Brennan Ward fired up, emotional after Bellator 274 marks win in comeback from addiction battle

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The last time Brennan Ward stepped into the cage prior to Bellator 274 was in 2017. The last time he tasted victory was in 2016.

Saturday, in front of a faithful home state crowd, Ward (14-6 MMA, 9-6 BMMA) checked off both of those boxes when he finished Brandon Bell (10-11 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) with strikes in Round 2.

It was a long, winding, and unusual road for Ward, who finally put his demons to rest after years of drug and alcohol abuse, rehab stints and disappearing acts – which he opened up about in an interview with MMA Junkie.

Ward, 33, detailed how he “retired” from mixed martial arts not because he was done, but because he felt guilty he wasn’t living up to his potential. With his win at Bellator 274, Ward thinks he took the first step toward finding that version of himself.

“Maybe the very tip,” Ward told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “Anybody can just f*cking come and pop back in. I’ve got to come back and stay back here. You know what I’m saying? That dude I fought, that’s a tough guy – a tough guy with a .500 record. Yeah, he’s a jacked, tough mofo. I get it. He might f*ck a lot of dudes up in the street. I get it. The test will be when you give me a top dude. Give me a top dude and I’ll show you what I can do. I’ll show you what I can do.”

The result was emotional and ideal, but there wasn’t as much riding on it for Ward as some people may think. A win or loss Saturday would’ve been a sense of victory for Ward, given all that he went through.

“Just for me to be back here, physically and mentally able to come fight was a win for me, dude,” Ward said. “I did hard f*cking drugs, bro. I was a real f*cking drug addict, dude. … I was an all day, every day, 24 hours a day opiate user, dude, for f*cking years. To get back here was a win and to get a win was even better. I felt the pressure. This f*cking house was packed, you know what I’m saying?”

In his in-cage interview after his victory, Ward told commentator “Big” John McCarthy he isn’t sure what his next move is but is willing to be a gatekeeper for the Bellator welterweight division. Ward was not under a multifight deal when he competed Saturday, despite being on the main card.

“I don’t blame Bellator,” Ward said. “You know how many fights I’ve pulled out of in the last three or four years for these guys? Just as many fights I’ve pulled out of as many years I’ve been away. This ain’t the only organization I got to fight for and pulled out of fights. I was as unreliable as unreliable can be. For them to even roll the dice on me again, dude? Oh, man. I was blacklisted from this promotion for a while. A lot of people don’t f*cking know that. I was blacklisted by people at the top.

“Scott Coker was like, ‘Yo, f*ck it. Let’s give this dude another shot.’ (Matchmaker) Jane (Estioko) said, ‘All right, let’s match him up. Is this dude going to show up?’ Who knows if I was going to show up or not? My medicals were kind of late getting in. They weren’t promoting the fight for a while, because who knows if this dude is going to show up? I backed out of so many fights in the past couple years – like last-minute, too. I’m probably reminding them of sh*t by bringing up some bad memories, but it is what it is.”

Regardless of where his next fight takes place, Ward knows one role he’ll serve in. He wants to be an advocate for those battling addiction and offered up an open line if anyone who watched his fight wants advice.

“You’ve got to grind it out,” Ward said. “If you’re out there and you’re struggling, it’s a grind. It’s a hard-ass grind and it takes a minute. I’ve been trying to get clean for four years, five years. … I should’ve been getting clean 10 years ago. I’ve been using for all of 10 years. Hit me up, man. Get at me. Shoot me a message on f*cking Instagram. Shoot me a message and I will get back to you. It might take me a while, but I’ll get back to you. You know what I’m saying? If you’re struggling and you need help, I can help you. I can point you in the direction, man. I can. I can help you.”