Barnett out of Fedor fight

Say it ain't so, Tom Atencio.

Just weeks before his showdown with the Fedor Emelianenko, the man widely recognized as the number one heavyweight in mixed martial arts, Josh Barnett was denied a license to fight for allegedly testing positive for a banned substance.

Now Affliction is scrambling to find a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered on the alter of Emelianko.

Vitor Belfort and Bobby Lashley are rumored to have agreed to fight the Russian in principle. But neither come close to the talent, hype or danger that surrounded Josh Barnett.

So Fedor loses a chance to validate his number status in the ever-waning pool of talent outside of the UFC. And fans will miss out on seeing Emelianenko square up against his most competitive adversary since fighting CroCop in 2005.

And with Affliction's Trilogy card rumored to be their last, Fedor is running out of options if he is to remain a relevant fighter. People may still respect his accolades and pay to see him dismantle opponents, but fighting has-been UFC champions like Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovksi will no longer suffice with freaks like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, Shane Carwin and Cain Valezquez smashing heads in the octagon.