Former King of Pancrase Josh Barnett has signed a contract with Japanese promotion DREAM and will likely appear on the organizations DREAM 13 card later this month.

The news, first reported by MMAWeekly, comes as no surprise to most, as rumors of a deal between the two have be circulating for quite some time. There is no word on Barnett's first opponent. 

Barnett, considered by many to be one of the top heavyweights in the world, has had his fair share of ups-and-downs in the sport. He beat former UFC heavyweight champion and Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title back at UFC 38: "Worlds Collide," but was later striped of the title and suspended for 6 months after testing positive for three anabolic agents.

Sadly, this would not be the last time Barnett tested positive for a banned substance. The issue once again reared its ugly head after he tested positive for anabolic steroids in the pre-fight drug test for the "Affliction: Trilogy" event. Barnett was set to challenge Fedor Emelianenko for the WAMMA heavyweight title, but instead the fight was canceled, and the upstart promotion was forced closed its doors forever.

Though his career has been mired with controversy, the heavyweight has still managed to gain praise for his skill in the ring. Barnett holds notable wins over Aleksander Emelianenko, Jeff Monson, and Rodrigo Nogueira.

Signing with DREAM will offer Barnett a chance to put the problems that have plagued his career behind him and start anew.

DREAM 13 will be held at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan on March 22 and will air live on HDNet.