Earlier this year Joe Warren hinted that the end of his career could be on the horizon. He said his wife was encouraging him to seriously consider retirement, and he wasn’t overly resistant to the idea.

At 42, Warren (15-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC) is the oldest bantamweight on the Bellator roster. The former champion has accomplished more in his career than most in the sport ever will, but in terms of the end point, he has somewhat veered away from the idea of imminently hanging up his gloves.

Instead, Warren fights again on Friday at Bellator 210. He meets Shawn Bunch (7-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) on the MMAjunkie-stream prelims, which take place prior to the main card on Paramount and DAZN from WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla.

Warren claims he still holds up strong physically and only considers his age when it’s brought up to him by others.

“People think I’m old, and that’s kind of funny, because I am, but I don’t even notice it until people tell me how old I am,” Warren old MMAjunkie. “The mindset and the breed of athlete where I come from, the Greco-Roman Olympic team, all of us really have competed late into our careers. Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Matt Lindland and myself were all on the same team, and they were around later in their careers. I’m fast, strong, violent, and I’m excited to try to impress myself.”

There are some unfamiliar elements to Warren’s fight at Bellator 210. Typically he occupies the headlining or co-headlining spot of a Bellator card and competes against a top contender or for a championship, but his current situation is different. He meets Bunch, who hasn’t fought for Bellator since 2015, in a non-title bout on the prelims.

One thing Warren is more familiar with, though, is his opponent. He said he and Bunch have run in the same circles for the better part of two decades and called his upcoming foe an “acquaintance and friend.”

“I’ve known Shawn for a long time,” Warren said. “I think he’s a pretty good person. He was at the Olympic Training Center doing freestyle when I was doing greco, so we’ve known each other for a long time. I’ve got another tough wrestler on my hands.”

Although Bunch hasn’t been active with Bellator for several years, Warren said he knows what he’s getting himself into against “The Great.” Warren might be the older competitor by several years, but he said his form is better than ever and believes his unwavering focus from training camp will continue through the fight and result in victory.

“He’s probably hoping I’m overlooking him a little bit,” Warren said. “Daniel Cormier and Shawn are really good friends and are real close, so they’re just hoping I look over him a little bit. I’m not. I understand who Shawn Bunch is, what he came from, how he’s a high-level Division 1 wrestler and was on the Olympic ladder for years in freestyle. That’s a battle-tested warrior right there.

“I’ve got my hands full with this one. We’re ready to go. I’m probably the best I’ve been in years, so I’m excited to perform again.”

For more on Bellator 210, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.