5 Things You Might Not Know About Alex Polizzi

Alex Polizzi now gets his chance to graduate.

A relative unknown in the Bellator MMA light heavyweight division, the once-beaten 30-year-old will step in as a short-notice replacement for Melvin Manhoef to take on 2000 Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero in the Bellator 280 co-main event on Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. Polizzi enters the cage with the wind of a three-fight winning streak in his sails. He last appeared at Bellator 276, where he submitted Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their March 12 battle at 205 pounds.

As Polizzi approaches his most significant opportunity to date, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He rose out of a familiar proving ground.

Polizzi was a star wrestler at Beloit Memorial High School in Beloit, Wisconsin, where he won a state championship and pieced together a remarkable 45-0 campaign as a senior. He went on to wrestle collegiately at Northwestern University, becoming a three-time NCAA qualifier and finishing with a 73-45 career record.

2. Early returns on his move to mixed martial arts were positive.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Wisconsin native made the transition to mixed martial arts in 2016 and went undefeated as an amateur. Polizzi went 5-0 with five finishes, one of the sub-minute variety, before turning professional.

3. He buys into the gold standard.

Polizzi remains one of only five men who have held the Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight championship. Ryan Spann, Julius Anglickas, Fabio Cherant and Joshua Silveira are the others. Polizzi laid claim to the promotion’s 205-pound throne when he submitted Jamal Pogues with a heel hook in the fourth round of their LFA 82 main event on Feb. 21, 2020.

4. A diverse set of skills propelled him forward.

The former LFA champion has been an equal-opportunity finisher throughout his 11-fight career. Polizzi sports eight stoppages among his 10 pro victories: four by submission and four more by knockout or technical knockout. They include his Bellator submissions of Gustavo Trujillo and the aforementioned Barros.

5. He stayed close to home.

Polizzi trains out of the Chosen Few Gym in McFarland, Wisconsin, where he serves as the academy’s wrestling instructor. Alex Gilpin, Dante Schiro and Mark Lemminger are among those who have passed through its doors.