Josh Barnett Signs With Bellator MMA
One of the heavyweight division’s most polarizing figures is headed to Bellator MMA, as Josh Barnett announced he will sign with the promotion.
”The Warmaster’ literally signed his contract during an appearance on Ariel Helwani‘s MMA Show’ (via Chamatkar Sandhu):
The former UFC champion Barnett recently ran afoul of USADA. While he does have a history of PED usage, he spent lots of time and money fighting the violation.
He was ultimately exonerated but asked the UFC for his release to avoid dealing with USADA. Barnett did not want to face another similar situation as his career winds down.
But that’s not the only reason he signed with Bellator. He and Bellator President Scott Coker have a history from their days in Strikeforce. He also said the ability to be an individual played into his decision:
Coker promptly welcomed Barnett to the promotion, clarifying it was not an April Fools joke:
So Barnett will wind down his career in the Bellator cage. There some potentially solid match-ups waiting for him there.
Who would you like to see him fight in his promotional debut?
