Has Olympian Henry Cejudo Become the Biggest Bust in MMA History?


(Photo via The Gazette.)

Far be it from us to knock an Olympic wrestler for his lack of work ethic, but we’ve begun to notice an alarming and depressing trend in the MMA career of Henry Cejudo. Mainly, that he has more or less flaked out of his last four scheduled fights under the Legacy Fighting Championships banner, and even worse, the fights he actually did show up for in that time, he did at a significantly reduced payrate due to his inability to make weight.

So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that Cejudo has already withdrawn from his scheduled flyweight title fight with WEC/UFC vet Damacio Page at Legacy 31 in June, citing “personal reasons.” This comes after Cejudo forced a catchweight fight with Ryan Hollis at Legacy 24, no-showed at the Legacy 25 weigh-ins due to a last second “illness,” and again showed up heavy for his fight with Elias Garcia at Legacy 27. How he is still employed by Legacy remains as much a mystery as the circumstances that have led to his most recent drop-out.

Could it be that Cejudo has some dire life circumstance to tend to, like Rousimar Palhares and his sick mother? It’s possible, but the much more likely scenario is that Cejudo lacks either the time or the commitment to make 125 lbs, even as far out from the fight as he is, and has withdrawn in a last ditch attempt to save his rapidly descending reputation in the MMA world.


(Photo via The Gazette.)

Far be it from us to knock an Olympic wrestler for his lack of work ethic, but we’ve begun to notice an alarming and depressing trend in the MMA career of Henry Cejudo. Mainly, that he has more or less flaked out of his last four scheduled fights under the Legacy Fighting Championships banner, and even worse, the fights he actually did show up for in that time, he did at a significantly reduced payrate due to his inability to make weight.

So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that Cejudo has already withdrawn from his scheduled flyweight title fight with WEC/UFC vet Damacio Page at Legacy 31 in June, citing “personal reasons.” This comes after Cejudo forced a catchweight fight with Ryan Hollis at Legacy 24, no-showed at the Legacy 25 weigh-ins due to a last second “illness,” and again showed up heavy for his fight with Elias Garcia at Legacy 27. How he is still employed by Legacy remains as much a mystery as the circumstances that have led to his most recent drop-out.

Could it be that Cejudo has some dire life circumstance to tend to, like Rousimar Palhares and his sick mother? It’s possible, but the much more likely scenario is that Cejudo lacks either the time or the commitment to make 125 lbs, even as far out from the fight as he is, and has withdrawn in a last ditch attempt to save his rapidly descending reputation in the MMA world.

For the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal in Olympic history, weight-cutting issues seem especially uncharacteristic. Wrestlers have long been lauded for their almost unparalleled discipline when it comes to cutting weight — just look at how Daniel Cormier was able to make the drop to light heavyweight after years of weight mismanagement — and for a guy of Cejudo’s caliber, it’s simply inexcusable.

But sadly, it appears that Cejudo’s professional career has been on a downswing ever since his comeback attempt in the 2012 Olympic Trials, where his lack of motivation was immediately noticeable to those who knew him best (via BloodyElbow):

Between the 2008 Olympics and the 2012 trials, Cejudo was off the mat for almost two and a half years. He did not engage in training for a second Olympic title until February of 2011. This is an awful long time, particularly considering that all of Henry’s strongest competition was spending that time competing for world championships.

When Henry first came back to training he announced his intent to train at the regional training center (RTC) at The University of Iowa with Coach Terry Brands.

Terry Brands is a distinguished figure in the wrestling world. Brands has won world championships, an Olympic bronze medal, and as an Olympic Training Center resident coach he was largely responsible for molding Henry Cejudo into an Olympic champion. Terry and Henry had grown close during Cejudo’s gold medal run and a number of publications describe Brands as a father figure to Henry.

When considering a athlete/coach relationship woven so tightly, it was particularly alarming to hear reports in July of 2011 that Cejudo left the Iowa RTC due to Brands disapproval over the time Henry was spending in his commercial ventures.

After leaving Iowa, Cejudo briefly trained at Ohio State’s RTC, but citing homesickness, Henry left to spend the bulk of his Olympic trials preparation residing in Arizona and away from any elite wrestling training sites. Almost all wrestlers serious about qualifying for an Olympic team reside at a regional training center or the Olympic Training Center in Colorado (or both). Cejudo spent his crunch time preparation for the trials working out at The Training Room, a strength and conditioning facility in Scottsdale run by Brian Davis, a former NFL defensive back. (when asked about Cejudo’s preparations for the trials, Davis’s response was somewhat…odd.)

Henry’s unusual choices in training arrangements, when combined with the mixed results at the only three competitive wrestling events he attended before the trials, led some in the wrestling world to doubt if he would even be in attendance in Iowa City for the Olympic trials.

It was at those Olympic Trials that Cejudo would be defeated by top-seeded Nick Simmons in the semifinals before throwing his shoes into the crowd, a symbolic gesture of his retirement from wrestling at just 25 years of age.

So what has been behind Cejudo’s fall from grace? Some say that he has become too preoccupied with the public persona he has built over the years, and the litany of high-profile endorsement deals, book deals, and even play deals that have followed. Others say that the neuro-linguistic programming outfit Cejudo has become involved with, Champion by Design, has all but brainwashed the kid with new-age, self-help gobbledygook.

It’s hard to tell, but one thing’s for certain: Cejudo has dropped out of yet another fight, and is well on his way to becoming perhaps the biggest bust in MMA history. And what a shame it would be for a self-described, “kid who grew up in poverty, a son of Mexican immigrants that came to the United States with a dream.” Not that success in a mid-level MMA promotion is comparable to Olympic glory, but still, it would have been nice to see what could have been.

J. Jones

[EXCLUSIVE] Bellator’s Joe Warren Talks Bellator 98 Health Scare, Getting Back to Fighting, and the Return of Olympic Wrestling


(Photo via Bellator)

By Elias Cepeda

Former Bellator champion Joe Warren was set to face Nick Kirk earlier this month at Bellator 98 in Connecticut before the state’s commission refused to allow him to fight. The exact reason was not given at the time but speculation from fans and members of the media as to why Warren was barred from fighting abounded.

Some wondered if Warren had tested positive for marijuana as he had during his competitive wrestling days. Even Bellator’s CEO Bjorn Rebney volunteered a theory – that Warren had been knocked out during his training camp and so was not being allowed to fight because of brain damage. Just two fights ago, of course, Warren was hurt badly in a KO loss to Pat Curran. That was his second straight KO loss.

Warren has since been cleared to fight in tonight’s Bellator event and he and Kirk will square off in this season’s bantamweight tournament. CagePotato visited with Warren as he cut weight Wednesday.

Not knowing how else to get into the matter with Warren as he stepped out of the sauna we simply had to ask, “What the heck happened?”

“A big mess happened,” Warren said.

“The Connecticut commission is stricter than most and I had a CT scan and MRI done leading up to the fight. I had three different doctors telling me different things. They didn’t read the images correctly and thought I had an abnormality on the image of my brain. One was telling me I had had a stroke, one was telling me I’d never fight again. Crazy stuff. Another said that I was fine. I was running around for weeks getting different tests done out of my own pocket, my family was scared. It was a huge ordeal.”


(Photo via Bellator)

By Elias Cepeda

Former Bellator champion Joe Warren was set to face Nick Kirk earlier this month at Bellator 98 in Connecticut before the state’s commission refused to allow him to fight. The exact reason was not given at the time but speculation from fans and members of the media as to why Warren was barred from fighting abounded.

Some wondered if Warren had tested positive for marijuana as he had during his competitive wrestling days. Even Bellator’s CEO Bjorn Rebney volunteered a theory – that Warren had been knocked out during his training camp and so was not being allowed to fight because of brain damage. Just two fights ago, of course, Warren was hurt badly in a KO loss to Pat Curran. That was his second straight KO loss.

Warren has since been cleared to fight in tonight’s Bellator event and he and Kirk will square off in this season’s bantamweight tournament. CagePotato visited with Warren as he cut weight Wednesday.

Not knowing how else to get into the matter with Warren as he stepped out of the sauna we simply had to ask, “What the heck happened?”

“A big mess happened,” Warren said.

“The Connecticut commission is stricter than most and I had a CT scan and MRI done leading up to the fight. I had three different doctors telling me different things. They didn’t read the images correctly and thought I had an abnormality on the image of my brain. One was telling me I had had a stroke, one was telling me I’d never fight again. Crazy stuff. Another said that I was fine. I was running around for weeks getting different tests done out of my own pocket, my family was scared. It was a huge ordeal.”

Given the brutal nature of Warren’s losses combined with his lifetime in combat sports and relatively advanced age, one could argue that CT scans and MRI imaging exams before each fight are great ideas. Warren insists that he is fine, however, and of course so does the Oregon commission overseeing his fight with Kirk tonight.

The fighter also says that he was not knocked out at any point during his most recent training camp, as was earlier reported. “I saw those things being written and it was just nuts,” he tells us.

“This whole camp has been focused on my not taking damage, actually. We’ve been very careful and safe and it has gone great.”

With all the confusion behind him, Warren has had scant time to focus on his opponent. The former world champion Greco-Roman wrestler has a lot of respect for his younger opponent and looks forward to just competing.

“He’s a tough, well-conditioned guy,” Warren says of Kirk.

“And, he’s a wrestler so you can never overlook him. I just want to go in there, lay hands on him and put him down. Beating Nick Kirk will get me a step closer to that belt again.”

One recent news item has made Warren particularly happy – The International Olympic Committee’s decision to once more include wrestling in the games. “Wrestling was the first Olympic sport,” he says.

“There might as well not be an Olympics without wrestling. When I was a kid, I dreamt of being in the Olympics. Wrestlers need that to work towards.”

Legacy FC Signs Olympic Gold Medalist and Undefeated MMA Fighter Henry Cejudo, Debut Set for October


(We still liked it better when Brandi Chastain did it. Photo via FOX News.) 

The mixed martial arts career of Henry Cejudo is off to a promising start, to say the least. Already holding the honor of being the youngest American wrestler to ever take gold in the Olympics, Cejudo made the switch to MMA last March and has already reeled off four first round finishes in the time since. And while his opponents haven’t exactly been the caliber of, say, Ronda Rousey’s first few, comparisons between the two are being made nonetheless.

And now, it appears the bantamweight prospect will be thrust back into the limelight once again (albeit a much dimmer one), as word broke yesterday that the Olympian has signed with well known Texas-based promotion Legacy FC. In addition, Cejudo is primed to make his debut on Oct. 11 against 4-1 Ryan “Riptide” Hollis at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas. The event will air live on AXS TV.

The four time high school state wrestling champion spoke elatedly with MMAJunkie:

It was very important to me to join a professional organization that will allow me the opportunity to continue to grow as an MMA athlete. It was equally important for me to partner with an organization that has an established track record of helping fighters grow into world-class athletes and champions. I want to fight for a credible organization and face high-caliber opponents. Legacy is that organization and has made that commitment to me.

After the jump: Cejudo’s aforementioned victory over Matsunaga in the Beijing games, a brief glimpse at Cejudo’s MMA skills via some Spanish news site and a video of Hollis’ most recent performance.


(We still liked it better when Brandi Chastain did it. Photo via FOX News.) 

The mixed martial arts career of Henry Cejudo is off to a promising start, to say the least. Already holding the honor of being the youngest American wrestler to ever take gold in the Olympics, Cejudo made the switch to MMA last March and has already reeled off four first round finishes in the time since. And while his opponents haven’t exactly been the caliber of, say, Ronda Rousey’s first few, comparisons between the two are being made nonetheless.

And now, it appears the bantamweight prospect will be thrust back into the limelight once again (albeit a much dimmer one), as word broke yesterday that the Olympian has signed with well known Texas-based promotion Legacy FC. In addition, Cejudo is primed to make his debut on Oct. 11 against 4-1 Ryan “Riptide” Hollis at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas. The event will air live on AXS TV.

The four time high school state wrestling champion spoke elatedly with MMAJunkie:

It was very important to me to join a professional organization that will allow me the opportunity to continue to grow as an MMA athlete. It was equally important for me to partner with an organization that has an established track record of helping fighters grow into world-class athletes and champions. I want to fight for a credible organization and face high-caliber opponents. Legacy is that organization and has made that commitment to me.

After the jump: Cejudo’s aforementioned victory over Matsunaga in the Beijing games, a brief glimpse at Cejudo’s MMA skills via some Spanish news site and a video of Hollis’ most recent performance.

After defeating Japan’s Tomohiro Matsunaga to secure the gold in the Beijing 2008 games, Cejudo failed to make the cut in 2012. As a result, he ceremoniously took off his shoes, unceremoniously threw them into the crowd and retired from the sport. Because, let’s be honest, how embarrassing would it be if someone made the universal gesture for retirement only to accept a fight a few weeks later?

In any case, Cejudo announced that he was making the transition to MMA earlier this year. It would appear that he is a fast learner.

Being that his first four opponents hold a combined record of something between Kenneth Allen and Jason Reinhart in the UFC, it’s nice to see that Legacy will be giving Cejudo no easy test in Hollis for his promotional debut. Then again, Hollis is a natural flyweight whose 4 victories (2 TKO, 2 Sub) have come over similarly outmatched opponents. Opponents like the 8-12 Randy Villareal, who Hollis recently defeated via upkick KO at Big Dawg Promotions (*shudder*) in March. A video of said KO is below.

An impressive KO for sure, and one made all the more impressive by the fact that Villareal was apparently “being a butthead the whole time before the fight!” so sayeth the Youtube uploader. Surely Ruben, Chief of the Villareal tribe, will not stand for this act of disrespect.

Does anyone see Cejudo using his grappling background to notch another quick victory, or will Hollis prove too much for the Olympian in his (semi) mainstream debut? While you discuss that, make sure to also harass Sherdog — who mislabelled the above KO as the result of a “Punch” — via the social networking site of your choice until they give Hollis his due credit.

J. Jones

Bellator CEO Appears Ready to Let Welterweight Champ Askren Leave for the UFC


(I would totally wear that shirt. But if somebody asks me who it’s supposed to be, I’d tell them it’s Rob Tyner. / Photo via MMADiehards)

Former Olympic wrestler Ben Askren is undefeated in 12 fights since he began fighting MMA in 2009, has won his last two by TKO, and has beaten many of the best welterweights outside of the UFC. It’s little wonder why fans have been curious how the Bellator welterweight champion would do against the best in the world in the UFC and even champion Georges St. Pierre, if only because of Askren’s superb wrestling.

In the not so distant past, however, Askren has gone above and beyond to be a company man for Bellator and has insisted he had no interest in the UFC. Fine, we don’t like you anyway, you’re boring and not pretty, UFC President Dana pretty much responded.

But last week, when White was asked whether the UFC would speak with Askren, whose contract is up with Bellator, White said that his promotion would indeed talk to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestlye wrestler.

That was trippy enough, but it’s a testament to the fact that the UFC usually seeks out the best fighters in the world, no matter how popular or “exciting” MMA fans or White himself think they are. Bellator, however, seems to be taking a different approach.

While the organization has been snapping up aging and losing former UFC fighters left and right, their CEO now says that they are not even interested in re-signing Askren — a home grown elite fighter of their own.


(I would totally wear that shirt. But if somebody asks me who it’s supposed to be, I’d tell them it’s Rob Tyner. / Photo via MMADiehards)

Former Olympic wrestler Ben Askren is undefeated in 12 fights since he began fighting MMA in 2009, has won his last two by TKO, and has beaten many of the best welterweights outside of the UFC. It’s little wonder why fans have been curious how the Bellator welterweight champion would do against the best in the world in the UFC and even champion Georges St. Pierre, if only because of Askren’s superb wrestling.

In the not so distant past, however, Askren has gone above and beyond to be a company man for Bellator and has insisted he had no interest in the UFC. Fine, we don’t like you anyway, you’re boring and not pretty, UFC President Dana pretty much responded.

But last week, when White was asked whether the UFC would speak with Askren, whose contract is up with Bellator, White said that his promotion would indeed talk to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestlye wrestler.

That was trippy enough, but it’s a testament to the fact that the UFC usually seeks out the best fighters in the world, no matter how popular or “exciting” MMA fans or White himself think they are. Bellator, however, seems to be taking a different approach.

While the organization has been snapping up aging and losing former UFC fighters left and right, their CEO now says that they are not even interested in re-signing Askren — a home grown elite fighter of their own.

“If Ben’s going to go to the UFC, we should speed up that process so he can go fight. I’d love to see Ben versus GSP,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney recently told ESPN.

“I don’t think we’re going to make an offer at this point…So I don’t see any reason to make anybody sit out.”

When Bellator actually wants a fighter, they have no problem making them “sit out” during protracted legal battles. This guy know what we’re talking about.

“If the UFC does make an offer, we’ll take a look at it and move on from there,” Rebney said. “We haven’t been proactive yet. I have nothing but good things to say about Ben as a fighter, but we’re all very aware of how he fights and what he does. It’s not for everyone.”

Not for Bellator, we guess. It appears that Askren is not exciting enough to Bellator and the fact that he’s a dominant, elite fighter isn’t enough to interest them at whatever financial cost they imagine he’ll run them.

So, Bellator currently looks poised to let a champion walk away. Not that they’ve exactly been a bastion of title respect and consistency up to this point anyhow.

If Askren joins the UFC, who do you want to see him face first, nation? He’d become the most accomplished amateur wrestler in the welterweight division immediately. Do you those skills will be enough to challenge the likes of Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks?

Elias Cepeda

[EXCLUSIVE] For Prize & Pride: Joe Warren on MMA, Wrestling And Doing What is Needed


(Photo via USA Today)

By Elias Cepeda

MMA fighters are typically quite good at talking about participating in the sport in philosophical terms. It is human chess, it is the ultimate competition, they feel peace in the cage or ring after the bell sounds, they get a thrill out of it, it is the most pure sport expression of martial arts, etc.

Most MMA fighters are pretty smart and since they participate in a constantly attacked and judged sport, many have come to see themselves as ambassadors for the sport on the whole.

It is important to remember, however, that professional fighters are prize fighters. That is, no matter what auxiliary benefits they get for fighting other trained athletes, they do it for money.

Fighters fight to put food on their plates and roofs over their heads. Joe Warren never forgets this.

The former Greco Roman wrestling world champion is in his car driving to his home state of Michigan on a recent afternoon. In tow, are the reasons he fights – his family. After winning a world championship, Warren was focused on making the U.S. Olympic team in 2008 and going to Beijing and winning gold.

A failed marijuana test and ensuing two-year suspension slammed that door shut for Warren. It was only then, at the relatively ancient age of thirty two, that he decided to follow in the footsteps of other world-class wrestlers turned fighters like Mark Coleman, Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland and fight MMA.

“I was training to win a world championship, I won a world championship and then didn’t get to wrestle in the Olympics,” Warren tells CagePotato on the ride to Michigan.

“While training for wrestling, some of the best fighters ever were in the room. Guys like Randy Couture, Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson. So, it was always in my mind. I started to do a little bit of color commentary but I didn’t have any credibility in fighting because I hadn’t fought. So, I decided to take some fights. I had some babies now and I needed to keep making cash.

So, I called Dan [Henderson] and they got me a fight instantly. In a month, I was in the Featherweight World Grand Prix. I flew out there starting fighting.”

Not only did Warren jump right into the fire against champions like Chase Beebe, “Kid” Yamamoto and Bibiano Fernandes in his very first three fights back in 2009, he did so with only a month of MMA training in his pocket. “I went in there strictly a wrestler,” Warren says.

“I flew out to Team Quest maybe a month before my first fight in Japan. I didn’t have a chance to learn the fighting aspect of it. It was just about safety – keep my hands up.”

Despite his lack of experience and, frankly, skills, Warren did well. He beat Beebe and Yamamoto before losing by submission to Fernandes. Then, he moved on to Bellator and won their featherweight title.


(Photo via USA Today)

By Elias Cepeda

MMA fighters are typically quite good at talking about participating in the sport in philosophical terms. It is human chess, it is the ultimate competition, they feel peace in the cage or ring after the bell sounds, they get a thrill out of it, it is the most pure sport expression of martial arts, etc.

Most MMA fighters are pretty smart and since they participate in a constantly attacked and judged sport, many have come to see themselves as ambassadors for the sport on the whole.

It is important to remember, however, that professional fighters are prize fighters. That is, no matter what auxiliary benefits they get for fighting other trained athletes, they do it for money.

Fighters fight to put food on their plates and roofs over their heads. Joe Warren never forgets this.

The former Greco Roman wrestling world champion is in his car driving to his home state of Michigan on a recent afternoon. In tow, are the reasons he fights – his family. After winning a world championship, Warren was focused on making the U.S. Olympic team in 2008 and going to Beijing and winning gold.

A failed marijuana test and ensuing two-year suspension slammed that door shut for Warren. It was only then, at the relatively ancient age of thirty two, that he decided to follow in the footsteps of other world-class wrestlers turned fighters like Mark Coleman, Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland and fight MMA.

“I was training to win a world championship, I won a world championship and then didn’t get to wrestle in the Olympics,” Warren tells CagePotato on the ride to Michigan.

“While training for wrestling, some of the best fighters ever were in the room. Guys like Randy Couture, Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson. So, it was always in my mind. I started to do a little bit of color commentary but I didn’t have any credibility in fighting because I hadn’t fought. So, I decided to take some fights. I had some babies now and I needed to keep making cash.

So, I called Dan [Henderson] and they got me a fight instantly. In a month, I was in the Featherweight World Grand Prix. I flew out there starting fighting.”

Not only did Warren jump right into the fire against champions like Chase Beebe, “Kid” Yamamoto and Bibiano Fernandes in his very first three fights back in 2009, he did so with only a month of MMA training in his pocket. “I went in there strictly a wrestler,” Warren says.

“I flew out to Team Quest maybe a month before my first fight in Japan. I didn’t have a chance to learn the fighting aspect of it. It was just about safety – keep my hands up.”

Despite his lack of experience and, frankly, skills, Warren did well. He beat Beebe and Yamamoto before losing by submission to Fernandes. Then, he moved on to Bellator and won their featherweight title.

Warren underscores the fact that he is still essentially brand new to MMA – not having built up muscle memory in key areas like striking and submission grappling that his opponents have. On the strength of his wrestling and will, Warren has found success in MMA.

Still, in both victory and defeat, Warren has been in some brutal fights. Warren calls himself “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” but is still somehow humble in acknowledging his shortcomings and assessing his future.

“I got into MMA to provide for my family and strictly on being the baddest man on the planet in Greco Roman Wrestling at that weight,” he says.

“I felt I was the toughest in the world and so I took that attitude and went after it. It was dangerous but it worked out for me. I just showed up to win these tournaments. I jumped in the deep end with both feet and came out of it.”

That said, Warren would have taken more time to learn the craft, in a perfect world. “Definitely if I would have had more time to develop, I would have taken more time,” he says.

“Then again, maybe if I would have gone slowly, taken some fights as an amateur, I wouldn’t be at where I am. A lot of people are dying to make money fighting and I started making money fighting right away. I wish I had the technique I needed but instead of that, I’ve just used will power. I push with everything I have. And yes, because of that, I’ve taken some punishment. These guys [I fight] are as good at what I did in wrestling but in Jiu Jitsu or in Muay Thai.”

Perhaps it was that same confidence and refusal to respect obstacles led Warren to continue to pursue his Olympic dream. After serving his two year suspension from international wrestling, Warren continued to fight MMA but also vied for a spot on the 2012 U.S. team.

The fighter’s family didn’t need to eat any less than they had a few years earlier, so he couldn’t afford to stop competing in MMA while trying to make the U.S. Greco Roman Wrestling team.

Not only did Warren train in both MMA and wrestling simultaneously, he entered the U.S. qualifying tournament just a couple weeks after losing to Pat Curran in a Bellator title fight. If you’ve got a weak heart, don’t watch that fight.

Warren got caught by Curran and, by combination of his own incredible chin, conditioning and heart, and an irresponsible job done by the attending referee, went on to take some of the worst, most unnecessary punishment any top MMA fighter has in recent years, before a criminally late third round stoppage. This TKO was just months after getting knocked out by Alexis Vila.

Warren took whatever level of brain trauma that he had sustained in the past eight months or so with him to the Olympic qualifying tournament, cut weight and wrestled match after match. He started out very strong, earning a pin, before getting beat and eliminated.


(Warren’s 2006 Greco Roman Wrestling World Championship winning match)

Warren got back on the winning track in MMA last fall with a win at Bellator 80. He is also now one of four coaches on Bellator and Spike’s ‘Fight Master’ reality competition show.

Coaching and speaking television spots may take up more of Warren’s time in the future, he says, but he’s also still intent on fighting. Also, the wrestler isn’t ready to say he’s done with international wrestling competition, either.

“I still believe, right now, that I’m the best Greco roman wrestler in the world. I don’t believe that I’ve lost anything. I want to wrestle but I need to support my family,” he says.

“I’m using fighting as my job. Things happen. I fought about fifteen days before the Olympic team trials. They didn’t want to let me wrestle. But finally, they let me out of bed. I lost to a good wrestler that I’ve beat before. I believed that if I made the team I could have medaled. Still, I got a good opportunity to coach. Even after I began fighting, I always planned to go out and try for the Olympics again. Who knows? The World Championships are in Las Vegas in 2015. Maybe if I’m done fighting by then, I’ll walk over and show them that I’m still the best in the world.”

For now, Warren is excited about ‘Fight Master’, and prepping for his next fight. Watching fighters compete to get on ‘Fight Master’ on the debut episode last week was “like sitting on your couch watching fights with your buddies,” for Warren.

“I got so excited and animated watching because it just came naturally. You’re watching fights ringside – that’s always exciting. Especially when they are fighting for $100,000 and a contract. It was a lot of fun sitting up there with Randy Couture, Greg Jackson and Frank Shamrock. They are all good friends of mine and are so knowledgeable. I’m actually training with Jackson a bit now and it is great.”

Coaching wasn’t something new for Warren. He says he was able to bring a lot of teaching experience to his team on ‘Fight Master’.

“I coached for years and am still a coach. More importantly, I have been coached by top-tier coaches my whole life so it was beneficial to have me as a coach for these guys. Plus, I know how to fight in these Bellator tournaments,” he says.

Warren has certainly taken his MMA career seriously, and committed much blood and sweat to it these past four years. At the same time, he seems to do it soley to make a living.

Men of character use whatever talents they possess to provide for their families. Some collect trash, some work in mines, others ride a desk. Some few souls brave and capable enough, literally fight for their families.

Joe Warren loves his family and loves wrestling MMA is something he’s good at and can make money. One love has to be put aside while he earns for his other.

With that said, can his success in MMA ever make up for the Olympic void he has in his wrestling career. Randy Couture, perhaps the most accomplished MMA fighter in history, is still haunted by his failures to make the full Olympic team.

He tried four different times and four times he was relegated to being an alternate. Despite a hall of fame career behind him in MMA, with world titles won in multiple weight classes, Couture has said that wrestling Olympic void still stings.

Can a mere job like MMA ever fill the wrestling void for Warren? “I’ve never had anyone ask me that,” he says before pausing.

“We are wrestlers. We start wrestling as young kids. It is our first sport. Our whole life we want to be world champions and Olympic champions. I was able to do that – to win a world championship, which is tougher than the Olympics. I won Pan Ams, the World Cip. I understand what Randy is saying when he talks about those frustrations. But, I got to that pinnacle of wrestling. The one thing I didn’t get was the Olympics. That would have just been another cherry on top.

“I get what Randy talks about. It is so hard to work your whole life and never win that medal or make the team. When you wrestle for the Olympic team it is not for making money. It is for personal gratification. For you to have given all you have and not get what you want, is hard. But I got that opportunity to get a world championship. Then, I moved into a new sport and won another world championship. Whatever else I do, and I would like another belt, I am a realist.

“I can easily put my wrestling shoes and my MMA gloves in a closet when I’m done. I believe there’s a future in coaching and other things. I’m open minded to what the future will bring.”

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Hope Is Not Lost: IOC Recommends Wrestling for Inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games


(Photo courtesy of Wrestlingisbest.tumblr)

Not to get your hopes up too much, Nation, but in a vote held yesterday in St. Petersburg, Russia, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) recommended three sports for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games: Baseball/Softball, Squash, and Wrestling, the latter of which was unjustly pulled from the games in February. While wrestling finds itself against some stiff competition (in baseball/softball at least, squash is right up there with handball in terms of asinine Olympic sports), this still represents a major hurdle being cleared in the race to save the foundational Olympic sport.

The international governing body (FILA) President, Nenad Lalovic, along with former Olympic wrestlers Jim Scherr (U.S.), Lise Legrand (France), Carol Huynh (Canada), and Daniel Igali (Nigeria) were chosen to plead wrestling’s case to the IOC yesterday. In a pre-written statement, Lalovic continued to push the idea that an MMA-style reformation would successfully draw in a wider audience for the struggling sport, and claimed that it was in fact already underway:

While our place in the Olympic Games is still not guaranteed, this decision recognizes the great lengths to which we are going to reform our sport and address the IOC’s concerns.

At FILA’s recent Extraordinary Congress we enacted a number of rule and governance changes and we hope that our continued efforts will ensure we are successful at the final vote in September. We recognize that there is still a long road ahead but we will continue to work to preserve our place in the Olympic Games. 

The final vote to decide which sport will be included in the 2020 games will be held in Buenos Aries, Argentina in September. In the meantime, we have an obligation, nay, a DUTY to do everything within our power to discredit baseball as a sport. So…PETE ROSE MARK MCGWIRE BARRY BONDS 1919 WORLD SERIES JOSE FUCKING CANSECO.

J. Jones


(Photo courtesy of Wrestlingisbest.tumblr)

Not to get your hopes up too much, Nation, but in a vote held yesterday in St. Petersburg, Russia, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) recommended three sports for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games: Baseball/Softball, Squash, and Wrestling, the latter of which was unjustly pulled from the games in February. While wrestling finds itself against some stiff competition (in baseball/softball at least, squash is right up there with handball in terms of asinine Olympic sports), this still represents a major hurdle being cleared in the race to save the foundational Olympic sport.

The international governing body (FILA) President, Nenad Lalovic, along with former Olympic wrestlers Jim Scherr (U.S.), Lise Legrand (France), Carol Huynh (Canada), and Daniel Igali (Nigeria) were chosen to plead wrestling’s case to the IOC yesterday. In a pre-written statement, Lalovic continued to push the idea that an MMA-style reformation would successfully draw in a wider audience for the struggling sport, and claimed that it was in fact already underway:

While our place in the Olympic Games is still not guaranteed, this decision recognizes the great lengths to which we are going to reform our sport and address the IOC’s concerns.

At FILA’s recent Extraordinary Congress we enacted a number of rule and governance changes and we hope that our continued efforts will ensure we are successful at the final vote in September. We recognize that there is still a long road ahead but we will continue to work to preserve our place in the Olympic Games. 

The final vote to decide which sport will be included in the 2020 games will be held in Buenos Aries, Argentina in September. In the meantime, we have an obligation, nay, a DUTY to do everything within our power to discredit baseball as a sport. So…PETE ROSE MARK MCGWIRE BARRY BONDS 1919 WORLD SERIES JOSE FUCKING CANSECO.

J. Jones