In a rare glimpse of honesty, MMA fighter Joel Bauman opened up about a deeply personal subject.
Bauman took on Reese Forest at Fury FC 61 this past weekend. ‘King Bau’ was looking to bounce back from his last loss to Josh Fremd earlier in February. The 30-year-old MMA fighter did just that as he got back to winning ways after finishing Forest via TKO in the second round.
As good as the finish was, the major talking point of the contest came up after the fight was over. The MMA fighter revealed that he had recently recovered from herpes during a surprisingly honest post-fight interview.
Following his win, Bauman was asked about his thoughts on the match. While still being in the Octagon, he detailed the many challenges he faced leading up to the event. In a somewhat confusing way of expression, Bauman talked about his previous loss, the launch of an NFT project, and the one he went viral for, his recovery from herpes.
NO WAY did he just say that.#FuryFC61 pic.twitter.com/lAk5G3AEBb
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 8, 2022
“Last fight I was tired, I was exhausted. I’m about to launch this NFT that’s going to change the fight game. And I put in 30 all-nighters before that fight, I had herpes before that fight, two outbreaks in the span of a week. I’m here, I’m healthy, let’s go, whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
MMA fighter Bauman blames loss on herpes
The MMA fighter’s clip of confessing to herpes has been doing rounds on the internet. Bauman’s reasoning for his previous loss to Fremd via a rear-naked choke submission may surprise many. He started off by defending his abilities as he put the blame on herpes for that defeat.
Bauman explained that he was low on sleep for 30 days and suffered two STD outbreaks just one week before the bout. With a dominant win over Forest, Bauman now seeks higher-level matchups after the finish.
He currently boasts a record of 5-2 with 1 no contest. Being an associate of the renowned Jackson Wink MMA group, Bauman can look ahead to a bright future if his recent stunt doesn’t eliminate his chances of being in the UFC.
