Joe Warren says 'Fight Master' is 'the most educational fight show there is'

Joe Warren literally had a front-row seat for the unscripted reactions of the welterweight contestants on “Bellator MMA: Fight Master,” and his suspicion that he’d lose the show’s popularity contest wasn’t far off.

To be fair, the competition for coaching was stiff. As winning fighters walked out of the cage to choose who would guide them through the reality show, they were greeted by a quartet of MMA notables: Randy Couture, Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock and Warren.

When fighters interviewed them for the job, you probably can guess which one got the most attention

“A lot of the foreign fighters had like, a boy crush on Randy,” Warren (8-3 MMA, 6-2 BFC) told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com).

So Warren, an ex-Bellator champ, did what good fighters do and adapted.

“I tried to push that I’m the only person that’s actually a Bellator guy, that’s fought two tournaments and won a belts for them,” said the 36-year-old fighter, who previously won the promotion’s Season 2 tournament and the featherweight belt. “So I sold the idea that I understand the organization. If you want to be a champ, you’ve gotta come with me.”

You can see the results as the teams begin to form over the next few weeks. Couture, Jackson, Shamrock and Warren head eight-man squads of fighters hoping to secure a spot in Bellator’s next tournament and a $100,000 payout. “Fight Master” airs Wednesdays on Spike TV.

The fighters weren’t the only ones caught by surprise when they walked out of the cage after the show’s elimination round. Warren’s reactions got plenty of airtime, too.

“I’m a real emotional cat, so you see a lot in my face,” he said. “But that was the cool thing. A lot of the guys you would assume would come with me didn’t come with me. There was a lot of twists and turns and things none of us were ready for.”

Like when a fighter actually picked him to coach, he noted. Although he broke from other’s strategies in welcoming all fighters to his team, he sometimes found out they weren’t what he hoped for in the skill department.

“You never know what you’re going to have until you put two men in a cage,” Warren said.

Warren said the show will take another turn around the season’s fourth episode, when teams are picked and fight coaching begins. He said the show makes a great effort to highlight differences in strategies and techniques between teams. And there’s the contrasting personalities of the MMA veterans, which add to the character studies at play with the fighters.

“I believe it’s the most educational fight show there is,” he said.

Then there’s the action in the cage. Three of five fights in the first episode ended with a finish, and Warren said more excitement is in store.

“They all had a lot of heart and gave everything they had,” he said. “It was an honor to be coaching some of these guys. Some of these guys will be household names in the future.”

Whether he’s looked at as the prom king or the waterboy, Warren said he’d gladly return to “Fight Master” as a coach.

“If they’re going to pay me to go to practice and not get punched in the face, I’d be happy to do that,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.”

For the latest on Bellator MMA’s schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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