Issue 092

When mixed martial arts first came kicking and screaming into mainstream consciousness, society was equal parts scared and fascinated. Most combat sports fans gravitated towards the UFC had an understanding of certain elements of the striking game, but the kinetic chess of submission grappling bewildered the majority.

Royce Gracie’s legendary use of his family fighting system saw him repeatedly defeat much larger and more dangerous opponents with submission holds from a variety of unfathomable positions. 

These victories were the catalyst for a global explosion of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is still very much apparent today, but even in this day and age where everyone’s mailman knows how to escape a kimura, certain advanced techniques are still held in high esteem. 

Seasoned featherweight Jim ‘The Beast’ Alers (as of November 2019 he is 14-4) boasts an impressive ten submission wins on his resume but his finish of BJJ black belt Marcio Cesar, at Cage Warriors Fight Night 7 in Amman, Jordan, autumn 2012 drew praise from both hardcore and casual fans alike.

Alers, a product of Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, Orlando, chose to showcase his striking early as his foe struggled to deal with the precise and varied assault. Helsinki-based Cesar looked to push the pace in the second round, but soon was on the back foot again and under pressure as Alers took top position despite his opponent’s grappling credentials.

“I landed a nice throw in the fight and as soon as it hit the floor I didn’t feel in any danger there because I train with world champions every single day. It felt very normal for me to be on the ground with him,” Alers explains.

Cesar took an underhook and looked to work back to his feet, but Alers nimbly locked on an audacious brabo choke that seemingly caught his opponent by surprise. The crowd looked on in astonishment as Cesar fought the submission initially but eventually was given little option but to tap.

Alers adds: “When the guy on the bottom reaches too high up with an underhook then I’ll look to go for the brabo choke. That’s exactly what Cesar did and so when I felt him commit I knew I could get it.”

Alers stalked the cage motioning that he was ready for a shot at the featherweight title as the Jordanian audience rose to give him a standing ovation. Little did the viewing public realize, however, the brabo choke has become somewhat of a calling card for the dynamic featherweight in the gym.

“It’s one of my favorite moves and I get it in BJJ all the time,” he says. “It’s harder to get in MMA because the gloves make it difficult to lock on. Even when I have the choke, it still doesn’t seem right because of the way the gloves feel.”

The Florida native had pulled off an incredible victory by submitting a black belt with a rarely seen technique but, dissecting the methodology a little, it becomes clear his victory is a perfect illustration of how mixed martial arts has developed since inception.

Every skill and discipline now plays a much bigger part than before in not only reinforcing the primary skills but also in strengthening all neighboring facets. The knockout striker, who is developing his wrestling, doesn’t just know how to take someone down; he can throw his hands without the fear of being taken out of his element. 

Alers concludes, “I feel like I have a very good base and balance from when I did wrestle. It felt great to submit a legitimate black belt at a high-profile show and it just goes to show that I’m hard to be swept and my wrestling gives me a lot of options in scrambles that other people just don’t have.”