MMA Fighter And Stuntman Alain Moussi Explains How He Trains For A Match [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

Mixed martial arts fighter, actor and stuntman Alain Moussi has quite a rigorous routine to prepare for a match, no matter what style it is.

MMA Star Alain Moussi On How He Trains For A Match by uSports
The 6-foot, 200-pound Lebanese-Canadian fighter — who most recently starred in the MMA film reboot Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) for a role that Jean-Claude Van Damme originally played — sat down with uSports for an exclusive interview to discuss his typical training routine for a jiu-jitsu bout, among other things.

“I do strength and conditioning, I work a lot of functional fitness, the same types of exercises you would do in cross-fit,” said the Gabonese-born Moussi, 36. “Then, depending on what you’re trying to work (build more power in your strikes, build grip strength, etc.) I do a lot of exercises that require gripping and lifting/keeping a grip. It’s a lot of push-pull to develop more power, more explosiveness in my striking.”

Moussi also explained how he keeps his legs strong thanks to plyometric workouts.

“I do a lot of plyometric exercises to really improve the explosiveness of kicks,” he added.

Moussi owns a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and also has vast experience in kickboxing. At the age of 25 in 2006, he became the youngest Japanese jiu-jitsu fighter to be awarded the honorary RENSHI title by one of his mentors, Richard Morris Soke. Moussi is also a BJJ black belt under the Machado brothers. He has been training in the art for 17 years.

Moussi’s movie credits as a stunt double include Warcraft (2016), Street Fighter: Resurrection (2016),  X-Men: Days of Future Past, (2014) Brick Mansions (2014), and Transporter: The Series (2012). Among the actors he has doubled for are Travis Fimmel, Jai Courtney and Hugh Jackman. 

The fighter is set to reprise his role as Kurt Sloane in the Kickboxer: Vengeance sequels, Kickboxer: Retaliation (2017) and Kickboxer: Syndicate.

Moussi first became interested in martial arts at the age of ten and subsequently began watching several Van Damme movies.

SANTA MONICA, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Alain Moussi attends AFM’16 The Exchange’s 5 Year Anniversary Celebration on November 1, 2016 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for The Exchange)