Joe Warren makes history, captures fourth World title with Bellator win
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Joe Warren remains one of the best talkers in the world of mixed martial arts.
Bold, brash, outspoken and supremely confident, the self-professed “Baddest Man on the Planet” makes sure his opponents know what is coming when they prepare for battle.
“I have verbally upset the guy so much,” Warren says with a laugh, “that by the time he gets in the cage he wants to kill me.”
Warren also is one of the best fighters on the planet.
He backed up his pre-fight words by making history on Oct. 10 as he became the first Bellator fighter to capture undisputed titles in two different weight classes.
A 2006 World champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, Warren earned a unanimous decision over Eduardo Dantas as he unified the Bellator bantamweight championship at 135 pounds.
“No doubt, the guy was one of the best in the World,” Warren said. “He was really tough, but every guy I fight is undefeated or a World champ or at the top of their game. These guys are real strong and they are real explosive.”
Warren earlier held the Bellator featherweight title at 145 pounds. He now has won three Bellator World titles overall in addition to the World title he won in wrestling.
Four days after his historic win earlier this month, Warren celebrated his 38th birthday.
“I feel like I’m at the top of my game now,” he said. “I’m becoming more and more comfortable in the cage. I’m in the prime of my fighting career. I’m extremely offensive technically. It’s like Christmas for me right now because I have all kinds of new toys in my arsenal. I’m more violent and more explosive now because of the training that I've done. My diet’s good, and I’m lighter and faster now. I’m training smarter now and I’m not being overtrained. And I’ve been fortunate to not have any major injuries in wrestling or in MMA.”
With his wrestling background, Warren excels at taking opponents down. He also has a huge gas tank, keeping the pressure on his foes and wearing them down with his relentless attack.
Warren said he has to continually be aware of his surroundings while competing in a sport where he can be kicked, punched and put in a submission hold in virtually the blink of an eye.
“It’s dangerous out there,” he said. “It’s a very unpredictable sport where anything can happen. You have to really stay focused. My goal when I got out there is to keep that high pace and try to be offensive. I don’t wait for the other guy. I have to make sure I put the other guy in the hospital before he sends me there.”
Warren also has appeared on television on the Spike network as one of four coaches on the promotion’s reality series, “Fight Master: Bellator MMA.” He also has done some commentary on mixed martial arts.
Warren is one of a large number of wrestlers who have excelled in MMA.
“Guys like me, Ben Askren, Daniel Cormier and Mo Lawal, we all trained in wrestling at the Olympic Training Center before going on to excel as fighters,” Warren said. “And before that, guys like (UFC champions) Randy Couture and Dan Henderson were wrestling at the OTC. Those years of competing in wrestling prepared them for great careers as fighters.”
Warren continues to train in Denver and lives just north of Colorado Springs in Monument, Colo., with his wife Christy, and their 6-year-old son Xander and 4-year-old daughter Maddox.
Warren has kept his hand in wrestling. He wrestled at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Iowa City and he served as a training partner/coach for the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
Believe it or not, Warren may not be done wrestling.
“One goal I wasn’t able to achieve in my wrestling career was competing in the Worlds in the U.S.,” he said. “With the Worlds in Las Vegas next year, I’m thinking about wrestling again. My weight is lighter now and I could compete in the lightest weight class at 130 pounds. I fight at 135 right now. I’m in great shape and I’ve been training hard. You might see me at the U.S. Open in May.”
Winning a World title for the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2006 in Guangzhou, China remains one of the top highlights in Warren’s remarkable competitive career.
“It was really satisfying for me,” Warren said. “My coaches, Steve Fraser and Momir Petkovic, really believed in me. I had a lot of naysayers because I didn’t really start wrestling Greco until 2002. But I put a lot of hard work into it and we figured it out. It was really nice to achieve that goal. It was really exciting to win that title.”
Warren has made a good living while compiling an impressive 12-3 record in MMA. He started fighting in 2009. He’s won his last five fights and said he earned $100,000 for his most recent victory.
Warren has been asked about the possibility of fighting in the more established Ultimate Fighting Championships.
“This is a job for me,” Warren said after his last fight. “I’ve been with Bellator because they’ve been paying me. It’s easy to work for an organization that loves you. I’ve got a few more fights, and I’m always open-minded to making money.
“I don’t care about those UFC punks, man. I’m still the baddest man on the planet.”
Warren said he plans to continue to fight.
“I’m at the top of my game,” he said. “Why not keep doing it? I know I can continue to have success. I already know I’m the baddest man on the planet. I don’t care about the fame. I’m fighting for money. I make as much money or more in Bellator than I would make in the UFC at my weight class.”
Even with Warren’s high level of success in mixed martial arts, wrestling remains the sport he has the most reverence for and loyalty to.
“Fighting is more of a job for me that helps support my family,” he said. “I don’t have a love for this sport the way I love wrestling. Wrestling provided the foundation for me to be successful as a fighter. It taught me to be mentally tough and taught me how to perform on a big stage.
“I’m a USA Wrestling guy. I’m a wrestler. That’s my background – that’s what I am and I always will be. Wrestling is where my passion is, that’s for sure. If I wasn’t a wrestler, I wouldn’t be winning at all as a fighter.”
Bold, brash, outspoken and supremely confident, the self-professed “Baddest Man on the Planet” makes sure his opponents know what is coming when they prepare for battle.
“I have verbally upset the guy so much,” Warren says with a laugh, “that by the time he gets in the cage he wants to kill me.”
Warren also is one of the best fighters on the planet.
He backed up his pre-fight words by making history on Oct. 10 as he became the first Bellator fighter to capture undisputed titles in two different weight classes.
A 2006 World champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, Warren earned a unanimous decision over Eduardo Dantas as he unified the Bellator bantamweight championship at 135 pounds.
“No doubt, the guy was one of the best in the World,” Warren said. “He was really tough, but every guy I fight is undefeated or a World champ or at the top of their game. These guys are real strong and they are real explosive.”
Warren earlier held the Bellator featherweight title at 145 pounds. He now has won three Bellator World titles overall in addition to the World title he won in wrestling.
Four days after his historic win earlier this month, Warren celebrated his 38th birthday.
“I feel like I’m at the top of my game now,” he said. “I’m becoming more and more comfortable in the cage. I’m in the prime of my fighting career. I’m extremely offensive technically. It’s like Christmas for me right now because I have all kinds of new toys in my arsenal. I’m more violent and more explosive now because of the training that I've done. My diet’s good, and I’m lighter and faster now. I’m training smarter now and I’m not being overtrained. And I’ve been fortunate to not have any major injuries in wrestling or in MMA.”
With his wrestling background, Warren excels at taking opponents down. He also has a huge gas tank, keeping the pressure on his foes and wearing them down with his relentless attack.
Warren said he has to continually be aware of his surroundings while competing in a sport where he can be kicked, punched and put in a submission hold in virtually the blink of an eye.
“It’s dangerous out there,” he said. “It’s a very unpredictable sport where anything can happen. You have to really stay focused. My goal when I got out there is to keep that high pace and try to be offensive. I don’t wait for the other guy. I have to make sure I put the other guy in the hospital before he sends me there.”
Warren also has appeared on television on the Spike network as one of four coaches on the promotion’s reality series, “Fight Master: Bellator MMA.” He also has done some commentary on mixed martial arts.
Warren is one of a large number of wrestlers who have excelled in MMA.
“Guys like me, Ben Askren, Daniel Cormier and Mo Lawal, we all trained in wrestling at the Olympic Training Center before going on to excel as fighters,” Warren said. “And before that, guys like (UFC champions) Randy Couture and Dan Henderson were wrestling at the OTC. Those years of competing in wrestling prepared them for great careers as fighters.”
Warren continues to train in Denver and lives just north of Colorado Springs in Monument, Colo., with his wife Christy, and their 6-year-old son Xander and 4-year-old daughter Maddox.
Warren has kept his hand in wrestling. He wrestled at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Iowa City and he served as a training partner/coach for the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
Believe it or not, Warren may not be done wrestling.
“One goal I wasn’t able to achieve in my wrestling career was competing in the Worlds in the U.S.,” he said. “With the Worlds in Las Vegas next year, I’m thinking about wrestling again. My weight is lighter now and I could compete in the lightest weight class at 130 pounds. I fight at 135 right now. I’m in great shape and I’ve been training hard. You might see me at the U.S. Open in May.”
Winning a World title for the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2006 in Guangzhou, China remains one of the top highlights in Warren’s remarkable competitive career.
“It was really satisfying for me,” Warren said. “My coaches, Steve Fraser and Momir Petkovic, really believed in me. I had a lot of naysayers because I didn’t really start wrestling Greco until 2002. But I put a lot of hard work into it and we figured it out. It was really nice to achieve that goal. It was really exciting to win that title.”
Warren has made a good living while compiling an impressive 12-3 record in MMA. He started fighting in 2009. He’s won his last five fights and said he earned $100,000 for his most recent victory.
Warren has been asked about the possibility of fighting in the more established Ultimate Fighting Championships.
“This is a job for me,” Warren said after his last fight. “I’ve been with Bellator because they’ve been paying me. It’s easy to work for an organization that loves you. I’ve got a few more fights, and I’m always open-minded to making money.
“I don’t care about those UFC punks, man. I’m still the baddest man on the planet.”
Warren said he plans to continue to fight.
“I’m at the top of my game,” he said. “Why not keep doing it? I know I can continue to have success. I already know I’m the baddest man on the planet. I don’t care about the fame. I’m fighting for money. I make as much money or more in Bellator than I would make in the UFC at my weight class.”
Even with Warren’s high level of success in mixed martial arts, wrestling remains the sport he has the most reverence for and loyalty to.
“Fighting is more of a job for me that helps support my family,” he said. “I don’t have a love for this sport the way I love wrestling. Wrestling provided the foundation for me to be successful as a fighter. It taught me to be mentally tough and taught me how to perform on a big stage.
“I’m a USA Wrestling guy. I’m a wrestler. That’s my background – that’s what I am and I always will be. Wrestling is where my passion is, that’s for sure. If I wasn’t a wrestler, I wouldn’t be winning at all as a fighter.”
