10 Best MMA Wrestling Crossovers

After training in kickboxing and judo as a kid, Josh Barnett made his MMA debut in 1997, amassing a ten fight winning streak in regional promotions in Washington and Hawaii including a win over UFC hall-of-famer Dan Severn.

The win helped Barnett catch the attention of the UFC, where three wins in his first four fights earned him a title shot against Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture. Barnett used his superior size to finish Couture in the second round, becoming the youngest champion in UFC history, before a failed drug test saw him stripped of the title and subsequently released from the promotion.

Rather then move directly to a rival promotion, Barnett instead ventured into pro-wrestling, making his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling in a match with Yuji Nagata in 2003. Barnett would stay with the company for two years before a spell with Antonio Inoki's IGF promotion, enjoying feuds with MMA veterans Bob Sapp, Tank Abbott, Don Frye and Tim Sylvia.

During this time, Barnett also restarted his MMA career, where spells with Pride, Affliction and Strikeforce led to his UFC return in 2013. Despite entering in his late thirties, Barnett remained a top-ten staple before another failed drug test after a 2016 win over Andrei Arlovski.

With his MMA career all-but-over, Barnett has committed fully to pro-wrestling, where he worked as a colour commentator for New Japan before forming his own BloodSport promotion in 2019.