Alex Steven’s Gonzalez Media TV interview on his XFN fight

The Alex Steven’s Gonzalez Media TV interview covered his 2–1 MMA record ahead of an October 9 XFN fight on MILLIONS, his experience in more than 100 jiu-jitsu tournaments and his plan to dictate the pace. Steven’s also explained why moving from jiu-jitsu to MMA has forced him to change his habits and put more work into his stand-up.

What did Alex Steven’s say about his October 9 XFN training camp?

Alex Steven’s said he was training every day, sometimes twice a day, for his October 9 XFN fight. He described his diet as on point and treated the approaching bout as another day of work. At the time of our conversation, he had finished one training session and was due back for wrestling about an hour later.

Steven’s said he had been fighting for a couple of years and put his MMA record at 2–1. Although he had already competed in MMA, he still considered himself very new to it compared with his experience in jiu-jitsu.

That difference shaped his camp. Rather than relying on the part of his game he knows best, he had been working on his stand-up and trying to bring his skills together. He said the task was to correct habits built over years of grappling while making his boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu flow in a fight.

How has Alex Steven’s adapted his jiu-jitsu to MMA?

Alex Steven’s said MMA demands different decisions from straight jiu-jitsu because strikes change what happens on the ground. He has competed in more than 100 jiu-jitsu tournaments, but said that experience does not remove the need to adjust when an opponent can hit him. He singled out time spent on his back as a major difference.

More than 100 jiu-jitsu tournaments

Competition was already familiar to Steven’s before he began MMA. He said he had done more than 100 jiu-jitsu tournaments, giving him a long history of testing his grappling against opponents. Fighting, by contrast, was still relatively new to him, and he described getting hit as a significant change from doing only jiu-jitsu.

The change MMA demands on the ground

In jiu-jitsu, Steven’s said, he can work from his back in a way he cannot in MMA. Strikes make that position a different proposition. He also said that a fighter cannot afford to blink and lose track of what is happening. Those adjustments help explain why he has spent time on stand-up rather than assuming his grappling background will be enough.

How did Alex Steven’s earn his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt?

Alex Steven’s said earning his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt took about 11 years of consistent training. He attributed that progress to going to the gym every day, rather than to a shortcut. Even when he was hurt, he said he continued to go in and do something he could manage.

When Gonzalez Media TV asked about the time it took to reach black belt, Steven’s pushed back on the suggestion that 11 years was unusually quick. His explanation centered on consistency: he kept training and did not describe taking an extended break from the gym.

Steven’s gave the clearest account of that commitment in his own words:

I've never taken time off

That long-established jiu-jitsu routine has also presented a challenge for his MMA preparation. Steven’s said he had to fix bad habits accumulated over the years and combine his grappling with boxing. He viewed his black belt as an important asset for an amateur fight, while recognizing that the different parts of his game have to work together.

How did the United States Marine Corps introduce Alex Steven’s to jiu-jitsu?

Alex Steven’s traced the beginning of his jiu-jitsu training to his time in the United States Marine Corps. He said he joined around 2015 and became curious when other Marines talked about trying jiu-jitsu and earning blue belts. He began going with them to try it for himself.

Marines talking about blue belts

Steven’s recalled hearing Marines discuss their progress and asking what a blue belt was. That conversation led him to join them and try jiu-jitsu. His account connects the start of his training to the people around him in the Marine Corps, rather than to a fight he had watched or an MMA career plan.

Reserve service in Oklahoma City

He said he served in a reserve unit in Oklahoma City and drove trucks in the Marine Corps. Asked where the discipline behind his training came from, Steven’s pointed to the period when he joined. The connection he drew was personal: military service was part of how he first encountered the practice he would continue for years.

Which fighters does Alex Steven’s study for wrestling?

Alex Steven’s named Khabib Nurmagomedov as a fighter he studies, particularly for his wrestling. He also recognized Georges St-Pierre as one of the best. Studying fights is part of Steven’s routine away from the gym; he said he watches film on YouTube when he is not training.

For Steven’s, training serves more than a competitive purpose. He said he likes to compete and that physical work helps his mind. Watching fights gives him another way to stay engaged when he is not doing a session himself.

Nurmagomedov’s wrestling was the quality Steven’s identified when asked what he takes from another fighter. When Gonzalez Media TV raised St-Pierre, Steven’s agreed that he was among the best. He did not describe copying a particular technique from either man, but made clear that wrestling is something he pays attention to.

What does Alex Steven’s plan to do during and after his XFN fight?

Alex Steven’s said he intends to dictate the pace of his October 9 XFN fight using boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He wants viewers to watch both his stand-up and what he does if the fight reaches the ground. Afterward, he said, he might play video games and eat a chicken-and-rice meal with chips and queso.

Boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu at XFN

Steven’s identified those three skills as his fundamentals. He expected his jiu-jitsu to matter on the ground, but also wanted his boxing to be visible on the feet. His stated aim was to set the pace, not to predict a particular result or method of victory.

Food and games after the fight

Asked what he would do once the fight was over, Steven’s said it would depend on how it went. He likes video games and thought he would probably play afterward. He mentioned World of Warcraft as one possibility, though he said the choice of game did not matter much.

For food, Steven’s described a combination of chicken and rice, with chips and queso mixed in. It was a specific answer to a question about a post-fight meal, not a departure from his focus on the bout: earlier, he had said his diet was on point while preparing for October 9.

Who is Alex Steven’s?

Alex Steven’s is a United States Marine Corps veteran, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and an amateur boxer and kickboxer.