Featherweight Jim Alers has been a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for four years and has competed for some time in grappling competitions such as the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship.
Alers is either a colossal underachiever or a student with a stingy sensei, but that’s another story.
Parallell to that experience, though, is six wins by submission in MMA. Early on, he would push to put opponents on the mat out of pure comfort – like most fighters who join the sport from a specific discipline.