Barnett out, Belfort in vs. Fedor
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
It appears heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko, right, will take on Vitor Belfort at Affliction's Aug. 1 event, not Josh Barnett, left.SPORTSNET.CA
Josh Barnett has failed a drug test and will be replaced in his scheduled Affliction bout on Aug. 1 against Fedor Emelianenko by Vitor Belfort, a source told Sportsnet.
The main event of Affliction: Trilogy, taking place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., was a highly anticipated title bout between Emelianenko, the WAMMA heavyweight champion and No. 1 contender Barnett. But the organization has had to do some scrambling after the California State Athletic Commission denied Barnett a licence to fight because he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone. The banned substance detected was reportedly the metabolite 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one.
On a previously scheduled pre-event conference call Wednesday, Affliction vice-president Tom Atencio confirmed that an initial sample taken late last month by the CSAC from Barnett came up positive.
"This has been a complete surprise to us," said Atencio.
The commission said Barnett's sample, taken on June 25, was tested at the World Anti-Doping Agency facility at UCLA. It learned of the results Tuesday and immediately denied Barnett a licence.
"Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters," David Thornton, interim executive director of the CSAC, said in a statement. "Anabolic agents and other banned substances put the users of those agents at risk, as well as their opponents. The commission simply will not tolerate their use."
Atencio said he spoke with Barnett's manager and they are appealing the results. He added the commission is currently checking on a second sample and while it is possible Barnett will be reinstated it appears very unlikely Barnett will be available to fight on Aug. 1.
Asked about a replacement opponent, Atencio would not confirm that Belfort, who is currently scheduled to take on Jorge Santiago at the show, was stepping in to take on Emelianenko. But he did say they are considering a number of potential opponents and don't have any plans on rescheduling the event.
Fighting Emelianenko, a man many consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, would represent a tough new challenge for Belfort (18-8). The Brazilian fighter appeared on both of Affliction's prior two events, knocking out Terry Martin and Matt Lindland, the latter in 37 seconds at the promotion's January event. Belfort, a former UFC light-heavyweight champion, is on a four-fight win streak overall.
Atencio said it won't be an issue whom they find from the perspective of Emelianenko, who has only one loss in 32 career fights.
"Fedor is open to fight anyone," Atencio said. "He is the No. 1 heavyweight in the world for a reason. He's not going to back down from anyone."
He said they're just looking to give the Russian -- and the fans - "the best opponent possible."
This is not the first time Barnett (24-5) has tested positive for a banned substance. He also failed a post-fight drug test in 2002, after he defeated Randy Couture to win the UFC's heavyweight title. Barnett's licence to fight was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after a hearing in which he denied having used performance-enhancing drugs.
The former wrestler spent some time fighting in Japan, where he beat Emelianenko's brother Aleksander during the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, before returning to the United States.
He fought in the inaugural Affliction show last July, knocking out Pedro Rizzo in the second round to avenge his first career loss. In January, Barnett stopped Gilbert Yvel in the third round of the second Affliction show before 13,228 fans at the Honda Center.
Other fights scheduled for "Affliction: Trilogy" include Renato Sobral against Gegard Mousasi and Yvel against Paul Buentello.
Canadians Mark Hominick and Chris Horodecki will also be in action on the undercard, taking on featherweight Deividas Taurosevicius and lightweight Dan Lauzon, respectively.
