Josh Barnett Signs with M-1

Well, it's official, Russian organization M-1 has solidifed it's courting of top 5 heavyweight fighter Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett. With the signing of #1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, the Barnett signing shows that M-1 is serious about being more than a one-fighter organization.

Barnett was the only top heavyweight fighter in Pride who never fought the champion Emelianenko, and this signing promises on of the greatest matches that the heavyweight division, and the sport at large, has to offer.

As a matchup, this fight is unequalled. Fedor is famous for a powerful ground-and-pound attack, that he usually delivers standing in his opponents guard, and his boxing skills, as well as the submission skills he has developed in sambo are very solid. His combination of quick hands, both on the ground and standing, aggressive attack, precision head movement and a handful of very effective submissions (namely the armbar and the kimura) have made him a force that hasn't been pushed to the breaking point ever in a fight.

Barnett has submission skills unlike any other fighter in the sport. While he lacks for the technical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu backround of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, his violent and versatile game (which contains a larger arsenal of attacks than Nogueira's) is quick and aggressive. His raw strength and Roman-Greco wrestling has made him a challenge for anyone trying to land on top of him to attack, and if Fedor goes that route he may find that Barnett's experience is wrestling is too much.

The dimensions of this fight are very interesting and promising.

Fedor has the better standup, as he's traded with top tier heavyweight strikers like Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic, but chances are this fight will end up on the ground, either with Fedor going for a clinch and one of his crafty takedowns that come from his hybrid Judo/Sambo backround. Whether he'll surprise Barnett, who has fought top Judoka in MMA before pretty successfully, is doubtful, but even so he may be able to get to a top position against Barnett.

If Fedor dominates the standup, we may see Barnett initiate the clinch and go for a takedown. Barnett's wrestling backround is not something that Fedor has ever dealt with. While he's fought tough folkstyle wrestlers like Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman and Matt Lindland, Barnett's folkstyle wrestling is a different deal. It's much less traditional and Barnett is really fairly unique, incorporating techniques that we really only see in professional wrestling entertainment as a way of displaying his strength.

Once the fight hits the ground, we will see someone in their element. Both fighters thrive on the top and love to attack, but both are very solid off of their backs. Barnett has leglocks that have proven very effective in his wrestling and he got to display them in his fight against Pawel Nastula not to long ago. We could see him do what no one else has really tried and attempt a leglock on Fedor from under Fedor's ground-and-pound. If Fedor ends up on his back, it will be interesting to see how Barnett handles Fedor's incredibly fundamental submission skills with his less conventional backround.

It's a matchup of the technically perfect versus the unconventionally saavy. Fedor is a total cyborg in the ring, his focus is all on victory, and he can attain it from anywhere. Barnett is a monster and he's always looking to attack, always trying finish.

Thanks for M-1 for putting this matchup together and I'm hoping for the best in their talks with Mark Hunt, Aleksander Emelianenko, Sergei Kharitonov and the other guys who are hanging in the balance with the Pride buyout.