Issue 149

December 2016

The secret is out: Bellator is home to the best fighters on the planet, says Joe Warren, but he's still not getting paid.

Bellator bantamweight,

Alias: Baddest Man on the Planet,

Team: Team Quest,

Record: 15-8-0.

Former two-weight world champion Joe Warren has been one of Bellator’s poster boys since 2010, yet currently without a championship belt, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ says he’s feeling the MMA pinch.

As the sport opens up like never before through expansion and free-agency movement of athletes, the 39-year-old sets his sights on a final title push to finally cash in after a lifetime on the mats.

Are you proud of Bellator’s growth and success?

I started fighting quite late in my career, after I was competing in the Olympic team. I started with Bellator with Bjorn (Rebney) in the regime before this one, before Scott, and it’s an honor to be with Bellator and to see it grow and be a part of that growth.

From the beginning, they asked me to be the baddest man in the world and to be myself, to rep the company, keep winning and keep contesting belts. So that’s what I’ve done.

I’m pretty outspoken, I like to speak the truth and people don’t like to hear it. But I’m just confident in going out there and performing, after all, that’s what I do well. So I’m just about getting out there and impressing myself.

And I just want to get after another Bellator belt.

How good is the competition in Bellator?

I’ve said for years now that Bellator is where the cool kids fight. Bellator is the toughest cage in MMA, period.

UFC has kind of put up blinders to the fans and made everyone believe that if you’re not in the UFC, then you’re not a top contender. But that’s not the case. Far from it.

And you are seeing now – with the explosion in free agency – all of the fighters getting the opportunity to play the field. And a lot of those guys are coming over to Bellator and they’re feeling it, man.

I mean, we are a real family over here and when those guys come in they really feel like they’re wanted and it makes them want to fight again. It’s so cool that with every new signing and every event Bellator is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. That’s exciting.

What does the lack of immediate success by former UFC guys say about the roster?

The former UFC guys who are coming over and getting big opportunities with Bellator are not coming in and wiping the floor with guys that were already here.

In a lot of cases, they’re coming in and struggling – or even getting their asses kicked.

That speaks volumes about the level of athletes we have over here already and completely backs up my opinion that the Bellator cage is the toughest in the sport.

Now people are starting to watch and say, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve not been watching the best guys in the world – I’ve been watching the money fights.’

That’s nice to hear. It’s about time we got the credibility we deserve.

How much stock do you put in Bellator president Scott Coker?

Scott Coker is the best in the business in what he does. That’s why Viacom brought him in to run this thing. They wanted him to move the needle and he did it. They wanted him to bring big fights and he did it.

The biggest fights in the country are Bellator fights, not UFC fights.

Bellator is like Strikeforce – the way that was. Most fans didn’t think the Strikeforce guys would last five minutes when it merged with the UFC, yet most of the Strikeforce guys are now UFC champions.

The same level of competition is going on here in Bellator right now.

How long can you fight on for?

I’m safer in the cage now than I ever was. These young kids are coming after me and they’re dubbing me the Bellator title gatekeeper, but I’m game for anything, man.

I’m going nowhere. I’m stronger, smarter and faster than I have ever been.

I’m just working away and waiting for Bellator and Viacom to give me that opportunity to fight for the title again. I love to compete and perform.

My wife doesn’t want me fighting.

Financially too, we have a hard time. It makes it really hard if I don’t win. That’s when we really feel it.

I would love to make some money outside of the cage, also. I’d love to be a color commentator after my career is done. But I’m still in the cage – still fighting.

Do you expect more fighters to switch from one cage to the other?

With the Ali Act coming in and the inevitable formation of a real fighters’ union, the days of seeing a fighter stay with one organization for the duration of a career like I have done is gone.

Free agency will see MMA going like boxing, with guys fighting a couple of fights with Bellator then jumping to the UFC for a few, then coming back again – jumping around for title fights and opportunities.

I believe that’s the future and that’s inevitably where the sport is going. Fighters are going to finally start getting paid what they deserve and be able to properly support their families.

The sport needs that to happen, too. It needs to move out of the dark ages – follow boxing’s lead for a change and really provide for the athletes who sacrifice so much for so little. These guys who are using free agency already are getting paid what they deserve and I just hope that swings around and hits me in the face too.

What makes you so vocal about the lack of money in MMA?

Financially, MMA only pays if you’re on top. Because of my loss – losing the title – I’ve found it hard to make a living and support my family as a full-time martial artist.

Sponsors have dropped me because I lost and it really sucks. I had to get back in the win column last time out just to be able to provide for my family.

So sponsors’ dollars haven’t moved to Bellator since the UFC’s Reebok deal?

When the UFC signed Reebok, the sponsors fell off, period. Investors and sponsors aren’t seeing any return on investments.

They used to put a bunch of money behind athletes to use us as a billboard up there, promoting their companies.

But they’re not seeing any return on their investments. Whether that’s because they can no longer be seen in the UFC during big title fights – or whether it has to do with the market changing in terms of the brands the fans can or cannot associate with, I’m not sure. But it’s definitely fallen off.

There are still a couple of guys in Bellator with big sponsors, but the entire industry was rocked by the Reebok deal. Personally, I’ve lost a bunch of sponsors.

I didn’t even have a major sponsor for my last fight. I’ve worn three world title belts in Bellator and I’m not even making any money on my shorts.

There are still a couple of guys making good money through endorsements, but I’m not sure where that money is coming from. There has been a real drop off.

Would you like to see Bellator sign a similar endorsement deal for all fighters?

Bellator could well go theme way as the UFC in regards to an official sportswear sponsor. After all, it’s a money-making business, so if it makes sense… People forget that Viacom, which owns Bellator, has more money than the UFC.

They don’t need to worry about the external influences. Remember, Viacom are the guys behind Friday night fights in the US. You can watch boxing, kickboxing and/or MMA every Friday in the US for free, so they’ve got something pretty special going on already.

Bellator’s fans are loyal, too. Spike brought MMA to the dinner table in the US with first the UFC and now Bellator – it’s the true home of fighting for the American home audience. Everybody knows that. Without Spike and Viacom, MMA wouldn’t be where it is today. If they bring in a sponsor it will be for the fighters.