barnett) hasn’t been a topic of conversation in our meetings with the staff. Josh is a great character and he’s had some great fights, but it’s not really on our radar.

Barnett racked up over $250,000 for his last win in Strikeforce, but has not given any indication as to his future.

As for Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion will complete his current contract with the UFC next week against Glover Teixeira.

He’s suffered a lot of injuries, but he’s still a rock star at a very high level and we’ll see what happens with his next fight. We’ll still have to sit around and figure out where he fits.

Regardless of whether or not Josh Barnett signs with the UFC, the former champion is hoping his next contract is his last.

Barnett’s manager, Leland Labarre, talked with MMAjunkie.com recently about the future of his client. Barnett (32-6) is a former UFC heavyweight champion, but left the promotion after a failed drug test and contract issues.

“We have not entered into negotiations with any company. We know the fans would love for Josh to fight in the UFC, and Josh would love to fight in the UFC – if that’s the way things work out,” Labarre said. “We want to find something that’s hopefully going to be his last contract and find a permanent home.”

Barnett also likes to dabble in professional wrestling, but he could have trouble securing a UFC deal if that remains on his agenda. The 35-year-old last fought inside the Octagon in 2002.

Josh talks about his recent win over Nandor Guelmino, and he says he’s not sure where he’s headed next.