Josh
Barnett’s latest combat sports appearance will take place under
the bare-knuckle rule set.
The former UFC heavyweight champion will square off against KSW
veteran Marcin
Rozalski at at an event called “Genesis” in Poland on Oct. 23.
The bare-knuckle card is promoted by KSW co-founder Maciej
Kawulski. “Genesis” will be available via online
pay-per-view.
Barnett hasn’t fought in MMA since a submission victory over
Andrei
Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 93 on Sept. 3, 2016. He recently
signed with Bellator MMA but on two occasions a proposed matchup
with Ronny
Markes was nixed — once due to illness and once due to a faile
drug test. The 42-year-old owns a 35-8 career mark that includes
triumphs over the likes of Roy Nelson,
Frank
Mir, Sergei
Kharitonov, Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt,
Randy
Couture and Dan Severn, to
name a few.
A former KSW heavyweight title holder, Rozalski hasn’t competed
since May 2017, when he knocked out Fernando
Rodrigues Jr. in 16 seconds at KSW 39. The 42-year-old Pole is
7-4 in MMA, with all but one victory coming inside the
distance.