Quick Facts
| Full Name | Justin Christopher Wren |
| Birth Date | 27 April 1987 |
| Birth Place | Dallas, Texas, U.S.A |
| Nick Name | Big Pygmy |
| Religion | Not available |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | Iowa State University |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Father’s Name | Not available |
| Mother’s Name | Not available |
| Siblings | Not available |
| Age | 35 years old |
| Height | 6’2″ (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 234 lb (106 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Net Worth | $500,000 |
| Married | Yes |
| Spouse | Emily Wren |
| Children | No |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Arts |
| Reach | 75 inch (191 cm) |
| Style | Greco-Roman Wrestling |
| Team | Team Takedown, Grudge Training Center, Travis Lutter BJJ |
| Style | Wrestling |
| Fighting out of | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| MMA Record | 15-2-0 |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
“Some people crumble under adversity while others rise through it.” Likewise, having been bullied at a very young age, Justin Wren has overcome his adversities from the past to become one of the best heavyweights in Bellator MMA.
Before his hiatus from Bellator, everyone thought that Justin was the next man in line for the heavyweight championship. But, the Texas native is not just a fighter who beats people inside the cage.
Instead, Wren is also a social activist who helps tribes in Congo’s jungles through the Fight for the Forgotten charity.
As a result, the 32-year-old is one of the most loved and popular fighters in the MMA scene. But, Justin did not earn all his love and fame in a single day. Rather, the Texas-born fighter had to face difficulties from very early on in his career.
Therefore, we have written this article to explain Wren’s early life to his current days as a social activist and all that happened in between. But first, let’s have a look at his quick facts.
Justin Wren’s Childhood
Christopher Wren was born on April 27, 1987, in Dallas, Texas, to unknown parents. Justin has wanted to participate in combat sports since he was a child.
The biggest reason is because he has been bullied by other children. As a result, the heavyweight fighter understood at 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 was forced to take up wrestling instead. Despite this, the Texas native excelled for Bishop Lynch High School, which was the top high school in wrestling.
In addition, Olympic Gold Medalists Kenny Monday and Kendall Cross coached Justin, who won the Prep State Championship twice in 2004, 2005, and was a two-time Prep All-American.
Furthermore, by the time Wren graduated from college, he had been a two-time All-American in Greco Roman wrestling and had won Fargo’s national title.
Justin Wren’s Professional Life
Wren began his professional MMA career with none other than the UFC. Before making his professional debut, the Texas native had fought ten times, winning nine of them.
As a consequence, Justin was accepted to the ninth episode of Total Ultimate Fighter to compete against some of the top up-and-coming heavyweights in the world.
Following that, the Big Pygmy made his UFC debut against Wes Sims. Justin easily won the battle as Sims tapped out in the first round with an arm triangle submission maneuver.
As a result, Wren was forced to face future UFC heavyweight star Roy Nelson in the tournament’s quarterfinals. Nelson controversially won the bout by majority decision in the second round. Everyone who saw the fight, including UFC president Dana White, thought it should have gone to the third and final round.
Following that, the 32-year-old heavyweight had his final UFC appearance against John Madsen. Wren, on the other hand, was defeated by a split decision.
To make matters worse, the Texas native’s tenure with the UFC was cut short owing to disappointing performances. Nonetheless, Justin was aware that the two-time All-American Greco Roman wrestler would be pursued by a slew of other companies.
That is exactly what happened when Wren announced that he had signed a contract with Colorado-based Ring of Fire MMA. Following that, in his debut fight with the ROF, Justin defeated Josh Henry via TKO in the first round. The Texas native seems to have discovered his actual shape.
Similarly, Wren defeated Josh Robertson in his second fight with the organization.
The fight, however, was not without consequence, as the Big Pygmy was damaged by a slam. As a result, Justin had to undergo corrective surgery to repair the seven damaged discs in his back.
Wren swore to return even stronger, but he had no idea that his injuries would keep him out of the sport for five years. The Texas native then spent the next five years recovering and perfecting his talents.
Defend the Forgotten
This is when the 34-year-old heavyweight became involved with the Fight for the Forgotten foundation.
To put it simply, the organization assists forgotten tribes of Mbuti Pygmies who are suffering from economic enslavement, diseases, and hopelessness. Indeed, through his project, Justin 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 access to 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 signed a five-fight contract with the organization in July 2015 and made his Bellator debut against Josh Burns.
Justin began his Bellator career by defeating Burns via unanimous decision, exactly like he concluded 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.
Nonetheless, the 34-year-old did not let the hype get to his head, winning his second fight against Juan Torres by unanimous decision.
Following that, Justin faced Roman Pizzolato in his third Bellator fight. He won the fight in the first round with an arm-triangle choke, as he had done the previous two times.
By this point, practically everyone felt the heavyweight fighter would get his long-awaited title shot. Wren, on the other hand, has not competed since his last bout against Pizzolato on March 3, 2017, for a variety of undisclosed reasons.
Justin, on the other hand, has two fights left on his five-fight contract with Bellator MMA. As a result, we are confident that Wren will make a successful comeback and, who knows, even win the heavyweight championship as he has in the past.
Justin Wren’s Age, Height, and Body Dimensions
The Texas native was born in 1987, making him 34 years old right now. Although 34 years old may seem elderly 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. Similarly, Justin is 6 feet 2 inches tall, which is a good 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. Similarly, Justin weighs 234 lb (106.3 kg), which is the ideal weight for his height. The majority of people are unaware that there is no weight limit in the heavyweight division.
As a result, Justin frequently faces opponents that are larger than him. Nonetheless, Wren appears unfazed by his considerably larger opponents, as evidenced by his impressive record of 13 wins and two losses.
Justin Wren: Health Concerns
Justin Wren fought for the final time in March 2017, and he has been out of the ring for the past two years. However, he has returned and declared 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 previously battled depression and addiction. In addition, in November 2013, he contracted malaria, which progressed to blackwater fever.
Furthermore, he had parasites in 65-70 percent of his blood at the time. Furthermore, his body temperature fluctuated a lot, reaching 104 degrees and then down to 96 degrees in a minute.
He was also unable to keep any food down. Meanwhile, he was suffering from dengue illness.
“I’m not at all retired.” I had shoulder surgery, and now I’m mentally fatigued since I had an endoscopy last week; I have some sort of parasite or bacteria, which I caught up on my last trip. If I can stay healthy and motivated, I still have huge aspirations in MMA and plenty of time.”
Wren, Justin
Justin Wren’s Salary & Fight Purse
Justin’s net worth is $500,000 as of 2022, primarily from his MMA pursuits.
Even while the figure is significant to ordinary people like us, professional sportsmen in other combat sports such as boxing and wrestling earn significantly more. As a result, Wren’s net worth is modest.
Furthermore, Justin earns a base wage of $20,000 each bout, minus Bellator bonuses. In addition, the Texas native provides numerous sponsorship tiers to interested parties.
To clarify, Wren provides sponsorship packages of $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 for branding on Justin’s shorts and products. Sponsors will also be highlighted in press conferences and on social media.
However, in 2015, the Texas native pledged to donate all of his earnings to the Fight for the Forgotten charity.
As a result, his net worth has not increased significantly over the years. Nonetheless, based on Justin’s talent and good deeds, we hope he raises his profits so that more people can benefit from charity.
Justin Wren’s Wife and Children
Justin is married to his lovely wife, Emily Wren. The pair married in 2014 in an intimate ceremony attended by close relatives and friends.
However, Wren’s love tale is unique in that, generally, the male proposes to the female. In Justin Wren’s case, his wife Emily proposed to him over the phone and even filmed the entire discussion.
As of now, the couple has yet to have a kid. Nonetheless, Justin’s Instagram posts, in which he publishes images with his stunning wife on their numerous vacations together, demonstrate the couple’s love.
Social Media Presence
Instagram (@thebigpygmy): 158k followers
Twitter (@TheBigPygmy): 33k followers
Facebook (Justin Wren): 39k followers
Justin Wren: FAQs
What is Justin Wren’s MMA record?
Justin Wren’s MMA record is thirteen wins and two losses among the fifteen total games he has played.
Anyways, his wins include six by knockout, four by submission, and three by decision. Likewise, his losses account to one by knockout and one by decision.
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