Rizzo vs Barnett II On July 19th

by Robert Sargent

In a rematch of their storied battle at UFC 30 in 2001, Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo will look to make it two for two when he takes on top-3 heavyweight "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett in Affliction's debut event on July 19th.

The fight will serve as a co-main event on the card, with Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia taking on "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko in the final bout in California.

In the first battle in 2001, Barnett (21-5-0) suffered his first career loss when Rizzo (16-7-0) landed a vicious hook and knocked Barnett out on his feet. Barnett was arguably winning the fight at that point, but the third-round stoppage ended Barnett's night early.

Since that time, Barnett has lost just one time to fighters not named Cro Cop, when he was defeated by Unanimous Decision by current UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. Barnett is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion himself, having demolished Randy Couture at UFC 36.

Rizzo has had a rocky path back to success since the win over Barnett, having lost to Couture (twice), Gan McGee, Vladimir Matyushenko, Sergei Kharitonov and Roman Zentsov. He has scored victories over former UFC Heavyweight Champions Andrei Arlovski and Ricco Rodriguez, and most recently defeated former UFC #1 contender Jeff Monson by TKO.

The first battle was one of the most entertaining heavyweight bouts in UFC history, and with both fighters having significantly improved since then - especially Barnett - the rematch has the potential to be even better.