Joe Warren Says The Fans Want to See Him Fight Eduardo Dantas Again

Joe Warren spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 and more. Some highlights are below:

On a rematch with Eduardo Dantas: “I definitely think that’s what the fans want to see. I want to kick the (expletive) out of Dantas again. That would be great. That being said, I’m not looking past anybody. I’ve got another extremely tough fighter in front of me. I’ve got to take it one step at a time. After I beat him, we’ll see what we can do.”

On the fan demand for the fight: “I’m the only one that’s beat Dantas, and I think the fans want to see us go at it one more time. I’ve had streaks and was fighting for the belt then I got caught in a kneebar by Galvao, and they didn’t give me the rematch. I fought L.C. Davis for the No. 1 contender, beat him. Then I never got that shot because the Brazilians won’t get in the cage and fight with me.”

On Darion Caldwell losing a fight instead of waiting for a title shot: “Caldwell was fighting for money trying to take another fight before a title shot. He probably should have waited and had his title shot. But with that being said, he was winning the first two rounds. Then things can go bad real fast in that cage. Joe was able to submit him, and he’s back in the ranks, and that’s kind of (expletive) for him.”

Warren said he won’t try to force Bellator’s hand to give him a title fight if he manages to beat Kakai. Despite his 40th birthday just around the corner, Warren said he has no desire to slow down. He’s already held Bellator belts in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions and is familiar with the effort it takes to claim a belt. He said he’s not looking for any shortcuts to get back there, but considering the messy state of his weight class, he thinks being at the right place at the right time could be beneficial.

On a possible title run: “I’ve won three belts in the Bellator cage already. It would be nice to get it one more time. That would be really satisfying. I didn’t start fighting until I was 32. I didn’t start until later, and I’m mentally and physically stronger than I ever was, so I’m better in the cage now than when I started. I’ve been fighting the best in the world for Bellator every single time. My focus is to keep winning here, keep making money. This what I do for a living, and this is a job for me. I need to get wins so I can take care of my family. I’ll get this win, and then we’ll move forward toward the belt.”

On Kakai: “I expect a dangerous fighter. Any fighter with two losses is extremely dangerous. He feels he won those two fights and he’s been disrespected. That doesn’t mean (expletive) to me. He’s getting in the cage with the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet.’ I will win this fight on the ground with ground-and-pound.”