Bellator 161: Joe Warren Looking to Bounce Back to Championship Form
Bellator 161: Joe Warren Looking to Bounce Back to Championship Form
Former two-weight Bellator champion Joe Warren is looking to bounce back from a submission loss to Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 151, and he has Sirwan Kakai in his sights.
By Chamatkar Sandhu
Former two-weight Bellator champion Joe Warren is looking to bounce back from a submission loss to Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 151 earlier this year, and this weekend's co-main event bout with Sweden's Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 is in his sights.
The fighter known as "The Baddest Man" lives up to his nickname—he's also a world champion in Greco-Roman.
"'The Baddest Man' came after I won my world championship in Greco-Roman wrestling," Warren said. "When I came off the mat in China, the press asked me how I felt, and I said, 'I feel like the baddest man on the planet,' and it kind of stuck with me, and I kept it. It's a great nickname, and it takes some balls to hold on to that one. Mike Tyson is a Bellator fan, and he's a got a trademark on 'The baddest man on the planet'--that's why I switched it up a little bit to 'The Baddest Man.' I used to watch him as a kid and use his famous phrases in Japan, and it kind of just kept with me."
While reflecting on his fight with Caldwell, Warren cited a run of bad luck, including a knee injury that hindered his performance.
"I don't do a good job of losing," Warren said. "The last fight was very unpredictable. The first takedown, I tore my MCL and dislocated my knee cap. I was in a weird spot in that cage where I haven't been before where I couldn't actually compete. I tried to come up, and when things go bad in that cage, they go bad. I got body-slammed and choked-out. It was not what we thought was going to happen."
The loss didn't just hurt him physically--his bank account also suffered.
"Financially, I got hurt with that loss. I'm focused on one thing, and that's getting a big win for my family," Warren said. "I need to focus on one thing, and that's getting back into that win column. I've just kept moving forward -- my rehab has been great, and everything is 100 percent and I'm focused on impressing myself and getting the big win."
The pressure of coming off a loss and attempting to and re-assert himself into the title picture is something Warren is more than familiar with.
"All the pressure is on me," Warren said. "I believe I am the only person in that cage, so if I don't perform, then I don't win. That being said, I do my best when there's pressure on me. It's a very comfortable feeling for me; a big-pressure fight. Every fight, I've had a lot of consequences, so it's very normal to me. My weight is good, I'm focused, I'm 100 percent. I can just pull the trigger and perform."
Warren respects Kakai's skills as a fighter, which is why he lean on his superior wrestling ability.
"He's extremely dangerous. He's a veteran--he knows how to fight," Warren said. "People coming off losses are very dangerous. He seems to be a little cocky and talking a little sh*t and trying to fire himself up, but he hasn't been in the cage with 'The Baddest Man,' and I'm going to put a hammer on him and try and shut his mouth with my fists or my elbows. I'm the best wrestler in the game, and I can control the fight. I'll be inflicting a lot of damage and not taking a lot of damage. I'm going to stay focused on what I'm good at, and hopefully get the win."
Warren is one of a few fighters who helped build the Bellator brand and has been a constant during the time the promotion was led by Bjorn Rebney to now as things have changed under the Scott Coker era. He believes perception of Bellator from the MMA community is starting to change.
"Scott Coker is great," said Warren. It's been an honor to be part of Bellator for as long as I have been and I've watched it grow and get bigger in time with every single fight. I say it's where the cool kids fight because that's what you're finding out. The fans have been blindsided thinking the best fighters are in the UFC and that's not the case. The Bellator cage is the toughest cage in the world and you're starting to see that with the free agency and guys coming over. Scott Coker has done exactly what they asked him to do. He's moved that needle and making it bigger."
With free agency being one of the hottest topics in the sport this year led by Bellator with the signing of big marquee names from the UFC such as Matt Mitrione, Benson Henderson and more recently Rory MacDonald, Warren feels it will give the promotion better credibility but cites the competitive level with the Bellator fighters is on par.
"That's what Scott does the best," said Warren. "He brings the names to the table and puts the super fights on and gives the public what they want. People want to see those fights and he's the best at it. I'm excited to see the UFC fighters getting an opportunity to get away from there and come into Bellator. It's a tough cage and you're seeing those big UFC names come into the Bellator cage and have a hard time getting through a fight. We're probably getting more credibility for that. It's still the same Bellator champs, Straus, Pitbull, Chandler, me, Koreshkov. We were the champs before the free agents came over and we'll be after also."
Warren hopes that with his loyalty to the promotion, being a former two weight champion, his relationship with management will be enough to see him stick around with Bellator long after his fighting career is over to ensure his long term financial stability.
"People are fair-weather fans," said Warren. "I lost my last fight and lost all my sponsors, it was terrible. Financially it's tough for me. That being said, they've given me opportunities outside the cage, SPIKE and Viacom with Fight Master. They gave me a feeling they had a position for me in the organization when I was finished.
"Lately I haven't felt that, don't know why, not sure if they want me anymore or not but I've been a champ and they don't want me out of the cage. I got into the game strictly for credibility and to be able to color commentate and speak about the sport and the ball kept rolling and now I'm here. I'd be honored if someday I can work for the organization I helped build."
Former two-weight Bellator champion Joe Warren is looking to bounce back from a submission loss to Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 151 earlier this year, and this weekend's co-main event bout with Sweden's Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 is in his sights.
The fighter known as "The Baddest Man" lives up to his nickname—he's also a world champion in Greco-Roman.
"'The Baddest Man' came after I won my world championship in Greco-Roman wrestling," Warren said. "When I came off the mat in China, the press asked me how I felt, and I said, 'I feel like the baddest man on the planet,' and it kind of stuck with me, and I kept it. It's a great nickname, and it takes some balls to hold on to that one. Mike Tyson is a Bellator fan, and he's a got a trademark on 'The baddest man on the planet'--that's why I switched it up a little bit to 'The Baddest Man.' I used to watch him as a kid and use his famous phrases in Japan, and it kind of just kept with me."
Back from injury and money-motivated
While reflecting on his fight with Caldwell, Warren cited a run of bad luck, including a knee injury that hindered his performance.
"I don't do a good job of losing," Warren said. "The last fight was very unpredictable. The first takedown, I tore my MCL and dislocated my knee cap. I was in a weird spot in that cage where I haven't been before where I couldn't actually compete. I tried to come up, and when things go bad in that cage, they go bad. I got body-slammed and choked-out. It was not what we thought was going to happen."
The loss didn't just hurt him physically--his bank account also suffered.
"Financially, I got hurt with that loss. I'm focused on one thing, and that's getting a big win for my family," Warren said. "I need to focus on one thing, and that's getting back into that win column. I've just kept moving forward -- my rehab has been great, and everything is 100 percent and I'm focused on impressing myself and getting the big win."
Pressure is normal for the veteran
The pressure of coming off a loss and attempting to and re-assert himself into the title picture is something Warren is more than familiar with.
"All the pressure is on me," Warren said. "I believe I am the only person in that cage, so if I don't perform, then I don't win. That being said, I do my best when there's pressure on me. It's a very comfortable feeling for me; a big-pressure fight. Every fight, I've had a lot of consequences, so it's very normal to me. My weight is good, I'm focused, I'm 100 percent. I can just pull the trigger and perform."
Wrestling is Warren's key to victory
Warren respects Kakai's skills as a fighter, which is why he lean on his superior wrestling ability.
"He's extremely dangerous. He's a veteran--he knows how to fight," Warren said. "People coming off losses are very dangerous. He seems to be a little cocky and talking a little sh*t and trying to fire himself up, but he hasn't been in the cage with 'The Baddest Man,' and I'm going to put a hammer on him and try and shut his mouth with my fists or my elbows. I'm the best wrestler in the game, and I can control the fight. I'll be inflicting a lot of damage and not taking a lot of damage. I'm going to stay focused on what I'm good at, and hopefully get the win."
Coker era, free agency
Warren is one of a few fighters who helped build the Bellator brand and has been a constant during the time the promotion was led by Bjorn Rebney to now as things have changed under the Scott Coker era. He believes perception of Bellator from the MMA community is starting to change.
"Scott Coker is great," said Warren. It's been an honor to be part of Bellator for as long as I have been and I've watched it grow and get bigger in time with every single fight. I say it's where the cool kids fight because that's what you're finding out. The fans have been blindsided thinking the best fighters are in the UFC and that's not the case. The Bellator cage is the toughest cage in the world and you're starting to see that with the free agency and guys coming over. Scott Coker has done exactly what they asked him to do. He's moved that needle and making it bigger."
With free agency being one of the hottest topics in the sport this year led by Bellator with the signing of big marquee names from the UFC such as Matt Mitrione, Benson Henderson and more recently Rory MacDonald, Warren feels it will give the promotion better credibility but cites the competitive level with the Bellator fighters is on par.
"That's what Scott does the best," said Warren. "He brings the names to the table and puts the super fights on and gives the public what they want. People want to see those fights and he's the best at it. I'm excited to see the UFC fighters getting an opportunity to get away from there and come into Bellator. It's a tough cage and you're seeing those big UFC names come into the Bellator cage and have a hard time getting through a fight. We're probably getting more credibility for that. It's still the same Bellator champs, Straus, Pitbull, Chandler, me, Koreshkov. We were the champs before the free agents came over and we'll be after also."
Pension plan
Warren hopes that with his loyalty to the promotion, being a former two weight champion, his relationship with management will be enough to see him stick around with Bellator long after his fighting career is over to ensure his long term financial stability.
"People are fair-weather fans," said Warren. "I lost my last fight and lost all my sponsors, it was terrible. Financially it's tough for me. That being said, they've given me opportunities outside the cage, SPIKE and Viacom with Fight Master. They gave me a feeling they had a position for me in the organization when I was finished.
"Lately I haven't felt that, don't know why, not sure if they want me anymore or not but I've been a champ and they don't want me out of the cage. I got into the game strictly for credibility and to be able to color commentate and speak about the sport and the ball kept rolling and now I'm here. I'd be honored if someday I can work for the organization I helped build."