Josh Barnett has seen it all in mixed martial arts. From his days as a UFC heavyweight champion to competing in PRIDE Fighting Championships and Strikeforce, "The Warmaster" has lived through the sport's most exciting eras. But when it comes to the current state of the heavyweight division, he's not pulling any punches.

"The heavyweight division has been the worst it's been for a while now," Barnett told MMA Fighting ahead of his commentary role at the Blood4Blood bare-knuckle event. It's a stark assessment from a fighter who has squared off against the best heavyweights in history.

While Barnett acknowledges there are still talented fighters at the top—naming Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane as standouts—he believes the division has lost its depth and excitement. In the PRIDE era, he explains, heavyweight fights were a chess match of skills, blending technical striking, grappling, and raw violence into unforgettable battles. Fighters explored every aspect of their game, exploiting weaknesses and adapting on the fly.

Today? Barnett sees a different story. "Nowadays it's just a bunch of big, heavy sloppy kickboxing or big, heavy sloppy boxing with wrestling but nothing else," he says. The division that once produced legendary wars now feels shallow, with only a handful of elite competitors truly pushing the sport forward.

Barnett points to the case of Jailton Almeida—a fighter he describes as more of a light heavyweight—who was submitted by top contenders but still ranked in the top 15 before being cut by the UFC. "You need all types," Barnett argues, suggesting the promotion's roster management has left the division thinner than ever.

For fans who remember the golden age of heavyweight MMA, Barnett's words hit hard. The division that once delivered epic clashes between Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, and Barnett himself now feels like it's treading water. Whether the UFC can revive the heavyweight division's glory days remains to be seen—but if anyone knows what it takes, it's Josh Barnett.