“Some people crumble in the face of adversity, while others thrive.” Similarly, Justin Wren, who was bullied as a child, has overcome his prior obstacles to become one of the top heavyweights in Bellator MMA. Prior to his sabbatical from Bellator, everyone felt Justin was the heavyweight champion’s next opponent. But the Texas native isn’t just a cage fighter who can beat up on opponents. As a result, the 32-year-old is regarded as one of the most popular and well-liked fighters in the MMA world. Justin, on the other hand, did not achieve all of his popularity and adoration in a single day. Rather, the Texas native had to deal with adversity from the start of his career.

Quick Facts

What is the Net Worth and Fight Purse of Justin Wren?

Justin’s net worth is $500,000 as of 2021, primarily derived from his MMA activity.

Despite the fact that the figure is significant to ordinary people like us, professional sportsmen in other combat sports such as boxing and wrestling make significantly more. As a result, Wren has a modest net worth.

Furthermore, Justin is paid a base pay of $20,000 each bout, minus Bellator bonuses.

In addition, the Texas native provides numerous sponsorship tiers to interested parties.

To explain, Wren provides sponsorship packages of $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 for branding on Justin’s shorts and products. Sponsors will also be acknowledged in press conferences and on social media.

In 2015, the Texas native pledged to donate all of his earnings to the Fight for the Forgotten organization.

Age, Height, Weight and Body Dimensions of Justin Wren

The Texas native is currently 34 years old, having been born in the year 1987. Despite the fact that 34 may appear to be an advanced age for an athlete, most MMA fighters reach their prime in their mid-30s.

As a result, we believe Justin’s best years in the MMA world are still to come.

Justin is also 6 feet 2 inches tall, which is a respectable height for a heavyweight fighter.

Wren’s tiny size allows him to evade attacks from other competitors while also allowing him to move fast from side to side.

Justin, likewise, weighs 234 lb (106.3 kg), which is the ideal weight for his height. The majority of people are unaware that the heavyweight division has no weight limit.

As a result, Justin is frequently pitted against opponents who are far larger than him. Despite this, Wren’s amazing record of 13 wins and two losses suggests that he is unfazed by his considerably larger opponents.

Childhood of MMA Fighter Justin Wren

Justin Christopher Wren was born on April 27, 1987, in Dallas, Texas, to unknown parents. Justin has always desired to participate in combat sports since he was a child.

The main reason is because he has been bullied by other children. As a result, the heavyweight fighter understood from the age of 13 that he wanted to be an MMA fighter.

However, MMA is not offered as a sport in high schools in the United States. As a result, a young Wren had no choice but to take up wrestling.

Despite this, the Texas native excelled for Bishop Lynch High School, which was the top high school in wrestling at the time.

Justin was also coached by Olympic Gold Medalists Kenny Monday and Kendall Cross, with whom he won the Prep State Championship twice in 2004 and 2005 and was a two-time Prep All-American.

Wren was also a two-time All-American in Greco Roman wrestling and won Fargo’s national championship by the time he graduated from college.

Professional Life of Justin Wren

Wren’s professional MMA career began with none other than the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Texas native has previously fought ten times in his amateur career, winning nine of them.

As a result, Justin was invited to compete in the tenth version of Total Ultimate Fighter, where he would face some of the greatest up-and-coming heavyweights in the world.

Following that, the Big Pygmy made his UFC debut against Wes Sims.

Sims tapped down in the first round after Justin used an arm triangle submit maneuver to win the bout.

As a result, Wren was forced to face future UFC heavyweight star Roy Nelson in the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Nelson won the fight by a majority decision in the second round, which was controversial. Everyone who watched the fight, including UFC president Dana White, thought it should have gone to a third and final round.

After that, the 32-year-old heavyweight fought John Madsen for the final time in the UFC. Wren, on the other hand, was defeated by a split decision.

To make matters worse, the Texas native’s tenure with the UFC came to an end after he was discharged due to poor performance.

Despite this, Justin was well aware that the two-time All-American Greco Roman wrestler would be pursued by a slew of other companies.

And that’s exactly what happened when Wren announced that he’d inked a deal with Colorado-based Ring of Fire MMA.

Fight for the Disappeared

The 34-year-old heavyweight got interested in the Fight for the Forgotten charity during this time.

To explain, the organization assists forgotten Mbuti Pygmie tribes who are afflicted by economic servitude, sickness, and despair.

In fact, Justin’s project has assisted in the liberation of almost 15,000 enslaved people, who are now flourishing on their own 3,000 acres of land.

They also have clean water and their own farms, which would not have been possible without Wren’s assistance.

The Texas native returned to the MMA scene with Bellator MMA after five years of recovery and charitable work.

Wren inked a five-bout deal with Bellator in July 2015, and in his first fight for the company, he faced Josh Burns.

Justin began his Bellator career by defeating Burns in a unanimous decision, just as he did his Ring of Fire career.

Despite the fact that Wren had only fought once since his five-year absence, many fans believed he was already skilled enough to contend for the title.

Medical Concerns of Justin Wren

Justin Wren last fought in March of 2017, and he has been out of the ring for the past two years. He is, however, back in the ring and has indicated that his time away from the ring does not mean he is retiring.

Wren’s health has suffered greatly as a result of his frequent excursions to Africa. Wren has struggled with depression and addiction in the past. Aside from that, in November 2013, he contracted malaria, which progressed to blackwater fever.

It was also at that time that he had parasites in 65-70 percent of his blood. Furthermore, his body temperature fluctuated a lot, reaching 104 degrees at times and then down to 96 degrees in less than a minute.

In addition, he couldn’t keep any food down. Meanwhile, he was afflicted with dengue illness.

“I’m definitely not retired. I had shoulder surgery, and then right I’m now, I’m even kind of exhausted mentally because last week I had an endoscopy; I have some sort of parasite or bacteria, so I picked that up on my last trip. If I do get healthy and focused, I do still have big dreams in MMA, and I still have time.”
-Justin Wren 

Wife and Children of Fighter Justin Wren

Emily Wren, Justin’s lovely wife, is the love of his life. In 2014, the pair married in an intimate ceremony attended by close relatives and friends.

Wren’s love tale, on the other hand, is a little different because, generally, the man proposes to the female.

Justin Wren’s wife Emily proposed to him over the phone, and she even filmed the entire discussion.

The couple has yet to be blessed with a child. Nonetheless, Justin’s Instagram posts, in which he publishes images with his stunning wife on their numerous vacations together, demonstrate the couple’s love.

Presence on social media

Instagram (@thebigpygmy): 165k followers
Twitter (@TheBigPygmy): 30.1k followers
Facebook (Justin Wren): 37k followers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Justin Wren’s record in mixed martial arts?

Justin Wren has a thirteen-win, two-loss MMA record in fifteen total fights.

In any case, he has six knockout victories, four submission victories, and three decision victories. Similarly, he has one knockout loss and one decision loss.