In mid-May, the Mountain Warrior will
be making his final climb (into the cage) to brawl against a 23-year-old mauler named Mauller.
The co-founder of the nonprofit Mountains of Hope Outreach youth ministry, Dustin “Dirt” Cooper, a/k/a the Mountain Warrior, has competed in Mixed Martial Arts matches around the Mountain State for the past three years, not for trophies or belts but on a personal mission of sharing his faith and testimony.
Cooper has triumphed in each bout. He won his first boxing match at age 37 at a 2021 Rough ‘n’ Rowdy MMA competition. He won his first MMA match in 2021, defeating opponent Hunter Wilson in Harts. He also won at a match in Bridgeport in May 2023, vanquishing challenger Michael Shearer in 37 seconds. (Cooper prefers MMA over boxing; "I'm more of a pound-and-ground fighter," he said.)
His upcoming MMA match will be his most daunting, he conceded without reservation. He has been impeded by a neck injury for months now as he prepares to trade blows with Skyler Mauller, of Crooksville, Ohio, on May 18 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
"A while back, I crunched something in my neck," Cooper said. "I'm getting back to it and still in a lot of pain, but if I don't do [the fight] now, I won't be able to later; I'll be 40 years old. I haven't been able to do push-ups or run for the last 16 weeks.
“I’ve always been a natural fighter. Life was hard for my brother and me growing up -- our dad was in prison and our mom was an addict. People called my fighting skills a God-given talent. I thought the fighting thing would really inspire West Virginians and it has,” he said in a May 2023 Daily Mail West Virginia article in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Mountains of Hope
Cooper founded the Mountains of Hope ministry with his wife, Jana, four years ago, joined by friends, many from his childhood growing up in Marmet, lending their support.
“In the beginning, we started as the Ol’ Boys, a group of friends who grew up together, playing sports, competing, and then started to lose friends along the way to drugs and noticed how many kids they left behind. We realized we had our own talents and could use them to impact kids in our community, which led to the birth of Mountains of Hope Outreach," Cooper recounted in the 2023 article.
One popular outreach has been the free “Love and Diversity” events for children, held annually at venues such as Kanawha State Forest, Coonskin Park and Magic Island.
Mountains of Hope Outreach will partner with the New Fire Basketball Ministry for fishing and other recreational opportunities for youths at the fourth annual fishing rodeo on April 13 at Coonskin Park in Charleston. Fishing poles will be provided (as will homemade hot dogs and other refreshments). All of the activities will be free, although donations will be accepted to support both programs.
Another endeavor is the youth wrestling program Mountains of Hope launched last year at the BARN Community Center in Nellis. Two of its wrestlers earned seeds to compete at state championship matches this past weekend, Cooper said.
Cooper said all of the money he makes and raises from his May 18 match will be directed to Mountains of Hope. "Our goal for 2024 is to get our own land and our own building for Mountains of Hope," he explained. "Three or four of us Ol' Boys are going to throw in a couple of thousand dollars each and buy a piece of land."
He foresees the Upper Kanawha Valley-based facility including counseling services and food and clothing pantries as well as providing recreation, information and inspiration to children and their families. He and colleagues have approached UKV mayors and other officials about the project.
"We don't know where God is going to put us, but we're putting our money where our mouths are."
'He'd better bring it all'
That goal, his faith and his ministry give him the impetus to undertake his farewell MMA cage match.
"I signed the contract [to fight] on Feb. 20. I'm as scared as I can be, but so are those kids living in circumstances worse than mine. We have to face our fears.
"Even if I lose, I think there's a story in losing and getting back up again, too. There's more of a lesson in that than anything. People are asking me, 'Do you think you're going to win?' I don't care either way, as long as I come out OK. Getting back up is the story.
"It's like a UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] fight, five minutes a round. You fight for your life five minutes at a time. He's 20-something-years old and already a professional fighter. I'm not the best fighter, but what I fight for makes me dangerous, too. He'd better bring it all.
"Fighting is a way of growing. When you get in that cage and put it all on the line, you come out differently. When you train in the mornings and into the nights, it builds you up, win, lose or draw. It gets someone out their comfort zone and fighting for a cause. I'm definitely proud to have laid the foundation to it," Cooper said.
For more information about Mountains of Hope Outreach, contact Dustin Cooper at 270-206-5331 or dirtleecooper@gmail.com or visit the Mountains of Hope Facebook page.
The co-founder of the nonprofit Mountains of Hope Outreach youth ministry, Dustin “Dirt” Cooper, a/k/a the Mountain Warrior, has competed in Mixed Martial Arts matches around the Mountain State for the past three years, not for trophies or belts but on a personal mission of sharing his faith and testimony.
Cooper has triumphed in each bout. He won his first boxing match at age 37 at a 2021 Rough ‘n’ Rowdy MMA competition. He won his first MMA match in 2021, defeating opponent Hunter Wilson in Harts. He also won at a match in Bridgeport in May 2023, vanquishing challenger Michael Shearer in 37 seconds. (Cooper prefers MMA over boxing; "I'm more of a pound-and-ground fighter," he said.)
His upcoming MMA match will be his most daunting, he conceded without reservation. He has been impeded by a neck injury for months now as he prepares to trade blows with Skyler Mauller, of Crooksville, Ohio, on May 18 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
"A while back, I crunched something in my neck," Cooper said. "I'm getting back to it and still in a lot of pain, but if I don't do [the fight] now, I won't be able to later; I'll be 40 years old. I haven't been able to do push-ups or run for the last 16 weeks.
“I’ve always been a natural fighter. Life was hard for my brother and me growing up -- our dad was in prison and our mom was an addict. People called my fighting skills a God-given talent. I thought the fighting thing would really inspire West Virginians and it has,” he said in a May 2023 Daily Mail West Virginia article in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Mountains of Hope
Cooper founded the Mountains of Hope ministry with his wife, Jana, four years ago, joined by friends, many from his childhood growing up in Marmet, lending their support.
“In the beginning, we started as the Ol’ Boys, a group of friends who grew up together, playing sports, competing, and then started to lose friends along the way to drugs and noticed how many kids they left behind. We realized we had our own talents and could use them to impact kids in our community, which led to the birth of Mountains of Hope Outreach," Cooper recounted in the 2023 article.
One popular outreach has been the free “Love and Diversity” events for children, held annually at venues such as Kanawha State Forest, Coonskin Park and Magic Island.
Mountains of Hope Outreach will partner with the New Fire Basketball Ministry for fishing and other recreational opportunities for youths at the fourth annual fishing rodeo on April 13 at Coonskin Park in Charleston. Fishing poles will be provided (as will homemade hot dogs and other refreshments). All of the activities will be free, although donations will be accepted to support both programs.
Another endeavor is the youth wrestling program Mountains of Hope launched last year at the BARN Community Center in Nellis. Two of its wrestlers earned seeds to compete at state championship matches this past weekend, Cooper said.
Cooper said all of the money he makes and raises from his May 18 match will be directed to Mountains of Hope. "Our goal for 2024 is to get our own land and our own building for Mountains of Hope," he explained. "Three or four of us Ol' Boys are going to throw in a couple of thousand dollars each and buy a piece of land."
He foresees the Upper Kanawha Valley-based facility including counseling services and food and clothing pantries as well as providing recreation, information and inspiration to children and their families. He and colleagues have approached UKV mayors and other officials about the project.
"We don't know where God is going to put us, but we're putting our money where our mouths are."
'He'd better bring it all'
That goal, his faith and his ministry give him the impetus to undertake his farewell MMA cage match.
"I signed the contract [to fight] on Feb. 20. I'm as scared as I can be, but so are those kids living in circumstances worse than mine. We have to face our fears.
"Even if I lose, I think there's a story in losing and getting back up again, too. There's more of a lesson in that than anything. People are asking me, 'Do you think you're going to win?' I don't care either way, as long as I come out OK. Getting back up is the story.
"It's like a UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] fight, five minutes a round. You fight for your life five minutes at a time. He's 20-something-years old and already a professional fighter. I'm not the best fighter, but what I fight for makes me dangerous, too. He'd better bring it all.
"Fighting is a way of growing. When you get in that cage and put it all on the line, you come out differently. When you train in the mornings and into the nights, it builds you up, win, lose or draw. It gets someone out their comfort zone and fighting for a cause. I'm definitely proud to have laid the foundation to it," Cooper said.
For more information about Mountains of Hope Outreach, contact Dustin Cooper at 270-206-5331 or dirtleecooper@gmail.com or visit the Mountains of Hope Facebook page.
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