by Chad Dundas, MMARated.com

In the sudden burst of excitement over hearing the news that EliteXC and Affliction were partnering up to slide Andrei Arlovski onto next Saturday’s CBS live broadcast, it appears Josh Barnett got lost in the shuffle. Then again, being overlooked, underappreciated and missing out on big time opportunities are all things Barnett must be getting used to by now.

“The Baby-Faced Assassin” may well have more breakout potential and untapped mainstream appeal than any other American heavyweight. And yet – by virtue of either his own decision to fight mainly in Japan or stateside promotions’ unwillingness to utilize him correctly – he’s had next to no major exposure in the U.S. market since he was stripped of the UFC heavyweight belt in 2002.

Barnett is obviously one of the most talented fighters in the world, but he’s also more articulate and charismatic than almost any other man in the heavyweight top 10. With an appearance like a comic book super hero, an infectious personality and a sense of humor almost unmatched in the industry, he’s a perfect fit for America.

But Barnett has fought just twice in the U.S. since falling under the black cloud of a positive steroid test in the wake of his title-fight victory over Randy Couture at UFC 36. Since then, Dana White has shown little to no interest in him, a fact that probably owes more to shaky contract negotiations between the two than any banned substance Barnett may or may not have used to prepare for Couture. For the record, he still denies any wrong-doing.

Likewise, despite the fact that he beat down Pedro Rizzo at their first pay-per-view in July, Affliction seems indifferent to his presence. In an interview with CagePotato.com a few weeks after the event about which of the company’s top heavyweights would be next in line to fight Fedor Emelianenko, Affliction COO Michael Cohen didn’t even mention Barnett until he was prompted to do so by the Spud’s Ben Fowlkes.

Now, after negotiations to have Barnett fight Arlovski on network TV stalled last week, the Seattle, Washington-based fighter inexplicably hopped a plane back to Japan to ink a deal that will have him fighting on November’s Sengoku 6 card.

It’s bizarre. A fight on CBS could have rocketed Barnett straight to the top of the American MMA food chain, especially if he defeated Arlovski. You’d think that all parties involved – Barnett, Affliction and EliteXC – would’ve been falling all over themselves to get him on that show. Instead, they couldn’t even get a deal done.  

With an uncertain professional future, Barnett is now back across the pond and maybe he just feels more comfortable there. He was a mainstay in the now-defunct PRIDE FC and in Japan, he’s allowed to split time between legitimate fighting and pro wrestling. Perhaps that situation is more to his liking. Perhaps he has no desire to be a star in America.

Or perhaps there just isn’t a promoter out there who wants to make him one.

Whatever the case, Barnett has a lot to offer the sport. I sincerely hope someone brings him back home soon...someone with a commitment to making him the star in America that he deserves to be.