Josh Barnett’s combination of fighting skills made him a tough nut to crack in full contact combat sports. His wrestling technique, Muay Thai skills, wrestling expertise, and mastery of other forms of combat earned him his nickname – the Master Heater. Others thought it wise and more appropriate to nickname the professional wrestler and mixed martial artist in keeping with his youthful looks and fighting artistry, thus calling him The Babyface Assassin.
While this dude has proven his worth as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter with multiple organizations, he’s also thrived as a professional wrestler. Since 2003 when he made his wrestling debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Josh has authenticated himself with other promotions such as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Inoki Genome Federation.
Beyond establishing himself as an exceptional wrestler and mixed martial artist, Josh at the start of 2015 became a commentator of color. Neglecting that, the man is also known to many as an actor. From the basic facts of his biography to his rise to fame, professional accomplishments and more, the following encompasses everything there is to know about this American martial artist.
What you need to know about Josh Barnett
His age and youth
The story goes that Babyface Assassin was born onJoshua Lawrence Barnett on November 10th and in 1977. His birthplace was in Seattle, Washington where he was also raised.
It is said that this guy showed that he was born to fight in the first year of his life. His childhood was troubled, he had anger issues and always got into fights for one reason or another. In fact, it got so bad that he was forced to take anger management classes. Josh made the most of it. He has gone beyond learning how to control emotions and discovering how to channel it into his athletic endeavors.
Rise to Glory
It was at Ballard High School that the Warmasterbegan to actively develop for the fighting profession. Although Josh Barnett loves football, he spends more time wrestling and training in kickboxing and judo. He soon witnessed a UFC brawl and decided he was strong enough to give it a shot.
The year 1997 saw him debut as a Pro MMA fighter with the United Full Contact Federation. Josh had a great time beating other fighters who would then make a name for themselves within the UFC, so it was fitting that he was asked to become a UFC fighter. He made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in November 2000, picking up a victory over Gan McGee The Giant and marking the beginning of his emergence as a Warmaster.
career level
Baby Face Assassin hasn’t limited himself to the UFC, he’s been with other US promotions like Affliction Entertainment and Strikeforce. Josh has also left his mark in a handful of other Japan-based MMA and Wrestling platforms. This includes the defunct World Victory Road (WVR) and the Dream, Pride Fighting Championships which merged with UFC, Pancrase and Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC).
Meanwhile, Josh Barnett’s professional wrestling career since 2003 has seen him compete with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Inoki’s Genome Federation (IGF) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). .
Among his many accomplishments, the Warmaster became the youngest UFC heavyweight champion at the age of 24. Josh has won the Pancrase Openweight title, the Metamoris Heavyweight title, and is a mixed martial arts pantheon.
Why he left the UFC
It was a shock to Babyface Assassin fans when it emerged in June 2018 the mixed martial artist demanded to be released from the UFC. Emphasizing that his decision had nothing to do with the UFC, Josh said he was motivated to do so because he could no longer trust the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
In December 2016, USADA roped JoshBarnett over a doping infraction that saw a suspension slung around his neck. However, he was later exonerated after it was discovered that the drug test he failed was due to a tainted supplement. The Warmaster took this fight to court, he sued the supplement company asking to be compensated for the damages caused by the doping issue during his career.
Barnett as an actor
Mr. Barnett is also quite popular for his activities in the film industry. While you’ll find him as Tormac in 2018’s Chuck Hank and the San Diego Twins, he also portrayed Colt in 2017’s Mercenary: Absolution, Brody James in 2016’s Never Back Down: No Surrender, and Office Larry in 2015’s Check please!