Joe Warren says he has no sponsors for Bellator bout

[Edge Guerrero]

having trouble supporting family

By Marc Raimondi @marc_raimondi Sep 16, 2016

Joe Warren's shorts will be free of logos Friday night in the Bellator 161 main event. And it won't be him trying to make any kind of fashion statement.

Warren, a former two-division Bellator champion, said he doesn't have any sponsorships for his headline fight against Sirwan Kakai in Cedar Park, Texas. After his first-round submission loss to Darion Caldwell in March, all the companies split, he said.

"I'm not used to losing and people turn and run when you lose," Warren told MMA Fighting. "I know it's only one loss, but they turn and run on you. So yeah, no sponsors for this fight.

"There's fair weather fans out there. I don't believe getting sponsors is as easy as it used to be and it's just kind of sad. What I've put into this game, what I've given into the MMA field, to not even get sponsors, it's sad, man. It's sad. But it's the game. It is what it is. That's not gonna hold me back from performing, it just would have sweetened the pot a little bit."

Warren (13-5) is one of the biggest names in Bellator, not some also-ran on the prelims.. This will be his 16th fight in the promotion and the 13th time in the main event. He has been in the co-headlining role once and his only two times not in either spot were his first two Bellator fights.

Warren, 39, is a former U.S. national team level wrestler and held both the Bellator bantamweight and featherweight titles. He owns a win over the current Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas.

And yet, for whatever reason, companies have not deemed him worthy of a sponsorship this time around. MMA fighters, especially outside of the UFC, make a good chunk of their income from sponsors. Not having any has been a burden on Warren, his wife and his two kids.

"I take care of my family," Warren said. "I use MMA for a job. I lost and we're strapped, man. Daddy has to get back in that cage and work. I'm just honored Viacom and Bellator are giving me the opportunity to get back in there, so I can take care of my family."

Full readhttp://www.mmafighting.com/2016/9/16/12922106/joe-warren-says-he-has-no-sponsors-for-bellator-bout-having-trouble