Joe Warren: 5 Defining Moments

The first fighter to hold championships in two Bellator MMA weight classes, Joe Warren followed the blueprint of many former Greco-Roman wrestlers and transitioned from an amateur wrestling career to become a top name in MMA. At 41, Warren’s pursuit of another title shot leads to Bellator 195, where he will take on Joe Taimanglo this Friday at the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Ahead of Warren’s latest appearance, here are five moments that have helped define his career:

1. Dreamscape

Warren made his mixed martial arts debut in the 2009 Dream featherweight grand prix. Training with fellow former wrestler Dan Henderson, he entered the tournament and instantly showcased his potential. Warren defeated former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Chase Beebe via doctor stoppage in the opening round at Dream 7 on March 8, 2009 before defeating the great Norifumi Yamamoto by split decision in the quarterfinals at Dream 9 a little less than three months later. While he failed to advance to the final -- his hopes were dashed by a Bibiano Fernandes armbar at Dream 11 -- Warren’s efforts put him on the radar as an MMA novice with serious potential.

2. Tournament Tested, Tournament Approved

Following his success in Dream, Warren participated in Bellator’s Season 2 featherweight tournament and exhibited further improvement. He defeated Eric Marriott and Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision to advance to the final. There, he took on Patricio Freire at Bellator 23 on June 24, 2010, walked away with a split decision to win the tournament and secured a title shot at 145 pounds.

3. Golden Corral

Warren cashed in his opportunity to fight for the featherweight title when he faced then-champion Joe Soto at Bellator 27 on Sept. 2, 2010. Soto was 9-0 at the time, but Warren nevertheless continued his march through Bellator with a second-round technical knockout. It marked the start of his first championship reign and served to validate his decision to move from amateur wrestling to mixed martial arts.

4. Twice as Nice

In the aftermath of his devastating knockout loss to Pat Curran at Bellator 60, Warren made the move to 135 pounds and there followed a similar script. He won the Season 9 bantamweight tournament, defeating Travis Marx in the final at Bellator 107 to cement his position as the No. 1 contender. Warren laid claim to the interim bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision over Rafael Silva and then unified the title by outpointing Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 128 on Oct. 10, 2014. He remains the only fighter to capture Bellator championships in multiple weight classes.

5. Majority Rules

Warren surrendered the bantamweight belt in a kneebar submission to Marcos Galvao at Bellator 135. Undeterred, Warren continued to find success into his late 30s and was given a chance to reclaim the bantamweight championship in a rematch with Dantas at Bellator 166 on Dec. 2, 2016. However, he failed to replicate his previous performance against the Brazilian and lost a majority decision. Scores were 47-47, 49-44 and 48-46.