Strikeforce Heavyweight Josh Barnett Enters Baja 1000 Off-Road Race in Mexico

The former UFC heavyweight champion is currently racing in the Baja 1000, an off-road race through Mexico’s Baja California peninsula that takes place from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17 and requires participants to drive a total of 1,121 miles over the five-day period.

Sherdog.com attempted to contact Barnett for comment through his manager, Leland LaBarre, but “The Warmaster” has been unreachable due to the constraints of the race.

The Baja 1000 is part of the Score Championship Desert Racing Series. Held annually, this year’s installment of the race marks its 45th anniversary. The race is being run by a variety of vehicles, including cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, and the course is marked by eight physical checkpoints, at which drivers must quickly stop before moving on. All vehicles are fitted with a black box that keeps track of the drivers’ GPS data as well as their speed.

Several individuals who have gained fame in fields other than off-road racing have participated in the event in years past, including guitar player Ted Nugent, as well as actors Paul Newman, James Garner and Steve McQueen.

Barnett, 35, saw an eight-fight winning streak halted by Daniel Cormier in the finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix last spring. Prior to that May 19 setback, the catch-wrestling specialist ran through his first two tournament opponents last year, submitting Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov with arm-triangle chokes.