Strikeforce Signs Barnett

Strikeforce on Monday added considerable strength to its heavyweight pool, as the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion announced the acquisition of former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. Terms of the multi-fight deal were not disclosed.

A catch wrestling practitioner, Barnett has secured more than half (17) of his 29 career victories by submission. The 32-year-old Seattle native posted his sixth straight win in July, when he stopped Geronimo dos Santos on first-round punches under the Impact FC banner in Brisbane, Australia. A finalist in the 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix, Barnett has not competed on American soil since he struck Gilbert Yvel into submission at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” in January 2009.

Victories against UFC hall of famers Dan Severn and Randy Couture, former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Olympic gold medalists Pawel Nastula and Hidehiko Yoshida anchor Barnett’s resume. He has been flagged multiple times for suspected steroid use.

“Strikeforce is the home of the best heavyweight division in the world, and I’m proud to be able to call it my home now,” said Barnett, who joins a promotional stable that includes champion Alistair Overeem, the great Fedor Emelianenko and UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum. “I’m looking forward to competing amongst the greatest fighters in the world and fighting my way to another world title.”

Prangley Hands Jardine 5th Straight Loss

AMARILLO, Texas -- Trevor Prangley spoiled Keith Jardine’s valiant attempt to put the brakes on a five-fight losing streak with a spilt decision win over the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts veteran in the Shark Fights 13 main event on Saturday at the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum.

The veterans -- both in need of good showings for the higher promotions -- clinched early into the first round. Prangley landed head and body knees, as well as a short right hook to soften Jardine before they scrambled onto the canvas. Jardine locked in a tight armbar, but the South African Olympic wrestling alternate managed to free himself. In side control, Prangley tried to target elbows on a cut over Jardine’s left eye. Jardine, who suffered two knockouts in his last three outings before the UFC released him, made it to his feet and landed a flush right to get back in the game.

The second round played out on its feet, as both began to show signs of fatigue. Halfway through, Prangley dropped Jardine with a right, smelled blood and went in for the kill. However, Jardine was not ready to call it quits and returned to his feet.

Jardine began to work in his kicks in the final round, as the crowd chanted for “The Ultimate Fighter 2” veteran to rise to the occasion. Jardine connected with a stinging right in the final minute and then another, but as he has proved in the past, the American Kickboxing Academy-based Prangley was just too durable a fighter to finish.

For the 34-year-old Jardine, exiting the cage with his fifth defeat in a row will give him much to think about.