Alex Myers (1-0 MMA, 1-1 PACF) submitted Lazaro Gonzalez (0-1 MMA, 0-1 PACF) in his professional debut.
They heavyweight controlled the bout from start to finish at PA Cage Fight 28 Saturday, April 15, 2017. The 26-year-old continued to look for takedowns and keep his opponent pinned to the canvas.
The win came with no flashy knockout, but Myers displayed his fighter IQ. He never altered his approach or showed his nerves.
He made it clear he wanted Gonzalez on the ground and he wanted a finish. It is exactly how the fight turned out as Myers tapped his opponent by rear-naked choke with seven seconds remaining in round one.
“I expected an overhand to be honest, but the leg was the best option, so I grabbed the leg and took him right down,” Myers said. “I just opposed my will, stayed calm, didn’t exert too much energy, played it smart, kept the back, kept pressure and I think overall, it was a good showing.”
The night ended the way Myers hoped it would, an impressive professional debut.
In his amateur debut, Myers suffered the only defeat of his career to Jon Romero (3-1 MMA, 1-0 PACF) at Xtreme Caged Combat: Vendetta. He tapped to a second-round guillotine choke July 26, 2013.
Myers followed up with four-straight wins, earning two submission victories of his own.
After losing in XCC to Romero, Myers captured the amateur XCC heavyweight strap in his final bout before turning pro. The Horsham, Pennsylvania native earned a unanimous decision against Frederick Heim at XCC 26 Nov. 18, 2016.
The night did not end “perfectly” in his pro debut according to Myers, but it is a start.
“This is the one I prepared for the most out of all of them,” Myers said. “I wish I showed my hands a little more because I have been working on my striking, but then that kick came and the wrestler in me just went boom and I scored a takedown.”
With a smile on his face, Myers sat on bench backstage as Chris Piriz (5-4 MMA, 0-1 PACF) and Jordan Morales (7-2 MMA, 2-1 PACF) made their way to the cage for the main event. Myers signed the dotted line and posed for a photo, holding his first MMA paycheck.
As all three of his corner men surrounded him as one talked about how well they prepared for Gonzalez.
The only time Myers moved away from his game plan came when he landed an illegal right hand to the back of his opponent’s head. As the referee stood Myers up and checked on Gonzalez, his corner screamed from across the cage, urging him to stick to his wrestling.
When the bell sounded and the opening round resumed, Myers never showed any signs of frustration. He walked forward and took Gonzalez down again.
“Unfortunately I slipped up a little bit, a rookie mistake. Referee stopped the fight, I came back and ended up getting the tap,” Myers said. “They (his corner) told me to stick to what I was doing and obviously in the end it worked so f#%k it.”
By Connor Northrup