Josh Barnett is a former UFC heavyweight champion. The mixed martial arts veteran is, of course, more than that. A professional wrestler, self identified lover of nerd culture and metal music, Barnett has acquired quite the eclectic tastes over the years.
Once given the moniker “Baby Faced Assassin,” Barnett would later change his nickname to “The Warmaster.” A fight fan recently managed to squeeze the origin of the nickname from the fighter.
Over Twitter, a fight fans asked Barnett if the origin of the nickname was Horus Lupercal.
“@JoshLBarnett Is it true that you’re named The Warmaster after Horus Lupercal?”
@JoshLBarnett Is it true that you’re named The Warmaster after Horus Lupercal?
— GDLawman (@GDLawman) May 27, 2018
Barnett confirmed with a quick response.
“It’s a big part of the reference, yes.”
It's a big part of the reference, yes. https://t.co/zqQEn3u5wA
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) May 28, 2018
As it turns out, Barnett’s fighting moniker derives from a game. Horus Lupercal is a character from the highly popular board game Warhammer 40K.