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In of a moment of weariness five weeks ago, Justin Wren prayed to God for a sign. Wren, a multi-time state wrestling champion (in all three styles) and a two-time national champion who’d competed on The Ultimate Fighter 10 in 2009, had put a promising fighting career on hold. Now he wanted to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo for a third time this summer with enough funding to help liberate 1,000 Pygmy slaves in one year, but he was struggling to get momentum going for the cause.

“I asked God to give me a sign that this wasn’t what I was supposed be doing right now, that he had other plans for me,” said the 25-year-old Wren. “If this wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing, I just needed a little sign.”

Wren received a bit more than that. The fighter-turned-Christian missionary woke up on Feb. 28 to find more than 2,000 emails in his inbox after a two-minute cellphone video he’d posted online months earlier had gone viral overnight.

In the video, a group of wide-eyed Congolese children crowd around Wren, joyfully petting him like he’s a golden retriever — the first time they’ve ever seen a white man (with arm hair no less) in their remote village. The video took off on Reddit.com, a social-media tracker site on Feb. 26, and aired the next night on The Jimmy Kimmel Show and the following morning on The Today Show. TMZ, Gawker, and Deadspin all picked up the warm and fuzzy clip, which got 400,000 views in the first 24 hours and is closing in on one million hits.

Since Feb. 28, Wren has been working nonstop to capitalize on the attention the video has gotten – not for himself, but for the Pygmy men, women and children that are forced into slavery by the very people whose children are seen ogling Wren in the clip.

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Johnson has rarely struggled once the bell rings, but rather only loses to the scale. (Marc J Sanchez / Icon SMI)

Less than a year and a half ago, Anthony Johnson was competing in the UFC’s 170-pound division. And thriving. His October 2011 TKO of Charlie Brenneman was his fifth victory in six outings and earned him a bonus check as Knockout of the Night.

The man known as “Rumble” was moving on up. In more ways than one.

He’d seen success inside the octagon all right, but he’d struggled in the other venue so vital to mixed martial arts: the scale. Johnson twice had weighed in above the welterweight limit. So he moved to middleweight for his next fight … and missed the limit by 11 pounds. A promising future with the sport’s top promotion came to a screeching halt.

Johnson eventually found a home in the brand-new World Series of Fighting … in the light heavyweight division. Back in November, in the promotion’s first event, Johnson stopped a 205-pounder, D.J. Linderman, as if he were a lightweight, dropping him in the first round.

On to bigger and better things?

Well, bigger, anyhow. Johnson headlined Saturday night’s second WSOF event in Atlantic City, N.J., by getting the better of Andrei Arlovski — who as a 34-year-old journeyman is a mere shadow of the  UFC heavyweight champion he once was — via unanimous, if uninspiring, decision.

The bout did have its moments early on, as the fighters traded shots in the first round until Johnson (15-4) dropped the Belarusian just before the end of the round and pounced. He was on the verge of ending the fight when the horn sounded.

It would have been better for both guys, not to mention the fans, if “Rumble” had finished the job right then. The two rounds that followed were tedious slow motion, with Arlovski (19-10) putting forth little offense and Johnson mysteriously settling for clinches and takedowns.

The explanations came afterward, when Johnson complained of an injured hand and Arlovski’s team said its fighter suffered a broken jaw in the first round. One could quibble that neither injury explains the two empty gas tanks we watched lumbering around the cage for the better part of the final 10 minutes. But since Johnson and Arlovski were injured, we’ll simply say they were warriors. That didn’t make their fight pleasant to watch, though.

Apparently it wasn’t so pleasant even for the winning fighter. “The man hits like a ton of bricks,” Johnson said afterward, in reiterating his earlier statements that the heavyweight bout was a one-time departure from his home at light heavy. “These guys like Andrei Arlovski are too big for Anthony Johnson.”

–Jeff Wagenheim

Lavar Johnson tested positive for elevated testosterone levels after his UFC 157 fight. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel is reevaluating the state’s drug testing policy which allows athletes a testosterone-to- epitestosterone level of 6-to-1, compared with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s allowable limit of 4:1.

The panel made recommendations Thursday to begin researching the baseline testosterone-to- epitestosterone levels of combat sports participants, including boxers, mixed martial artists, and kickboxers.  The panel recommended anonymously testing a collection of past samples taken from athletes competing in Nevada to develop a profile of hormone levels specific to fighters.  The idea, says Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Keith Kizer, is to gather data specific to the average fighter rather than the population at large.

If the commission is not able to test the samples collective from previous fights, the panel suggested using samples from future fights to create the baseline.

The information could be the first step in lowering Nevada’s allowable levels, which are higher than those permitted in Olympic sports and by Major League Baseball.

The advisory panel will meet in late April to begin discussing its marijuana policies. All recommendations by the panel are just that — recommendations — and require adoption by the full Nevada State Athletic Commission.

– Melissa Segura

Ronda Rousey, who beat Liz Carmouche at UFC 157, will be one of the coaches in next season’s “The Ultimate Fighter.” (Jae C. Hong/AP)

MONTREAL — Somebody’s about to learn the armbar.

We knew the UFC was only getting started riding the wave of Ronda Rousey’s barrier-busting appeal. And here comes the next breaker, rolling in from the horizon.

The indomitable 135-pound champion, who just three weeks ago transformed the first women’s fight in UFC history into an event that transcended mixed martial arts and even the sports page in general, has been enlisted to breathe new life into another facet of the fight promotion’s business. Company president Dana White announced during Saturday night’s UFC 158 prelims telecast on FX that Rousey will coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter along with the winner of the April 13 bout between former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano.

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Things got testy during Nick Diaz (right) and Georges St-Pierre’s weigh-in for UFC 158. (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

MONTREAL — Saturday night will merely be an encore. Whatever Nick Diaz does in his fight with Georges St-Pierre will only add to the theater of the absurd he’s provided all week in the leadup to UFC 158.

On Wednesday, Nick neglected to show up for the open workouts the fight promotion schedules prior to its events to get fans up close and personal with the athletes, and his absence overshadowed all of the fighters who bothered to be there.

On Thursday, he livened up a monotonous pre-fight press conference at the Bell Centre by spewing more of the incomprehensible babble we’ve been hearing from him ever since the St-Pierre fight was announced. And by baiting the welterweight champion into a repeat performance of the acrimonious exchange they had last week during a conference call with members of the media.

On Friday, Diaz jutted a sharp elbow toward GSP as they squared off after weighing in, prompting UFC president Dana White to jump into harm’s way to ensure the fighters didn’t get physical until it was time to get physical in front of a paying audience.

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Dominick Cruz may be stripped of his bantamweight belt due to injury. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

MONTREAL — One UFC champion might be dethroned this weekend. And the fight promotion also could soon unseat another champ without him even setting foot in the octagon.

Or because he isn’t setting foot in the octagon.

During a conversation with reporters at the Bell Centre following Thursday afternoon’s press conference to hype UFC 158 — and in particular, the main event, Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight title defense against Nick Diaz — company president Dana White was asked if he had any news to share about another of his belt holders, Dominick Cruz. The bantamweight titlist is recovering from a second knee surgery after the first one failed to fix a torn ACL. He has not fought in nearly a year and a half.

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UFC president Dana White hopes to ban testosterone replacement therapy from MMA. (AP)

MONTREAL — From Chael Sonnen to Forrest Griffin, Frank Mir to Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort to Rampage Jackson and beyond, mixed martial artists at the sport’s highest level have successfully persuaded state athletic commissions to OK medical exemptions for them to use testosterone replacement therapy.

But Dana White has a different message for those fighters: “If you have to use TRT, you’re probably too old to be fighting.”

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Georges St.-Pierre (left) will face Nick Diaz, while Carlos Condit (right) will fight Johny Hendricks. (Getty Images)

SI.com’s Jeff Wagenheim provides his predictions for UFC 158, which will be held on Saturday in Montreal.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

Weeks of rancorous buildup will reach a crescendo of hometown exhilaration when GSP walks to the octagon in front of his adoring public. Then St-Pierre will tune it all out and quietly go about his business. Forget the uncharacteristic fury we’ve seen from Georges of late. Diaz trash-talks a good game and has dragged lesser men into his torture chamber, but once the cage door closes, GSP is done with that nonsense. He’ll methodically slow Nick’s forward-moving stalking with jabs and kicks, and when he’s ready he’ll put the challenger on his back and spend the rest of the 25 minutes beating his head into the canvas. Unless Diaz is too bloodied and battered to make it to the finish line. St-Pierre by decision.

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All three of SI.com’s experts predict that Ronda Rousey will defeat Liz Carmouche by submission. (AP)

SI.com analysts Dave Doyle, Loretta Hunt and Jeff Wagenheim provide their predictions for UFC 157 on Saturday.

Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche

DOYLE: An Iraq War vet with three tours of duty, Carmouche won’t be intimidated by Rousey like so many other opponents. She’ll probably even be the first to really tag Rousey, putting a scare into Dana White in the process. But when push comes to shove, the armbar wins out. Rousey by submission, round two.

HUNT: I was surprised that the UFC selected Carmouche as a first opponent for its superstar women’s champion. Carmouche is unpredictable, capable in multiple disciplines (decent striking, better ground game), and able to adapt mid-fight. That said, Carmouche will have to get close to Rousey to beat her, where the Olympic judo bronze medalist is at her strongest. Rousey by submission.

WAGENHEIM: How do I say this without mischaracterizing Carmouche as some mannequin being stood in the octagon just to create the appearance of Rousey not being in there alone? Liz is very much a live opponent, tough and aggressive. She’s a real fighter. But Ronda is unreal. She’s showed herself to be at a whole different level than every past opponent, and she’ll make that evident again on Saturday. Rousey by submission.

Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida

DOYLE: One of these days, age is finally going to catch up to Henderson, who hasn’t fought in a year and a half. He’s gotten into precarious situations in his last two fights (against Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio Rua) and rallied to win. This time, he won’t be so lucky. Machida by TKO, round three.

HUNT: Machida has been flying a bit under the radar, but he’s training diligently and improving proportionately. At age 42, Henderson’s career is winding down, and stamina has never been his strong suit. Let us not forget that he hasn’t fought in 15 months and is coming back from a recurring knee injury (He’s had ACL surgery in the past, too). He’s still got fight-finishing power in both hands, but I’d wager Machida will stay far out of range for them. Machida by decision.

WAGENHEIM: Machida is elusive and tricky and dangerous, but Hendo has been solving puzzles of all shapes and sizes for a long time. Old man Dan actually gets an assist here from Rousey and Carmouche, because with the women being in the main event, this clash of ex-champs is just a three-rounder. That way, the 42-year-old won’t lose steam. Henderson by decision.

Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar

DOYLE: Faber’s career pattern in recent years has been to lose competitive matches to champions and dominate the rest of the competition. Until proven otherwise, I’ll stick with that assumption. Faber by third-round submission.

HUNT: Menjivar doesn’t depend on fighting to put food on his family’s table and his calm, methodical style reflects that. Faber will likely push the pace, which will take Menjivar out of his comfort zone a bit, but if the Salvadorian-Canadian can keep it together, he might find his opening. Menjivar by submission.

WAGENHEIM: Faber is just 3-3 in his last six fights, but look at the losses: to José Aldo, Dominick Cruz and Renan Barão. Urijah loses to the best… and bests everyone else. Faber by decision.

Court McGee vs. Josh Neer

DOYLE: With the UFC handing out pink slips left and right, the loser of this might be out of a job. In the end, McGee’s size in his drop to welterweight should be too much for the former lightweight Neer. McGee by decision. 

HUNT: Both are coming off back-to-back losses, but McGee is younger in this game, with more yet to accomplish. He’ll have to deal with a durable veteran who’s equally comfortable going toe-to-toe and tangling on the ground, but the gritty McGee’s hunger should pull him through. McGee by decision.

WAGENHEIM: This is a fight for survival, as both men are on two-fight losing streaks and understand the perils of continuing that downward trend. McGee by decision.

Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler

DOYLE: The veteran Lawler still drops big bombs, but he’s dangerously close to being in the “puncher’s chance” stage of his career. Koscheck by decision. 

HUNT: What a fight to kick off this historic pay-per-view — two fighters who truly enjoy the dance that is MMA striking. Since Lawler’s current training situation is a mystery and Koscheck has likely assimilated to his new surroundings following his dramatic departure from AKA, the latter has the clear advantage. In addition, Koscheck, an accomplished collegiate wrestler, can shoot in on Lawler at any time should things go array on its feet. Koscheck by TKO.

WAGENHEIM: Koscheck seems to have slipped a bit in the welterweight pecking order, but he hasn’t slipped far enough to let this one get away. Koscheck by KO.

With his victory over Gavin Rees, Adrien Broner improved his career record to 26-0. (Tim Larsen/AP)

ATLANTIC CITY — Three thoughts from Adrien Broner’s fifth round technical knockout of Gavin Rees…

This was predictable You can’t blame Broner for the matchmaking. He wanted to fight Ricky Burns before Burns priced himself out of the fight, and he is in a 135-pound division without many notable challengers. Rees was a former 140-pound champion but he was in way too deep with Broner, whose speed and power were considerably better than Rees’s. Rees had some nice moments in the early rounds, peppering Broner with shots to the head and body. But when Broner turned it on, Rees had no shot. He went down on a savage uppercut in the fourth round and was flattened again in the fifth before cornerman Gary Lockett threw in the towel. “He hits incredibly hard for a lightweight,” Rees said. “I knew he was going to be powerful, but his power really stunned me. He’s not a superstar in the making, he’s already there. No one has ever treated me like that in boxing. He is going to go a very long way.

Lot of Floyd Mayweather in Broner From the blinding hand speed to the shoulder roll defense to the in-ring swagger, Broner is, in many ways, a young Mayweather, one with even more power. But there is one big difference: At 23, Mayweather was unhittable; Broner takes a lot of shots. Part of it is because Broner is more offensive minded than Mayweather, but that attitude leaves him open for big shots. Broner has as much pure talent as anyone in boxing, but his willingness to take shots could make him vulnerable to bigger punchers.

It’s Burns, or move up There is only one legitimate fight for Broner in the 135-pound division, and it’s Burns, who will try to unify the lightweight titles when he takes on Miguel Vazquez on March 16th. Burns doesn’t have great power, but he is tall (5-foot-10) and skilled and should give Broner a decent fight. If a Burns fight can’t be made, Broner should move up to 140-pounds, arguably the deepest division in boxing. Broner is on the cusp of stardom; a couple of years fighting some of the top junior welterweights could make him one.