Josh Barnett (photo via Strikeforce.com)

By FCF Staff

Josh Barnett was victorious in his long awaited Octagon return last night at UFC 164, but his stoppage win over Frank Mir didn’t end without controversy. Barnett dropped Mir to the mat with a hard right knee to the head just minutes into their fight, but the bout was brought to a halt as the latter appeared to be recovering.

Immediately after the fight Mir protested the ref’s intervention, and the former champ continued to echo those sentiments in the post fight presser. In the post UFC 164 show on FOX Sports 2, Dana White also acknowledged he didn’t agree with the ref’s decision, despite the fact he doesn’t believe Mir would have recovered.

“I didn’t like the stoppage,” White said. “Let him take a couple more shots to see if he can come back, but I think the outcome was going to be the same. I’ve seen a lot of guys go limp, and then they come back.”

The bout marked the first time Barnett’s fought in the UFC since 2002, and with the win, the 36 year-old fighter now holds a record of 33-6.

“It felt great to be in there,” Barnett told FOX Sports 2. “It was a great opportunity to mix it up again. I’ve always said I’ll fight in any cage, any mat and any time.”

The defeat was Mir’s third in a row and left his record at 16-8.