5 Things You Might Not Know About Alan Jouban

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Alan Jouban (16-6) is a welterweight pugilist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In his next outing, the 36-year-old will square off against Dwight Grant at UFC 236.

As the contest nears, here are five things that you might not know about the man they call “Brahma.”

He has worked as a model.

Jouban was studying at the University of Louisiana when he was stopped by a talent scout who asked him if he’d ever considered working as a model. Jouban made the decision to give it a try, and soon after moved to New York City in search of work.

Today, his modeling resume boasts a list of prestigious brands such as Nike, Oakley, Pepsi and Versace. By his own admission, his side profession is not conducive to mixed martial arts. “I have to tell agencies when I have a fight coming up,” revealed Jouban in an interview. “They are totally conflicting careers.”

While the combatant is grateful for the opportunities that modeling has given him, he is keen to point out that his primary focus is mixed martial arts.

His nickname is in homage to his grandfather.

Growing up, Jouban was very close to his grandfather, who was a cattleman and farmer. The pair spent a great deal of time together riding horses and enjoying the great outdoors. When he passed away, Jouban was devasted. To honor his late family member, he chose the nickname “Brahma,” which comes from the Brahma mixed bulls that his grandfather used to rear on his ranch.

He was a latecomer to martial arts.

In his youth, the self-confessed “Rocky” and “Bloodsport” fan kept a punching bag in his garage. He also had a reputation as being a kid that liked to settle disputes with his fists. However, it wasn’t until the age of 23 that Jouban, now living and working as a model in Los Angeles, started to train in muay Thai. The fledgling fighter took quickly to the art and was soon competing in amateur bouts. His success led to Jouban flying out to Thailand for a proposed professional debut, but the match was called off after the American suffered food poisoning.

Later he started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Eddie Bravo’s famed 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu academy.

He was a keen soccer player.

As a youngster in Lafayette, Louisiana, Jouban’s sport of choice was soccer. When not studying at school or at his grandfather’s ranch, he was often found kicking a ball around. He even had aspirations of perhaps turning pro one day. However, that all changed when his playing days were curtailed by a torn ACL.

He usually wins by KO.

Considering that Jouban started out in the stand-up art of muay Thai, it’s not surprising that his forte remains striking. 11 of the Louisiana native’s wins have been via knockout and six have come in the first round. Some of the most high-profile victims dispatched with his strikes include Seth Baczynski and Ben Saunders.

When discussing his fighting style, Jouban has said that while he’s “pretty good” at jiu-jitsu, he’s most comfortable when striking with his opponent.