Nevada Athletic Commission
The origins of the trilogy go back to UFC 36 on March 22, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Randy Couture was the defending UFC heavyweight champion and was making his third title defense against grappling standout Josh Barnett. Couture was controlling the majority of the fight until Barnett took his back and delivered a series of unanswered strikes to the head before the referee stopped the bout at 4:35 of the second round. Following the event, Barnett tested positive for steroids in a post-fight drug test and was stripped of the title and suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission.