Josh Barnett got himself back into the win column and erased the memory of a submission loss To Ben Rothwell after he put on a jiu-jitsu clinic himself, choking out Andrei Arlovski in the main event of UFC Fight Night 93 in Hamburg, Germany.
Read all about it here.
And while "The Warmaster" is all about living in the moment, the longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran doesn’t rule out a future championship fight in hopes of reclaiming glory of years past.
"I don't think in those modalities," Barnett said during the post-fight presser via MMA Fighting. "I think of just being able to perform at my best at any given moment, completely living in that immediate now. At this point, guys like me and Andre, we've already won belts. You've got [Alistair] Overeem, there's a slew of guys out there, of us in the heavyweight division that have proven that we are capable of being the world champion. Anywhere you put us. We're always ready to take the challenge, and it's always acceptable for us to be in the title fight."
With a couple more 265-pound matchups going down next week at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio, Barnett has a close eye on the title fight between Stipe Miocic and Alisitar Overeem.
And he isn’t opposed to step in last minute should his number be called for whatever reason.
"If Overeem got injured out of nowhere or something, Andrei, myself, whomever, there are several of us out there that can slide right in and fight in that match, and that's completely legitimate," he said.
Hopefully, his services won’t be needed. Nevertheless, Josh doesn’t rule out a run at the division strap.
"But the biggest thing that we can control is going out there and our performances that lie in front of us. It's one at a time, and I'm sure a heavyweight championship fight could be in the future. But right now, all I was concerned with was fighting Andrei, taking him very seriously, and doing what I could to come out on top, and then moving on from there."
For Barnett, there are endless foes he could take on next, including Junior dos Santos, he could be nearing a return later this year.
Or, depending on the outcome of UFC 203’s mini heavyweight tournament, Barnett could find himself back inside the Octagon sooner, rather than later.
For complete UFC Fight Night 93 "Arlovski vs. Barnett results, including play-by-play updates, click here.