Kili Class
2018 Conquering Kili Class
Role
Clean Water Advocate and MMA Fighter
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
ABOUT JUSTIN
Justin “The Big Pygmy” Wren is known for his successful mixed martial arts career. Early in his career, he appeared on the Spike reality show, The Ultimate Fighter cementing his reputation as a dominating force in the division. His current record of 15-2 remains an impressive testament to his skill as he currently competes in Bellator MMA’s heavyweight division.
But many are surprised to find this 6-foot-3-inch, the 255-pound fighter has an even bigger heart. In his book, Fight for the Forgotten, Wren shares how his faith shifted his focus from fighting against opponents in the cage to fighting for the most bullied people in the world, the Mbuti Pygmies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Justin took a five-year hiatus from his professional fighting career to live in the DRC with the oppressed hunter-gatherer tribe to begin land, water, and food initiatives in the Ituri Rainforest. What’s more, is that since 2011, Justin and Fight for the Forgotten have provided nearly 3,000 acres of land, 70 water wells, and started 3 successful farming initiatives for the Pygmies, empowering local teams to be the implementers of the work. In 2018 a documentary entitled Fighting for Freedom will debut after being in filming since 2014. The film discovers and documents how through empowering the locals to lobby for human rights more than 1,500 Mbuti Pygmies peacefully found sustainable freedom from their former slave masters.
Each new Conquering Kili class accepts the challenge to embark for the summit, a walk that represents the miles that many African women journey on a daily basis to fetch water for their families. While training for the climb, each team member works to raise funds and transform communities through the gift of clean water.