The UFC is back at the Apex for UFC Vegas 62. The card is headlined by two women’s flyweight contenders in Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo. There is only one UFC debut on this card, that being Brazil’s Lucas Alexander. The fight was originally Joanderson Brito (13-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) taking on Melsik Baghdasaryan. However, Baghdasaryan broke his hand and was forced to withdrawal and in steps Alexander.
Lucas “The Lion” Alexander
Standing at 5’10″
Fighting at 145 lbs (featherweight)
27-years-old
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Training out of Fusion Xcel Performance
A pro record of 7-2
3 KO/TKOs
How will Alexander fare in the UFC:
Alexander started off his career going 2-2 before hitting his stride and winning his next/last four. He’s based out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but lives in the United States in Florida. Alexander trains out of Fusion Xcel and has trained with Phil Rowe, Lyoto Machida, and much more.
Alexander is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt but is a much better striker. At times I would criticize Alexander in the past for his striking style. Alexander would hold his hands low and walk forwards but has improved in that area. He does a nice job using his length on the outside. His low calf kicks are nasty and something he should throw a lot more of. His long straight punches are nice along with the one-two. Alexander uses a lot of feints to frustrate his opponents. Sometimes it can be more antics than feints. His go-to on the feet usually always comes with the knees. Alexander will at any point launch through the air or just as much in the muay thai clinch.
Takedown defense is where Alexander struggles the most. Usually, he has good enough Jiu-Jitsu to keep him out of bad spots. He is a BJJ black belt but that isn’t really warranted. His ground game is good but he gives up to many positions to be a legit black belt. Even when he’s on top he does good things but you can’t trust him to solidify a dominant position. He’s never won by submission and has been submitted twice.
How he matches up with Brito:
Brito is coming off a big knockout win against Andre Fili. Alexander is going to want this fight on the outside picking apart from range. Brito is a bull walking his foes down and throwing huge looping hooks with big power. Alexander is going to have to deal with a lot of pressure and someone like Brito, he’s never fought before. Brito has some underrated wrestling and I believe it could be a big factor in this fight. I like both guys but this is a good stylistic fight for Brito. Brito’s forward pressure, power, and mixing in some takedowns should get his hand raised.
Overall grade: B-
UFC career prediction: 50/50 fighter
Recommended bet: Over 1.5 at +105
