Sherdog’s Top 10: PED Busts

Josh Barnett essentially brought down the Affliction promotion. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

4. Josh Barnett
Affliction “Trilogy”
Of all the positive PED tests on this list, Barnett’s second career failure might have had the greatest consequences for the broader outlines of mixed martial arts. With Barnett being a known, two-time offender, the California State Athletic Commission determined it would administer a random test prior to his scheduled bout with Fedor Emelianenko at the third Affliction event.

Affliction had positioned itself as a big deal in the MMA sphere in a very short time, bringing longtime top-ranked heavyweight Emelianenko to the United States for the first time and matching him with a pair of former UFC champions in Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski. The organization offered big purses and big names, highlighting top fighters like Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Renato Sobral and, of course, Barnett, who defeated Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel to get his shot at the pudgy, ruthless Russian kingpin.

Alas, that fight was not to be. Barnett tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanalone, and, in the absence of a suitable replacement, Affliction was forced to cancel the entire event. Aside from Bellator MMA’s lone venture into the pay-per-view business, Affliction was the last organization to really attempt to break into the UFC’s market share. Barnett’s positive test ended a potentially fruitful if likely unsustainable business model in the MMA industry.

Number 3 » He is one of MMA’s most charming, incisive and compelling personalities. He is also a borderline-psychotic competitor and, in a related strain that shocks nobody who understands exactly how much he wants -- or needs -- to win, owns two well-documented PED busts.