Following his recent bout in DREAM, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh “The Babyfaced Assassin” Barnett will return to action for the newly formed Impact Fighting Championship promotion on July 10th in Brisbane, Australia. Barnett will face Brazilian brawler Geronimo “Mondragon” dos Santos in a bout that was first reported by Tatame earlier today.
Initial confusion listed the Barnett-dos Santos bout as taking place at a Strikeforce event in Australia, but the situation was later clarified. Impact FC will run at least three events in Australia and New Zealand in July.
Barnett (25-5-0) was scheduled to compete on the ill-fated Affliction: “Trilogy” event last August, but a third positive test for steroids resulted in his suspension and the promotion soon folded. After more than one year off, Barnett returned at Dream.13 in March and submitted Siala “Mighty Mo” Siliga in the first round of a controversial bout that was halted for a lengthy period of time after Siliga was struck with a low blow. With licensing issues in the United States still outstanding, Barnett must compete outside of the country for the time being and will now look to Australia for his next bout.
Dos Santos (17-8-0) has never gone to a decision in 25 career bouts and holds ten wins via a form of knockout. The Brazilian striker has won eight of his last nine fights, but was defeated in his most recent outing in February after suffering an abdominal injury. Easily one of the most active fighters in the sport, all 25 of dos Santos’s fights have come within the last four years and he once fought three times in an eight-day span. He will likely aim to keep the fight with Barnett standing and could pick up a significant upset victory that would reportedly earn him a Strikeforce contract.
Impact FC will hold its first event on July 3rd at Trusts Stadium in Aukland, New Zealand. Its second event, which will feature the bout between Barnett and dos Santos, is scheduled for July 10th at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. A third event is planned for July 18th at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia and will air live on pay-per-view in North America. Additional television deals are also in the works.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)