Justin Wren was last seen defeating Juan Torres via decision at Bellator 149: "Shamrock vs Gracie 3" in Houston, Texas, earlier this year, but in his every day life "Big Pygmy" continues a much bigger fight against bigotry and slavery, as he explained in this appearance at TEDxWarwick.
Wren uses his size and power at 6'2", 251 pounds to out-muscle and out-work his opponents inside the cage, leading to two straight unanimous wins. Outside the confines of a cage, however, Wren has a much bigger fight on his hands. A self-described Christian missionary who believes actions speak louder than words, Wren spends every purse he wins on his "Fight for the Forgotten," the Mbuti Pygymy people of Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. Unsurprisingly, it's how he got the "Big Pygmy" nickname.
The Pygmy tribes have a litany of different problems to overcome -- poverty, discrimination, inadequate water resources, lack of medical care -- far too many to name here. However, the one that might surprise you the most is slavery. And if you didn't think this problem still existed in 2016, Wren would like to educate you about it.
Wren was invited to be a featured speaker at TEDxWarwick this year. TED conferences have one simple motto: "Ideas Worth Sharing." For Wren there is clearly no idea more worth sharing than an end to the enslavement of his Pygmy brothers and sisters. His entire speech can be seen in the video player above.
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