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MMA Fighter Joel Bauman: I’m Battling Herpes And Launching An NFT Crypto That Will Change The Fight Game

MMA Fighter Joel Bauman: I’m Battling Herpes And Launching An NFT Crypto That Will Change The Fight Game

Joel Bauman MMA

Photo: YouTube screengrab

Popular mixed martial art champion Joel Bauman has made a shocking admission. During a post-fight interview on May 8, the MMA fighter admitted that he had battled herpes.

He blamed his herpes outbreak for a major loss earlier in the year but for his most recent fight, Bauman was victorious at Fury Fighting Championship FC 61. He claimed a TKO victory over Reese Forest in their middleweight bout at Bert Ogden Arena in Texas.

The World Health Organization estimates that close to 67 percent of the world’s population has oral herpes, or HSV-1, and about 11 percent has genital herpes, or HSV-2.

Besides the medical revelation, Bauman said he planned to launch a nonfungible token (NFT) crypto venture that he claims will change the fight game.  

NFTs are cryptographically unique digital tokens that are proof of ownership for various tangible items. These items can be stored digitally such as artwork, digital collectibles, music, and items in video games.

“Last fight I was tired, I was exhausted,” Bauman said on the mic immediately after his win. “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.”

Bauman said he is currently healthy. “I’m here, I’m healthy, let’s go, whatever,” Bauman said. “It doesn’t matter. I fight.”

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In February, Bauman, a former collegiate wrestler at the University of Minnesota, lost to American fighter Josh Fremd, marking the second defeat of his professional career, The New York Post reported. He lost to Fremd during the Fight Alliance Championship 12 via submission. His first loss occurred in 2019 against Jordan Young at Bellator MMA 224.

While Bauman has not revealed many details about his NFT project, it comes at a time when the industry is wondering if the NFT speculative bubble has popped.

NFT sales are flatlining, market observers say, with average daily sales for the week of May 1 down 92 percent from the peak in September, according to data from the website NonFungible.  

An average of 19,000 NFTs were sold during the week of May 1, compared with about 225,000 in September 2021.

Photo: YouTube screengrab