ZenRhino's MMA Blog: 10 Questions With Jim Alers

Jim "The Beast" Alers

Almost exactly 2 years ago to the day, back on February 25th, 2012 I was lucky enough to help work Complete Devastation 3 at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, Pa. The main event that night was between Virginia fight known to Pennsylvania fight fans Noe Quintanilla and a fighter from Orlando, Florida - Jim "The Beast" Alers.

The fight ended with Alers winning by Rear Naked Choke at 48 seconds of the first round. I was working cageside and got to see firsthand how amazing his submission game is, and after the fights were over Alers came to the after-party put on by the promotion at the location the promotion then was using as well as being used by a local MMA gym.

The Florida fighter lived up to his nickname "The Beast" inside the cage, but outside of it you couldn't meet a nicer guy. He was walking around with this monkey hat that a child might wear, and he was very friendly as he took time to speak with anyone wanting to talk with him. I wish I had remembered to get a photo with him, but at least I did manage to get an event poster and have him sign that for my collection.

Just three months later Alers was international, fighting in Bahrain for the UK Based promotion Cage Warriors against Matteus Lahdesmaki - winning by TKO (strikes) in the 2nd round.This win definitely put "The Beast" on the map for Cage Warriors, because after one more win he was given a chance to fight for the Featherweight title.

On April 13, 2013 Alers defeated Joni Salovaara at Cage Warriors 53 by Triangle Choke in the 4th round to become the Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion. Alers would defend this title two more times.

For Alers it is a case of hard work paying off. Just a couple weeks ago in mid February I saw Jim posting to Dana White on Twitter, saying that if he ever needs someone to fill in at 145 lbs that he was ready to go! I decided to help out if I could & so I posted on my Facebook page for my friends to cut/paste this into their Twitter:

@danawhite If you need a replacement at 145 Jim "The Beast" Alers @fightJim is a BEAST! Cage Warriors Champ is ready to go! #AlersToTheUFC

Now, I don't know if this had any effect on Dana White, but before long I noticed that Alers had been called up the UFC for his Octagon debut against the first Kurdish born fighter in the UFC, Alan Omer, at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 40: Nogueira Vs. Nelson in Abu Dhabi on April 11th. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving or nicer guy.

But The UFC doesn't just give out a free ride, and the opponent Alers must face on April 11th is a very tough fighter. Alan Omer is the first Kurdish born Iraqi fighter to make it to the UFC, and I expect this to be an amazing fight between two tough fighters. I wish Omer the best, but my personal pick for this fight will be Jim Alers winning by Submission in the 2nd round.

After seeing the news that "The Beast" had been signed to the UFC I reached out to Jim and asked if he would be interested in participating in my "10 Questions With..." interview series. I let him know that the Central Pennsylvania fight fans still remember him fighting in Altoona, and that I'm sure they would love to know what he has been doing between fighting locally two years ago to fighting internationally to being the newest fighter signed to the UFC.

Prior to being signed to the UFC Alers had been set to fight Irish fighter Connor McGregor. The two had become rivals of sorts in the Cage Warriors promotion, and were set to fight at Cage Warriors Fight Night 7 on January 9th 2012 but McGregor had to pull out due to injury. Alers ended up defeating Marcio Cesar that night. Then the two warriors were set to fight ay Cage Warriors 51 on December 31st 2012, but this time Alers had to pull out due to a hand injury and McGregor defeated Ivan Buchinger to win the vacant Cage Warriors Lightweight title. But before the two fighters could meet in the cage, McGregor was signed by the UFC and fought at UFC on FUEL TV 9 April 6th while Alers defeated Joni Salovaara for the vacant Cage Warriors Featherweight title.

Now that both fighters are in the UFC's Featherweight division, maybe this rivalry can resume & we can finally find out which of the two fighters is the best? Jim Alers Vs. Connor McGregor would be an amazing fight to see!

Jim was more than happy to participate, and I am grateful that he took time out of his busy training schedule to answer a few questions. I hope you enjoy catching up on this incredible fighter and awesome person. Jim is a fighter, but he is also a family man, and has a school where he helps trains others. I wish him the best of everything - both in the UFC and in life.

Here's 10 Questions with Jim "The Beast" Alers.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hey everyone my name is Jim "The Beast" Alers. I fight out of Orlando Florida and my team is Tough As Nails MMA. I never got the chance to fight ammy because it did not exist in Florida when I started MMA. My pro record however is 12-1 with 11 finishes. I fight in the featherweight division and I am a 2x defending Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 145lb champ. I have most recently signed with the UFC where I will be making my debut April 11th in Abu Dhabi.

2. How did you get started in MMA?

I guess that I would say I started training for MMA in high school when I joined the wrestling team. I have always been very athletic and competitive. After high school I fell in love with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where I trained for 3 years before I took my first MMA fight.

3. What gym(s) do you train at and what is it like training there?

I train at a bunch of different gyms but my home gym is Tough As Nails MMA which is in Oviedo, Florida. I am one of the head instructors there for MMA and BJJ. My students and the other head coaches push me to the limit every practice and I believe they are a big reason for most of my success. I am also blessed to be able to train at many other gyms in the area such as The Jungle MMA and Fitness, Fabin Rocha BJJ, American Top Team, Florida Muay Thai and Pichis boxing pit. So yea I travel around Orlando a lot to get the best training that I can possibly get. I thank all the schools for allowing me into their gyms.

4. What do you feel your strengths are as a fighter?

To me my biggest strength as a fighter is my heart. I will never give up when I am out there. I am going to give it 110% every minute of every round. I have that never surrender attitude and it has taken me very far. Oh and I guess I have been told I have some pretty good BJJ.

5. What do you feel you need to work on to be a more complete fighter?

I am definitely working on my Muay Thai to become a more complete MMA fighter. I am working with current Glory fighter Paul Morfort out of Florida Muay Thai. He is showing me things that I believe will wow the audience in my next fight. I can't wait to put my new knowledge to use.

6. You had fought in Central Pennsylvania before fighting for U.K. based promotion Cage Warriors and becoming their Featherweight (145 lb) champion. Tell us about how it felt to be facing international level competition after fighting for local/regional promotions here in the U.S.

Fighting over seas is a whole different experience then fighting home in the states. First the flights are usually 8hrs to 16hrs which is a killer on the weight cut and jet lag is hard to deal with. Second you have to get use to the food of where ever you are for that fight. It could be the UK, Russia or the Middle East. Lastly you just have to make sure that you are in the right state of mind and that you don't get caught up in the glory of traveling the world. The most important thing is getting that W.

7. Recently you were signed to the UFC and will be making your debut at UFC Fight Night: Nogueira Vs. Nelson in Abu Dhabi against Alan Omer on April 11th. Tell us about what being signed to the UFC feels like and what it means to you.

When I found out that I got signed to the UFC I was on my way to work at 6:30am. I received an Email asking if we will like to take the fight against Alan Omer at UFC Fight Night: Abu Dhabi. I thought that my manager was playing a joke on me at first. When I realized that he wasn't I had to pull over to the side of the road because I was filled with so much emotion. I have been training for 10 long years for this moment and when it finally came true I couldn't believe it was real. It felt amazing to reach a goal that I have been working so hard to reach. I learned to never give up and stay true to yourself. Good things happen to good people.

8. Who are some of your role models?

I would have to say that my number 1 role model in life is my coach and mentor Hank Porcher. He is everything that I inspire to be in life. He is a family man, a god loving man and care for others around him without ever asking for anything in return. I hope that I can take all my experience from MMA and life to become half the man that he is.

9. What are your plans for the future?

I plan on growing my school. I want to not only be a great fighter but also be a great coach. To me there is no better feeling then seeing your students on the mats or in the cage getting their hand raised. I also want to spend time with my family and teach my son to be of God. I want to show him that we have to give back and help those that are in true need. So many people have helped me on my long journey to the UFC that I feel I have so much to give back.

10.Is there anyone you'd like to thank?

I would like to thank my wife, Melisa Alers. She has been there with me from the beginning and by beginning I mean since high school wrestling. My coach Hank Porcher, my entire team at Tough As Nails MMA/Crossfit and of course all the other instructors and schools that have contributed to my success.