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#2. Josh Barnett
Seeing the way a 20-something Josh Barnett speared through his first 10 opponents, many MMA fans thought they had witnessed the arrival of the sport's next superstar. When, at just 24, he beat pioneer and legend Randy Couture to become the youngest Heavyweight champion in UFC history, it looked as though all those fans were right.
At a time when pro-wrestling and MMA were nigh indistinguishable, Barnett was one of the few who could thrive in either domain - he had the look, he was at ease in front of a camera and his grappling skills were prodigious.
Then, it all came crashing down. Barnett tested positive for banned substances twice - once after his title victory and once after the bout prior to it. He abdicated in shame and left for Japan, where he became one of PRIDE's biggest draws.
His run in Japan swung the spotlight back on him and he made what looked like a triumphant return to America under the Affliction banner. With big names like Donald Trump and Oscar De La Hoya behind it, even the UFC saw the nascent promotion as a threat.
Barnett finished Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel en route to a super fight with Fedor Emelianenko. With just 10 days to go for the spectacle and the whole MMA world's eyes peeled, disaster struck. Barnett failed a drug test, which proved the iceberg to Affliction's Titanic. The company folded a couple of days later and became a sponsor of the UFC.
Despite this, The Warmaster kept going strong and was given a slot in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, where he made it to the final before losing to Daniel Cormier. He returned to the UFC at an age when most mulled retirement and pulled off memorable wins against Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski. In 2016, out of an alarming thirteen drug tests, one came back positive and would prove the end of Barnett's UFC and possibly, MMA career.
One of the sport's rarest grappling talents now makes small appearances on the pro-wrestling circuit.
