Justin Wren returns to wrestling. On August 28 on the Spike-televised portion of the “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” card he will take on Josh “The Hammer” Burns at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. “The Big Pygmy Viking” comes back to wrestling after five years and twelve days, a time which has seen him battle addiction and discover a new battle.
After leaving to battle his addiction, traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he found himself fighting for others. Many of the Mbuti Pygmies were enslaved, living only on scraps. Wren responded by starting “Fight for the Forgotten.” He and his staff have “bought the land of the slave owners, and have thus far legally given 2,740 acres of rainforest to the Pygmies, effectively freeing them from slavery.” He tells more of his story and that of they Mbuti in his upcoming book, Fight for the Forgotten: How a Mixed Martial Artist Stopped Fighting for Himself, and Started Fighting for Others, which comes out September 17.
Wren and his opponent will join the Spike-televised card, which features Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) versus Brandon “Cold Roll” Girtz (11-4) in the main event of the evening. In the co-headlining role, Saad Awad (18-6) takes on Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (13-6) and an additional heavyweight attraction with Lorenzo Hood (9-2) making his Bellator MMA debut against Raphael Butler (9-1-1).
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If victorious, he will donate his winnings to the pygmies and continue to “Fight for the Forgotten.”
Tickets for “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz,” which start at just $50, are on sale now at Bellator.com, Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office. Doors for the event open at 4 p.m. PT local time.
The card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, with several preliminary bouts airing on Spike.com beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET. Additional preliminary bouts will be announced shortly.
“Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” – Friday, August 28, Pechanga Resort & Casino
Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Melvin Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) vs. Brandon Girtz (11-4)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Patricky Pitbull (13-6) vs. Saad Awad (18-6)
Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Justin Wren (10-2) vs. Josh Burns (8-8)
Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (9-1-1) vs. Lorenzo Hood (9-2)
Bellator Womens Featherweight Prelim: Marloes Coenen (22-6) vs. Arlene Blencowe (6-4)
Bellator Womens Featherweight Prelim: Adrienna Jenkins (18-6) vs. Lissette Neri (6-2)
Bellator Welterweight Prelim: Curtis Millender (7-2) vs. Steven Ciaccio (4-3)
Bellator Welterweight Prelim: Johnny Cisneros (8-4) vs. Gabriel Miglioli (9-7)
