On February 10, 2024, Jura native Alix Jeanguillaume, native of Mouchard, will fight an MMA fight in Dijon (Côte-d’Or). Meeting with a tireless athlete, “with a thousand combat sports”, viscerally attached to his Franche-Comté.
This is what we call hyperactive. MMA fighter (combat sport combining boxing, muay-thai, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, etc.), sports trainer, personal coach, singer of a recognized metal group… The life of Alix Jeanguillaume, 36 years old , is lived at a hundred miles an hour. The proof is, moreover, coming out of a sports class that he has just given, that the athlete calls us at the beginning of January, early in the morning. And you have to act quickly, his first workout of the day is starting soon.
Alix Jeanguillaume (right) still carries a flag after these fights. That of his current city, Lyon, as in the photo, or that of Franch-Comté, his region of origin. • © Alix Jeanguillaume / DR
He’s like that, Alix. A bit of a jack of all trades, and prone to fidgeting. And this since a childhood spent in the Jura, in Mouchard. “I am a true Franc-Comtois” he proudly assures. “I was born in Besançon, but I grew up in the Jura. This is my land, my roots. I have a house there by the way“. Snitch, where, at four years old, he started judo at the local club.
Already with a certain appetite for combat. “I had a somewhat turbulent childhood.” he confesses with a smile. “Judo allowed me to channel myself and give me a second education. I learned to never give up, to make sacrifices and above all, to respect everyone around me“.
The taste for effort stuck to him and, very quickly, the young Jura native climbed the ranks. He joined the Besançon youth center at the age of 13, and it was in the Doubs that his character “volatile“will grow.”I discovered other practices, other combat sports” he remembers. “There were so many different possibilities! I am curious, who likes challenges, so I wanted to do as many disciplines as possible“. The teenager then took up karate, kenpo and wrestling. Before thinking even bigger.
In 2009, I moved to Lyon for studies. I entered yet another dimension: muay-thai, MMA, grappling, kickboxing, etc. And since I’m a competitor, I wanted to perform everywhere.
In these multiple rings, the neo-Lyonnais is building up a nice track record. Double world champion in kenpo in 2019 (he is also five-time French champion in the discipline), French champion in karate jutsu in 2015, etc. Results acquired thanks to multi-day training, combined with the daily professional life of a security agent. Add to that regular returns to Franche-Comté and another demanding activity… being the singer of a metal group recognized on the national and international scene.
“Metal is my other great passion” admits Alix Jeanguillaume. “I started singing at 13, I knew several groups and it was really in Lyon that it exploded“. In 2011, he joined the Lyon group In Arkadia. Concerts followed quickly throughout France, and later followed tours throughout Europe, in Japan, or in Russia. And it must be admitted, with his body-built physique and his hundred tattoos, the Jura native is rather ready for the job.
It was quite a way of life. Quite tiring, but so exciting. Music is another challenge, more artistic. Even if I also come out sweating. This allows me to express myself more personally.
With the birth of his daughter and the years that pass, the fighter decides to “reduce the sail“. “I decided to “spread myself” less and refocus on MMA” he explains. “It is the ultimate sport, which combines all the others. So I focused exclusively on that and completed my coaching qualifications during and just after Covid. The goal was really to make a living through all my sporting activities.”
Successful bet. Today, Alix gives lessons, while continuing to train. And despite a complicated start in MMA (seven defeats for five victories), he hopes to continue to perform.up to 40 years old. It’s not in my habit to give up, so I’m going to give everything until the end“He even acquired a nickname, “La Stache”, a reference to the mustache he sports.”in homage to my Franche-Comté family, where many men wore it” he explains.
Alix Jeanguillaume (center) is on a two-fight winning streak in MMA. The pass of three on February 10? • © Alix Jeanguillaume / DR
Next meeting, February 10, in Dijon, for a new MMA fight. In the cage, Alix Jeanguillaume promises, he will display a Franche-Comté flag. A Franche-Comté that he risks finding again very quickly. “My whole family is there and I plan to settle there permanently after my sports retirement” assures the person concerned.
I try to claim this Jura belonging. I produced some clothes and on one collection, I featured the Comtois lion and the three oaks which adorn the Mouchard coat of arms.
With, again, lots of ideas. “As soon as I return to the Jura, I would like to build a fighting room in Mouchard” he reveals. “It will offer bodybuilding, but also lessons in several combat sports.. A return to sporting roots, with a cheeky project. But not unachievable. “This kind of structure is not common in the countryside, it’s true” concludes the athlete. “But I feel there is a demand and I think it can work“. Alix Jeanguillaume will do everything for it. In accordance with the motto of her region. “Comtois, surrender! No, my goodness!“
2024-01-06 05:48:56
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