FightPastor.com: Next up in our series of Q&A’s with MMA fan favorites, we have an exclusive interview with “Ultimate Fighter 10” alumnus Justin “The Viking” Wren. Justin, thanks for taking time out of your training schedule to chat with us!
Justin Wren: Sweet, yeah, no problem. I’m up here cornering Demico and I’m excited for his fight.
FP.com: It seems that fighters with wrestling backgrounds are dominating the upper weight classes in MMA lately. Tell us about your wrestling background and how that led you to Mixed Martial Arts.
Justin: I actually got into wrestling for fighting. I grew up as a 13-year-old kid, saving up my allowance and sneaking it away from my parents. My parents are pretty conservative; my grandfather was a preacher. So they didn’t want anything to do with this UFC stuff. But I got into wrestling because I knew that’s what Mark Coleman, and Randy Couture, and Dan Henderson and all those guys back in the day, that’s what was dominating the sport. So I got into wrestling, and I was very fortunate to be under two Olympic gold medalists in high school. I progressed fast and then once I got the opportunity to get into fighting I did, because that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.
FP.com: You talked a little bit about your parents not really approving of this. Have they come around at all?
Justin: Absolutely. For most people, I’d say that definitely the route to go is college. I had a full scholarship to Iowa State University. I turned it down so that I could fight.
FP.com: You turned down a full ride?
Justin: I turned down a full ride. Right out of high school, I went to the Olympic Training Center and I was wrestling Greco-Roman wrestling. I was a two-time national champion in that. And then, I don’t know man, I had the itch to fight. I went up to Iowa State for a year, I was a medical “red-shirt,” I wasn’t actually part of the team. I was just there because of this elbow surgery. <shows gnarly scar on this right arm>
FP.com: Oh!
Justin: Then I started fighting. They said stay active, they meant go wrestle in active tournaments, but to me, stay active was to try fighting. So I tried it and I was just hooked. From the second I stepped in for the first time, I was hooked.
FP.com: Do you ever regret not pursuing that scholarship and getting your college degree?
Justin: Honestly, no. I think that school is for certain people, and for me, I’m just not one of those people. I mean, I loved the classmates and the fun and all that stuff, but my dream was to pursue this. If anything were to happen, I’d open a gym. You know, like if an injury plagued me or something like that, I’d try to open a gym and teach other people how to do it. Sitting at a desk is not something that I’m ever gonna do.
FP.com: So what happened with your elbow?
Justin: I was wrestling Dremeil Byers (http://wrestling.teamusa.org/athletes/dremiel-byers), 2002 World Champion. I was 18 years old, and I was ranked about fourth on the Olympic ladder. Everyone else was in their upper twenties, early thirties, and Dremeil was 33 at the time, I think. We just got in there, I was down and got my arm twisted in a funky position. It dislocated, it broke, and I tore my ulnar collateral ligament (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulnar_collateral_ligament_%28elbow%29). They replaced it with a hamstring tendon, so they went in there and did all sorts of stuff. I did everything you could do to your elbow, basically.
FP.com: Oh wow. So does that ever bother you when you’re training or fighting?
Justin: Yeah, yeah. For sure. But it’s not going to affect [me] during the fight. During training, afterwards I have to ice [it]. If I hyperextend on a right hand that a guy might have slipped, then I just kind of have to shake it out. If I talk on the phone for a few minutes, all my fingers go numb. So yeah, it’s pretty crazy.
FP.com: You’d had some success in MMA before “The Ultimate Fighter.” It seems everyone had a different path leading up to getting on that show. Tell to us about how that happened for you.
Justin: I was at 10 wins and 1 loss before the show. I was 21 whenever they were calling me, trying to get me on the show. I turned 22 less than a month before the show. They were talking to my agent about me maybe fighting on the card. Instead of going to the tryouts, they just called me and said, “Would you like to come in for interviews? If you’re personable, we’ll put you on the show.”
For me, it was hard to debate, because I was planning on going over to Japan, fighting in Japan, and being part of “Golden Glory” (http://www.goldenglory.com/top.html). But now that I look back on it, the show was the best thing that could have happened to me, because I ended up in Denver, and to me, that’s the best team in the world, and I’m very fortunate.
FP.com: So I want to jump into the obvious question. Going back to the show … You’ve just finished two rounds against Roy “Big Country” Nelson, and it looks like you’re going to a third round. The next thing you know, they’re coming out and giving Roy the decision. What’s going through your head at that point?
Justin: Oh, I was sick to my stomach. That’s just me being blatantly honest. If you look at my record, I’d never gone to a decision before the show, ever. It’s my job not to leave it in the judges hands. So whenever bad judging happens, it’s kind of my fault, because I should have ended it. No one wants a fight that goes to a decision, you want a decisive end. Unless it’s a “Fight of the Night,” of course. <smiles>
I was worried. I felt I had won the first round, and the second round he had, or it was real close. I just got on the unlucky side of things. I wish it would have gone to a third, even if I would have gotten finished, whatever happened happened, if I would have won decisively, not won decisively, I would rather that happen than it being two rounds and having that empty feeling.
FP.com: Well, you’re the one guy that didn’t end up getting finished in a crucifix. How would you feel about a rematch if that should come down? Obviously he came through and won the entire show.
Justin: Yeah, I’d love it, man. It’s something I want; any guy that I’ve lost to, I want redemption. So if that opportunity ever presents itself, I can guarantee I’ll be a different fighter. Before then, I’d never trained with a world class camp, ever. I didn’t have the conditioning I needed, and for that fight, I was actually sick. I would love to have a rematch. No excuses, he beat me, but I would love a rematch.
FP.com: That decision, looking back on it, that decision really could have gone either way. A lot of people think that you won that fight, and they’re kind of blaming the judges a little bit for giving Roy maybe a little too much credit. There’s been a lot of controversy regarding judging, and Dana White has been very outspoken as to the role of the judges and couple of the referees that have been officiating these fights. Is there anything you think they could do to improve the situation?
Justin: They have to have people with credentials in there. My Roy fight … one thing you’ve gotta remember is that … and I’m not saying that they were biased, but it looks like it may have been, because all those judges were from Vegas, Roy’s a hometown guy in Vegas, all his fights are in Vegas. People know him as an IFL champ.
On the other hand, there’s two women judging that are middle-aged, one had grey hair. I’m like, why are these two women able to judge fights? MMA is a new sport. If you’re a woman and you’ve trained, or you’ve fought, or you grew up around it or something, I think that’s fine.
FP.com: Or at least some level of training or something.
Justin: Exactly! Whenever they just hire older, middle-aged people that didn’t grow up on it, that are just coming around to it …
FP.com: They work for the state.
Justin: Yeah, just because they know somebody. I don’t think you should be able to judge when you don’t know what you’re looking at.
FP.com: You suffered a tough decision loss to Jon Madsen at the TUF 10 finale, and were cut shortly after. What’s your future look like now, and what’s your path back to the UFC look like? I assume you want to get back there.
Justin: Yeah. The UFC said all I need is one win against a decent opponent, or a string of victories against lower-level guys, and they’ll have me back. Before the show, they let everyone know that if you’re fighting on the finale and you lose, you’re gone, even if it’s a close fight. Even if it’s “Fight of the Night”, that’s just how it is.
I’m young, I’m 22, so I’m willing to take the long road if I have to. I mean, I want whatever is going to be more rewarding in the long run. That’s why originally, I didn’t even know if I wanted to be on the show, because sometimes, it’s almost like it’s too quick of a road. I still want to build experience, I still want to learn, I still want to grow, and it’s hard to do that at that level. You gotta be prepared. I can see myself going in there within a year. I would like to.
FP.com: Is there any thought about going to Strikeforce?
Justin: Yeah!
FP.com: That’s something Demico and his management have talked about.
Justin: Demico and I both have been talking about Strikeforce. They just had an article on us, “The 5 Top unsigned heavyweights (http://news.fightmagazine.com/strikeforce-heavyweights-mma-3228/)” or something like that. We were two of the guys that should go to Strikeforce. It’s cool, it’s just going to be tough to get the amount of fights that we want. Me and Demico both, we want to stay active, and it’s going to be hard to stay active when Strikeforce is only putting on four to six shows a year. So they’re having to squeeze on guys, and they’re owing fighters fights.
Honestly, I’ve always wanted to go fight in Japan. When I was a kid, I grew up on UFC, but then I found Pride, and Pride was my favorite. They just had monsters, and the Japanese fans are awesome. I mean, the applause whenever someone defends a submission, or when someone gets a takedown. Instead of the American fans, where if someone takes someone down, “Quit rasslin’, hit him, knock him out.”
FP.com: Yeah, American fans have no patience for the strategy that happens when you’re on the mat.
Justin: Exactly. The Japanese people are … it’s kind of weird ‘cause it’s quiet, but then whenever something good happens, the applause comes out. They’re very educated.
FP.com: So you were a big fan of Pride when it was around?
Justin: I’m a fan of Dream and Sengoku now. I don’t think it’s even close to what Pride used to be, but I was a huge fan of Pride.
FP.com: You know, there’s been some discussion about whether or not the UFC should adopt some of the different rules and whatnot that they’ve had in Pride, like the 10 minute first rounds and things like that. What would you think if they decided to switch some of that up?
Justin: I think they would have to play with it a little bit, but I think it’s something that’s definitely possible. I don’t think they’ll ever allow knees to the head when you’re down, but for me and Demico, that would be an advantage, because we’re going to be the guy on top most of the time. So I would love those rules. The only thing weird about Japanese rules is that you can’t elbow, because they don’t like cuts, and fights ending because of cuts. I think there should be a happy medium where elbows are allowed and knees are allowed. I don’t know, I just love those rules.
FP.com: You mentioned you were down in Colorado training with Greg Jackson , and now you’re in Denver at Grudge training camp with some of the other TUF 10 alums. How do you compare the two; how does Grudge match up with Greg Jackson’s camp?
Justin: We’re a kind of “sister” gym. He comes in and trains, Rashad comes and trains, so does GSP. All the top guys. Right now, Paul Buentello’s with us. So many guys are coming into our camp at Grudge. I think Grudge, for a heavyweight, is the place to be. There’s so many big guys, talented guys. Nobody has egos, there’s the elevation, there’s Trevor Whittman, who’s the best coach I’ve ever had. I think it all correlates to being the best team in the world, in my opinion.
FP.com: Now that’s a lot of praise for Trevor Whittman, because you’ve been at Xtreme Couture, you’ve been at American Top Team, and you’re saying Trevor’s the best?
Justin: The Best. I’ve been to Golden Glory in Holland with Alistair Overeem. I’ve lived at the Olympic Training Center, and literally in wrestling, I can say that I’ve had at least six Olympic Gold Medalists as my coaches. Six. And Trevor is by far, the best coach I’ve ever had.
FP.com: What kind of a role has your faith played in your training and in your MMA career? Is it true that you snuck your bible into “The Ultimate Fighter” house?
Justin: Honestly, the most rewarding thing for me … I love the victory part, but whenever I get to point my fingers to the sky and give glory to Him, that’s incredible. I grew up in Christian schools, graduated from a Catholic school, my grandfather was a preacher, but I wasn’t a Christian until November 14th of 2007 when I was 20. I’m a rather new Christian and it’s just awesome. It’s a different outlet, it’s a different platform … there’s a lot of kids out there that don’t listen to a pastor at all, but when they see a fighter, I don’t have to say anything a lot of times, I just have to hang out. Then the questions come about and I can kind of talk to them and stuff. It’s neat.
I worked with a youth group called “Gateway” in Southlake (http://www.gatewaypeople.com/) with Pastor Robert Morris. It’s a 14,000 member “mega-church” in Texas. It’s awesome. Our youth group would have 650-700 kids every Wednesday night. All I did was play air hockey with the kids, and basketball, and pool, or watch them at the skate park. It’s just neat, because God’s provided me with a different platform and a different way to get across to kids
FP.com: That’s pretty much the way we feel about it here, too. It’s about being a good example, and showing people that you can be a Christian and still be interested in all these other things, rather than the sort of stodgy kind of Christians they might think about.
Justin: In Texas, I don’t know if there’s a lot more conservative Christians in Texas or what, I have to deal with … except at Gateway, but in other places, I have to deal with a lot of questions like, “How can you be a Christian and fight?”
FP.com: How do you answer that?
Justin: I feel not humble saying it, but I feel like sometimes I’m a light where there’s not much. Because fighting, there’s a lot of things that come with it that aren’t necessarily the greatest, but there’s a lot that comes with it that’s awesome. And whenever I can fight, and be on TV or be around thousands of people and not even really say anything except “I give the glory to God,” and point up in the air.
FP.com: So I heard a rumor that you snuck your Bible into the “Ultimate Fighter” house, and that was kind of breaking the rules a little bit. Is that true?
Justin: I did! I snuck a Bible in, and a cross, and then they took both away from me, at two different times. I had the first one in there for like a day. Trevor Whittman didn’t know it was against the rules, and I told him I really needed a Bible in there and is there any way he could get it for me. He did, and I hid it, and I’d only read it at certain times, or when the cameras weren’t around. Then the second one I had for 4 or 5 days till they saw it on camera and took it again. Then there was only like a week left, and I was already out of the competition, and luckily, someone from the crew brought it back to me like they were delivering towels, and they said, “Here’s your towels” and wrapped up inside the towels was the Bible.
FP.com: Like they were breaking you out of jail or something?
Justin: Yeah. Trevor got me a King James version, that was awesome, with the “thous” and the “arts”. It was different trying to go from the NIV or the New Living Translation, going from those to the King James, ‘cause I was like, “Man, what am I reading?” I’d have to read it, then try to like translate it in my own head like “What does it mean in these terms?”
FP.com: Last thing, tell us about how your fans can reach out to you and support you? Where can they find you online?
Justin: Facebook for sure, I’m always on Facebook, like a million times a day. Twitter, I’m @JustinTheViking, and at JustinWrenMMA.com. Those are the ways to reach me.
FP.com: Thanks a lot, Justin. I wish you all the best in the future, and the next time you’ve got a fight, let us know!
Justin: March 5th, Omaha, Nebraska, Ring of Fire
Interview by Rob “SuperRob” Stevens
