Special Fighter: Pierce making his mark in MMA

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There are mixed martial artists and then there are fighters.

Cut Off native Alex Pierce is the latter. He is a fighter – in every realm of life.

Born with mild cerebral palsy, Pierce has spent his entire life fighting the stigma that his life is different and he can’t do the same things that other people do.


But like anything else, he’s beaten that stigma into submission. Pierce is active and healthy enough to be a local mixed martial artist – a 21-year-old who aspires to someday perform at the highest level.

Whether that happens remains to be seen.

Regardless, he’s pushing forward daily, proving to people that anything is possible with hard work, dedication and an unwillingness to accept failure as an option.


“I always kept my mild cerebral palsy to myself because it taught me that I was able to put forth effort into anything I wanted to achieve,” Pierce said. “That mindset is what’s allowed me to be like everyone else. I’ve learned my limits and I try and go beyond them, despite my disabilities.”

The truth is that Pierce has been fighting for his whole life – just not always in a cage before hundreds of fans.

Pierce said there were complications with his birth, and doctors weren’t sure if he was going to live – and that’s before he was even diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, which hampered his strength early in life and caused him to walk with a limp.


“When I was born, my chest was caved into my spine and my lungs were on the verge or collapsing,” Pierce said. “I battled through that, and then I was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy from birth. It wasn’t that bad of a case to where I needed crutches or a wheel chair.”

Knowing he had physical issues, Pierce said he was offered every opportunity to be different as a child – efforts that he always resisted because he said he knew that he could do anything that anyone else could.

At 5, Pierce’s parents enrolled him into karate, which helped him build his strength. He did that sport for 11 years, getting more and more coordinated as he grew older.


“After a while, many people didn’t even know or realize that I had the cerebral palsy,” Pierce said.

Then came the next challenge – cage fighting.

Pierce said he got into the sport because it offered him a chance to expand his horizons. He said he loves karate, but doesn’t like that there are limitations on where and when you can strike an opponent when in combat.


Because of that, he turned to MMA. He did so at the urging of local fighter Jordon Plaisance – an aspiring performer who owns several victories in his young career.

Pierce said doctors have never discouraged him from combat fighting. Many even have encouraged the idea because it keeps him active and builds strength in his body.

“Jordon had his third amateur bout in Houma and I went watch,” Pierce said. “After watching someone that I consider to be a brother do what he loved, I figured that I could do the same thing. He’s my best friend and he took me under his wing. I was 18 then and I’m 21 now. I’ve been in the fight game ever since.”


He’s pretty good, too.

Pierce trains with Justin Verdin – a well-known local trainer who owns Extreme MMA and Fitness.

Verdin said when he first hooked up with Pierce, he wasn’t sure if the young man could succeed in the cage because of his physical limitations.


“I knew I had my hands full,” Verdin said.

But over time, Pierce developed – both mentally and physically and he’s now a competent fighter who owns a couple victories in his amateur career.

Verdin said the thing that sets apart Pierce from other students is his respect for the sport.


He said the pupil is obedient and is willing to ty anything to make himself better – something that Verdin said is rare in today’s world.

To date, Pierce has three victories and a couple defeats. Verdin said all of the losses were close, hard-fought fights that pleased the crowd.

“Alex Pierce is a special man. He works hard every day, is very respectful and is always willing to learn,” Verdin said. “His ailment slows him a little bit, but the heart he comes to work with is more than anyone and that makes him the fighter that he is today. The kid has lots of heart.”


But just being a fighter isn’t enough for Pierce. He said he wants to take it to the highest level possible – the UFC.

Pierce said he knows he has a lot to learn before competing with the best athletes, but he’s not afraid to dedicate himself to the sport in every way.

Pierce said he weighs between 115-125 pounds – enough to put him in the straw weight division.


His goals are to win amateur titles at that class, then turn pro.

From there, he’s willing to let the chips fall where they may.

“No matter how hard of a beating I take in that cage, I always get back up and fight because in the fight game, anything can happen,” Pierce said. “I can be losing all three rounds and I can finish with a knockout in the last 10 seconds and bring home the gold. You can never under estimate yourself. I don’t plan on underestimating me, either.”


Neither is Verdin.

He said that when one looks at Pierce’s life story, it’s hard to bet against him doing remarkable and extraordinary things.

Pierce has done that his whole life.


“I’m very happy to have him and see the difference from when he started to now,” Verdin said. “He is so much better and there’s more to come. He’s getting better every day. There’s no telling how good he can be. The things he does – it’s unbelievable.”•

Alex Pierce