Top 10 Bellator light heavyweight Alex Polizzi made the move to Xtreme Couture for the betterment of his career.
Polizzi (9-1) is coming off one of the biggest wins of his Bellator career. In 2021, defeated then-undefeated Grant Neal via split decision at UFC 266. After the win, he decided he needed to make a move, and that move was from Wisconsin to Las Vegas.
Polizzi now trains at the well-known Xtreme Couture. The move was needed because he wasn’t getting enough training at his old gym with big bodies. There is no shortage of those at Xtreme Couture, however: he was even spotted getting some work in with Khamzat Chimaev and top contender Sean Strickland this camp.
“We made the move out here. I’m living in Las Vegas. The weather is a lot nicer,” Polizzi said with a laugh, speaking to Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of his return at Bellator 276. “You know, it’s not just training at Xtreme Couture, but being able to have the resources of a fight town like Las Vegas is just awesome. There is always good training partners coming in and out.”
“I tried a couple of gyms out here and Xtreme Couture, I mean Gym of the Year for 2021. If you’re living out here, you might as well just go to Xtreme, don’t try and test your waters. If you want to train with the best guys and best training experience, Xtreme Couture is the place.”
In order to fight for the title one day in Bellator, Polizzi said a move was inevitable because he needed big training partners.
Leading into his last fight with Neal, “Eazy” was looking for a new contract with the promotion, and he got it. Polizzi returns to the Bellator cage for the fifth time against Jose Augusto Azevedo. He sees the fight being dirty and gritty but hopes for a short night.
Watch the rest of our interview with Alex Polizzi below, where he talks more about his move to Las Vegas, training with Sean Strickland & Khamzat Chimaev, his Grant Neal win, Bellator 276, and more. Polizzi and Azevedo headline the Bellator 276 prelims available on YouTube.
