Report: Josh Barnett has one more fight in Strikeforce before possible UFC return

If you can't bring Josh Barnett to the UFC, bring the UFC to Josh Barnett.

That may be the reality of "The Warmaster's" future, following a five round shellacking at the hands of Daniel Cormier last Saturday night (May 19, 2012) in the final of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament, his first defeat in over five years and one that snapped an eight-fight winning streak.

So where does he go from here?

Well, for now, nowhere. That's because USA Today reports that Showtime, as part of their existing deal with Strikeforce prior to the ZUFFA purchase, will exercise its right to hold on to the part-time pro wrestler for one more fight inside the Hexagon before deporting him to the Las Vegas fight club.

But against who?

With concrete plans to dissolve the Strikeforce heavyweight division, both Barnett and Cormier are marooned in San Jose until the S.S. Octagon can send over a dinghy with a pair of 265-pound sailors to rescue them. Not that there's any rush, mind you, as both competitors are recovering from mangled mitts and could be on the shelf for the rest of the year.

No rush.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is once again experiencing a heavyweight boom, detonated by the upcoming UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" pay-per-view (PPV) fight card scheduled for this Saturday night (May 26) at the MGM Grand Garden Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Memorial Day Weekend event is expected to shake up the 265-pound division and once again draw a line in the sand that separates the contenders from the pretenders. While it's not known as of yet which lane Barnett and Cormier will be running in, we should expect someone with name value to make their way into hostile territory when the pistol eventually fires.

Stay tuned.

For more on Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" click here. To see what else is happening at UFC 146 this weekend in "Sin City" click here.