Josh Barnett Pulled From Fight with Fedor Emelianenko

Affliction officials confirm, “He tested positive for a banned substance (2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one). The athletic commission will not reinstate his license.”

With a “no comment” when asked about a Sherdog report that Vitor Belfort and Bobby Lashley were the two potential opponents for Fedor on August 1. Also, no one would speculate on whether a deal could be worked out to have Fabricio Werdum, whose August 15 fight with Alistair Overeem was canceled yesterday, might be Fedor’s opponent.

When asked what he’d like to say to MMA fans, Tom Atencio answered, “Just look for updates… I’m working on getting the best replacement possible.”

This could be a BIG blow for Affliction, who was looking for the Fedor/Barnett fight to match the buzz of the now infamous Mir/Lesnar fight. We know that everyone wants Bobby Lashley to be fed the title like Lesnar was, but to throw him to Fedor too soon could be killing the potential cash cow.