Luke Barnatt Is Taking over the Middleweight Division

Luke “Bigslow” Barnatt is a ferocious middleweight who is prepared to remind the world what he can do on March 11.

Luke Barnatt (YouTube)

Years ago, the Ultimate Fighter was a watchable TV show that brought attention to up-and-comers in the mixed martial arts world. Coached by the superstars of MMA, young fighters got the chance the be showcased on national television. Many of the big names you see today first found success on the Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter has some very notable alumni. If you single out season 17, you find Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall, the late Josh Samman, Zak Cummings, and Luke Barnatt. It is easy to forget about any of those guys as that season was clearly star-studded. However, Luke Barnatt is a name that nobody should forget.

Barnatt made a name for himself on the Ultimate Fighter. In the exhibition matches, Barnatt impressed with a unanimous decision victory and a vicious flying knee knockout. Barnatt lost the next fight, but the fight won Fight of the Season and won Barnatt much more.

Barnatt’s performance on the Ultimate Fighter got Dana White’s attention and the UFC gave Barnatt a contract. Bigslow immediately rattled of three victories and earned a step-up in competition. Things stopped going his way, however, in the UFC after that. Barnatt lost via a very controversial split decision to Sean Strickland and then again to Roger Narvaez via a second controversial split decision. He fought one more time in the UFC against Mark Munoz but was released afterwards.

Barnatt quickly regained his momentum outside the UFC. He joined Venator FC and got back in the win column against Mattia Schiavolin in December 2015.

Next week, Luke Barnatt will fight in the main event against Mamed Khalidov. Barnatt is currently riding a four-fight win streak and plans to add to that on Saturday night. Mamed Khalidov, however, is not going to be an easy task.

Khalidov is currently riding a twelve fight win streak. He has not lost since 2010 and has 32 wins in his career. Khalidov is the highest ranked middleweight in Europe and was once thought of the man that will dethrone Anderson Silva. However, Barnatt is an entirely different animal.

Luke Barnatt is quite the physical specimen. Standing at 6’6, Bigslow is easily one of the tallest middleweights in the world. His reach measures 77.5”, which puts him at a huge advantage in his division. Barnatt owns a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a yellow belt in Taekwondo, and is also trained in Muay Thai. His unique background has led to six of his fights ending in knockout and four more ending in submission.

Despite Khalidov’s dominance, Barnatt is confident in his abilities. Bigslow is much more active than Khalidov. Barnatt knows that a victory could send him back to the UFC and is looking forward to a second chance on the world’s biggest stage.

Luke Barnatt is prepared to end one of the most impressive win streaks in MMA history. Come March 11, the MMA world had better prepare themselves for a new king.