10 Questions for Lucas Alexander

Lucas Alexander views himself as a strong bounce-back candidate in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division.

The 27-year-old Brazilian will draw his second Octagon assignment when he takes on Fortis MMA’s Steven Peterson as part of the UFC on ESPN 43 undercard this Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Alexander has rattled off has rattled off five wins across his past six outings. However, “The Lion” finds himself on the rebound following an Oct. 15 submission defeat to Joanderson Brito in the first round of his organizational debut at UFC Fight Night 212.

In this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Alexander discusses his rise through the ranks, addresses the short-notice nature of his ill-fated UFC debut and focuses on the preparation for his looming battle with Peterson at 145 pounds:

Sherdog.com: How did you get your nickname?
Alexander: There isn’t much of a backstory to that, but I’ve always identified with that animal. I’ve always liked how it’s calculating. It thinks about what it’s about to do. It barely ever surrenders, even if it’s losing a fight. It’s very persevering.

Sherdog.com: How did you get into martial arts?
Alexander: I started kickboxing in 2011. I was about 15 or 16 years old. Up to age 20, I was still partying and taking nothing seriously. When I scored my first professional win in Portugal, I loved the experience of fighting and representing my country overseas. I’ve always been into various sports: soccer, team handball, basketball, etc. My mother would mention that I’d start several things but would always fail to see them through. She felt the same way when I got into kickboxing. I never forgot what she’d said. One of the biggest factors in getting this far in fighting was this idea that I never used to see anything to the end. I eventually fell in love with fighting, with traveling, with the adrenaline and with all the emotions you feel. By age 21 or 22, that’s when I finally matured and started hanging around people who could help me grow instead of wasting my time.

Sherdog.com: What sorts of jobs did you hold before becoming a full-time fighter?
Alexander: I lived in Portugal for eight months in 2017. I painted cars there. When I came to the United States, I painted homes, worked in landscaping and did heavy construction. I also worked as a bar bouncer and did Uber Eats. I even worked installing Christmas lights on people’s homes, cleaning backyards and clearing debris after hurricanes. I pretty much did everything. I taught martial arts. I still do.

Sherdog.com: Can you recap your professional career up to now?
Alexander: Between 2015 and 2016 is when I started to truly focus on MMA. By the beginning of 2015, I had started training jiu-jitsu. I wasn’t very disciplined or focused. I was young. I was mostly a kickboxer, since that’s where I got my start. In 2016, I made a great friend in Diego “Magrinho” Silva. He ran training sessions at a small MMA academy. We used to train with a great group of guys. That’s when I finally started focusing on MMA and understanding how to fight using grappling and wrestling. Eventually, I took one amateur bout in the Watch Out Combat Show promotion. In hindsight, I wasn’t ready yet. I faced a tough opponent with good jiu-jitsu, but I was able to use some of the things we had been learning in the gym. Soon, I went pro. After moving to the United States, I went on a five-fight winning streak [between 2019 and 2022]. Training is much better in America. I work with a head coach, a conditioning coach, someone dedicated to helping me train jiu-jitsu, boxing, muay thai and so on. It’s great to have so many people to divide the load, and we all share the same aims. We make decisions together. It’s truly teamwork.

Sherdog.com: Which of your past fights was the most important?
Alexander: All my fights have been tough and equally important. When I first came to the U.S., I was on a two-fight losing streak. I hadn’t fought in one year. I faced Jeremias Fernandez, who had fought at least 12 times. I had only fought four times. He was very durable, not unlike my next opponent. I won. Then I beat Carlos Guerra, who had been a five-time muay thai champ in Mexico. After that, I moved on to the Combat Night promotion, where I knocked out Reginald Mack. He was a tough wrestler that no one wanted to fight. The next guy I knocked out, Ty Kalista, had great jiu-jitsu. He went on to have several great submission wins afterward. Next, I beat Jacob Kilburn, who had recently fought in the UFC. That’s how I punched my ticket into the UFC.

Sherdog.com: What can you say about your UFC debut?
Alexander: My UFC debut happened very quickly. I didn’t have the time to prepare mentally. I wasn’t nervous or afraid. Even though I had been training and staying healthy in case the UFC called me, I found out I was booked around Oct. 10 [to fight on Oct. 15]. I was a little too relaxed in that fight, but I did everything right. I cut weight in less than a week. I did all the necessary paperwork, interviews and exams without any stress. My life was turned upside down. The short time wasn’t something I could control, but the things I could control, I did well. By the following week, I was back to training and focused on my new opponent.

Sherdog.com: What are your thoughts on your latest opponent?
Alexander: He’s coming off of a loss. No one is unbeatable. Everyone thought guys like Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman couldn’t be beat. When you fight at this high of a level, there’s no way someone is unbeatable. Anything can happen. Sure, he has holes in his game. I’m sure he thinks I do, too. I’m sure he accepted fighting me because he feels he’s better. I did the same thing. He’s had more experience, but when you’re in the MMA world cup, that doesn’t matter. What matters is what happens during the fight itself, in addition to preparation and mindset.

Sherdog.com: Can you share some details about your training?
Alexander: I train at Fusion X-Cel and Elite Muay Thai. My coaches include Julien Williams, Dominique Simmons and Bruno Antunes. I have several great training partners: Mike Davis, Rodolfo Vieira, Philip Rowe, Lyoto Machida and Jakob Scheffel. They’re all a great help with my physical preparation, standup, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I get a lot of help in the form of advice and vision. Ultimately, regardless of what my opponent is doing, I’m focused on myself. I’m concentrating on what I do best. I’m training hard to sharpen all my weapons. I’m focused and ready.

Sherdog.com: How did your camp differ from your first UFC appearance?
Alexander: I’m very happy with my preparation this time. It’s going to change how people saw me on my UFC debut. I don’t consider that short-notice fight a proper debut. I suppose some people have won with only five or six days to get ready. In the end, I’m happy that now I have this new opportunity to train well, to eat properly and be healthy. I can hardly wait to show how good I am, how much I’ve improved and how I can win.

Sherdog.com: Is there anything else on your mind?
Alexander: Something I’ve been thinking a lot about are the many cases of depression and suicide around us. Not long ago, I saw a video where this guy was holding up a sign talking about his depression, anxiety and desire to kill himself. He simply wanted someone to talk to. I’m not entirely sure how real this was. People kept reading his sign and walking past him. He just wanted to chat. Then he flipped his sign, and on the opposite side, there was free money. That’s when people stopped ignoring him. I felt a bit frustrated. Sometimes we’re so busy being focused on our jobs that we forget to ask others about how they’re feeling. We should always check on our colleagues, friends and family members. I just want to share this message that we should be more humane. We should love our neighbor. Ask how other people are doing. Generosity and being helpful don’t have to cost money. A simple question or a hug can change someone’s day for the better.