Josh Barnett has been cleared to return to action after going to arbitration with USADA but he’s still at least six months away from actually competing in the UFC.
Last week, Barnett received a ‘public reprimand’ from USADA after testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine in out of competition sample collected from the heavyweight fighter in December 2016.
Thanks to Barnett being so meticulous with all the supplements he takes as well as keeping exact records of the research he’s done on those products, an independent arbitrator ruled that veteran fighter did not cheat and ultimately didn’t deserve any substantial punishment as a result of the failed drug test.
While that was a huge win for Barnett, he was still forced to sit out for over a year while waiting on a verdict from the arbitration hearing with USADA. Now if Barnett plans on fighting in the UFC again, he’ll be waiting at least another six months assuming he re-enters the drug testing pool
Barnett pulled himself out of the UFC drug testing pool back in 2016 and USADA officials confirmed on Thursday that he still hasn’t notified them with any intention to return to action.
Assuming Barnett does re-enter the drug testing pool with USADA, he would have to undergo six months of testing before he would be allowed to book a fight in the UFC. That means at minimum if Barnett notified USADA immediately that he intended to fight again, it would be at least late September before he could fight in the UFC.
Right now, Barnett is keeping busy not only training fighters in his own time but he’s also calling professional wrestling matches for New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV alongside legendary play-by-play man Jim Ross.
Unfortunately as of now, Barnett has given no clear indication on whether or not he will try to return to the UFC.
