Jason Alexander (4-0) is in a bit of a hurry.
It’s easy to understand why, as the 27-year-old bantamweight fighter prepares for what he says is his last amateur bout this weekend when he takes on 20-year-old Canadian Dalton Brady (4-0) for the 135-pound title at IT Fight Series 33 in Columbus, Ohio.
Alexander has already wasted so much time in his life and career, and he’s not planning to waste any more. The Erie, Pennsylvania native got caught up in some trouble when he was younger, and he spent time behind bars as a result of what he knows were the wrong choices.
“That’s the hardest thing to stop doing, you know, that lifestyle,” Alexander said in an interview last week on The Kyote Ugly Show. “Fast money, which isn’t fast money because it jams you up and you lose time. Like I’ve lost five years, not counting just fucking around and just being a nut.”
An athlete his entire life despite being undersized, Alexander excelled in wrestling and then transitioned those skills to begin training in mixed martial arts after high school. He made his MMA debut in 2011, earning a victory over Corey Simmons, who is now a veteran pro fighter. He also earned a victory over Floyd Cisco in 2013, who will coindecentally be competing for the flyweight title at IT Fight Series 33 on Saturday.
But after that, Alexander spent almost two years out of the cage, where he learned some of life’s hardest lessons.
“Just growing up, I was never off to a bad path, I was just an athlete partying,” Alexander said. “My dad passed away and I kind of went downhill. I couldn’t say I didn’t care, it was just I got mean and started fighting everybody. I didn’t care. They tried to size me up, these 280-pound dudes or whatever. That’s what it is. I didn’t lose. I always keep that mentality.”
Focusing that mentality on fighting inside of the cage rather than outside of it is what has driven Alexander to the point where he is now. He returned to the cage in April, where he submitted Ben Suehr in just 70 seconds at a King of the Cage event in Pennsylvania.
Then two weeks later, Pinnacle FC matchmakers called, offering him an opportunity to compete on just two days’ notice. After making the weight, Alexander put on one of the best performances of the night, dropping Cortland Woodard with a vicious right hand before eventually locking in his second rear naked choke in two weeks’ time.
Alexander’s motivation for taking a third fight in less than a month is clear. He wants to get his required fifth amateur fight before he’s allowed to go pro, and he eventually wants to make it to the UFC.
Being prepared is a big part of his life, and he stays active in training with multiple gyms in his area that give him the confidence to take fights and know that he’s going to be ready.
“I just say on point, I’m always focused,” Alexander said. “I’m always prepared to go to battle.”
And as far as whether he’s on the right path, Alexander knows that he’d rather be competing for sport on the outside against potentially competing for his life on the inside.
“It was a rough road to get where I am today, and I’m definitely going to stay on that path and not look behind me,” Alexander said. “I’m looking straight ahead.”
Jason Alexander takes on Dalton Brady for the IT Fight Series bantamweight title this Saturday at the Stars Indoor Sports Complex in Columbus, Ohio. The card will be streamed in its entirety via LiveSportscaster.com.
Photo courtesy Christopher Nolan/MetCon Photos