The “Affliction: Trilogy” media conference call that took place today went from a call that was originally supposed to have various fighters talking about their upcoming Aug. 1 fights to Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio fielding questions regarding yesterday’s breaking news that one of their headlining fighters had tested positive for a banned substance and would not be allowed to fight.
Atencio spent roughly 20 minutes doing damage control and assuring reporters that he was doing everything in his power to find a suitable replacement for Josh Barnett to fight WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko.
Tom Atencio – Affliction: Trilogy conference call
[podcast]http://promma.info/audio/joshbarnettnews.mp3[/podcast]
More thoughts after the jump…
My question was going to be if they could disclose exactly what banned substance Barnett tested positive for. They never got to us but someone else asked the question and Atencio replied he had no idea. Most people are assuming, because of his past, he tested positive for steroids.
In 2002, Barnett defeated Randy Couture to become the youngest UFC Heavyweight Champion in history. Little did Barnett know it would be his last fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship — He was stripped of his title later that year for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
Barnett has spent the majority of his career since 2002 fighting in Japan where they do not test for banned or illegal substances. This latest incident, if nothing else, raises suspicions and casts a big giant dark question mark over Barnett’s entire professional MMA career.
Barnett stated yesterday in an interview with Sherdog, “No matter what happens with this, I can assure you I will clear my name. This will not be something that I am defined by.” Those are high aspirations no doubt. If Barnett thought Fedor was going to be a tough opponent, his battle to change public perception could make a fight with Fedor seem like child’s play.