After a lengthy hiatus from fighting, Josh Barnett has signed a contract with Bellator MMA.
The former UFC heavyweight champion announced the deal on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, and Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed the signing with a promotion official. A date for Barnett’s Bellator debut was not revealed.
Barnett was officially released from his UFC contract last year. “The Warmaster” was not happy with the way the promotion handled his failed out-of-competition drug test in December 2016 and admitted that played a major role in his decision to part ways with the Las Vegas-based organization.