by Harvey M. Kahn
San Bernardino native and long time mixed martial arts fighter Brian Warren has announced his master plan that includes a campaign to run for the mayor of his "former town of greatness." Warren is considered by peers as a trailblazer in turning the sport of mixed martial arts into a credible business.
Warren is the owner of the Unbreakable Gym in San Bernardino, with another location set for a September 1st grand opening in Yucaipa. Other locations are set to open in the Inland Empire, but are the formative stages. Warren was the assistant to Riverside Poly girls water coach Tom Finwall, where they helped lead the team to the 2009 CIF-Southern Section championship.
Warren said San Bernardino has a great geographic location "with residents that have a lot of heart." He said that the youth-orientated Operation Phoenix was a great idea in theory but never got off the ground. "I tried to offer my services and never got anywhere," said the 35 year-old Warren. He said the city needs to rid itself of the image of guys going around all day asking for money. "I'd like to see networking between the city and private business, with people being employed as coaches to train the local young people. There's a lot of good athletes on the street after school," he said.
Warren lives in San Bernardino with his wife and infant baby girl. He was a All-CIF water polo goalie in 1992 at San Bernardino High School. Then went on to play at Chaffey College where he became MVP of his team & made All southern California 1st team. He was also ranked 2nd in the state in saves. He has fought for a number of mixed martial arts championships and has had audiences in bouts in Las Vegas including Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. He has captured numerous professional tournament titles and has traveled to Mexico for unsanctioned "tough guy" bouts with some of the best in that country. During his 15-year MMA sanctioned career Warren has compiled an 11-13-1 record, which he said was misleading since he took half those on short notice. "I'm not sure how many fights I have left in me, but I am not taking anymore fights unless I have two months notice," said Warren, whose past reveals that he will probably not keep that promise since he is known for not turning down a fight, albeit a days notice.
San Bernardino native and long time mixed martial arts fighter Brian Warren has announced his master plan that includes a campaign to run for the mayor of his "former town of greatness." Warren is considered by peers as a trailblazer in turning the sport of mixed martial arts into a credible business.
Warren is the owner of the Unbreakable Gym in San Bernardino, with another location set for a September 1st grand opening in Yucaipa. Other locations are set to open in the Inland Empire, but are the formative stages. Warren was the assistant to Riverside Poly girls water coach Tom Finwall, where they helped lead the team to the 2009 CIF-Southern Section championship.
Warren said San Bernardino has a great geographic location "with residents that have a lot of heart." He said that the youth-orientated Operation Phoenix was a great idea in theory but never got off the ground. "I tried to offer my services and never got anywhere," said the 35 year-old Warren. He said the city needs to rid itself of the image of guys going around all day asking for money. "I'd like to see networking between the city and private business, with people being employed as coaches to train the local young people. There's a lot of good athletes on the street after school," he said.
Warren lives in San Bernardino with his wife and infant baby girl. He was a All-CIF water polo goalie in 1992 at San Bernardino High School. Then went on to play at Chaffey College where he became MVP of his team & made All southern California 1st team. He was also ranked 2nd in the state in saves. He has fought for a number of mixed martial arts championships and has had audiences in bouts in Las Vegas including Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. He has captured numerous professional tournament titles and has traveled to Mexico for unsanctioned "tough guy" bouts with some of the best in that country. During his 15-year MMA sanctioned career Warren has compiled an 11-13-1 record, which he said was misleading since he took half those on short notice. "I'm not sure how many fights I have left in me, but I am not taking anymore fights unless I have two months notice," said Warren, whose past reveals that he will probably not keep that promise since he is known for not turning down a fight, albeit a days notice.
He lost his last fight in June at the Ontario Citizens Bank Arena by decision to Tiki Ghosen. He shed 12 pounds in two days to make the contracted 170-pound limit. "My defense was slow and Ghosen took me down any time he wanted and I ended up with a concussion," said Warren. "I was in survival mode and friends told me I didn't like the same person."
Warren has a stable of 20 fighters in his Unbreakable Gym, with 12 under a professional contracted agreement with him. He said that Joseph Lewis, Vincent Martinez, Brandon Jennings, and Mark Kempthorne, have all been impressive in recent pro fights. He said that he has had a 12-year verbal agreement with Dan Caldwell, owner of TapOut Clothing in Grand Terrace.
Along with incorporating Christian ethics into his business, Warren established the Unbreakable Kids Program which provides some free mixed martial arts instruction and clothing to local youth. He and Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture helped with a charity golf tournament on Aug. 11 at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana for the family of MMA announcer Ryan Bennett.
As for his mayoral aspirations, Warren added. "If it never happens, at least I showed I care about San Bernardino."