Josh Barnett Booked for Bare-Knuckle Bout vs. Marcin Rozalski at ‘Genesis’ in Poland

Josh Barnett’s latest combat sports appearance will take place under the bare-knuckle rule set.

The former UFC heavyweight champion will square off against KSW veteran Marcin Rozalski at at an event called “Genesis” in Poland on Oct. 23. The bare-knuckle card is promoted by KSW co-founder Maciej Kawulski. “Genesis” will be available via online pay-per-view.

Barnett hasn’t fought in MMA since a submission victory over Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 93 on Sept. 3, 2016. He recently signed with Bellator MMA but on two occasions a proposed matchup with Ronny Markes was nixed — once due to illness and once due to a faile drug test. The 42-year-old owns a 35-8 career mark that includes triumphs over the likes of Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Sergei Kharitonov, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Randy Couture and Dan Severn, to name a few.

A former KSW heavyweight title holder, Rozalski hasn’t competed since May 2017, when he knocked out Fernando Rodrigues Jr. in 16 seconds at KSW 39. The 42-year-old Pole is 7-4 in MMA, with all but one victory coming inside the distance.