From BBHHS football to sparring with Stipe: Broadview Heights MMA champion’s athletic career is on the rise
by Charles Cassady
At 204 pounds and six feet in height, mixed martial arts fighter Aleksa “Lexi” Camur of Broadview Heights competes and trains in the light-heavyweight class. His size got him matched to a training and sparring partner whose name might ring a bell: Parma resident and UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic.
“I look up to Stipe a lot,” said Camur. “I look to follow in his footsteps and become a world champion one day and leave a legacy similar to his. He’s helped guide me through a lot of things in my career. I couldn’t ask for a better teammate/friend. I’m very grateful for him.”
With Camur as another of its athletes on the rise, the hits just keep on coming for Independence specialty gym Strong Style Mixed Martial Arts & Training. The Granger Road facility has been a training ground for such homegrown celebrities of boxing and mixed-martial-arts fighting as Miocic and Jessica Eye.
Camur, who has been ring/cage game for seven years now, said, “The first MMA event I attended was held in Jacobs Pavilion in Cleveland; that was only a month or two after joining the gym. Ever since then, I’ve always wanted to fight there.
“As an amateur fighter, I had the opportunity, but the fight card got cancelled, and I was unable to fulfill that goal. But after a long time, my fourth professional fight was held there, and I was also the main event. It was an amazing experience.”
At present, Camur has a perfect finish rate in his eight professional and amateur fights.
The 23-year-old is an alumnus of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High.
“I’ve lived in Broadview Heights for about 10 years,” he said. “My parents made a move to the States from Serbia when I was very young. After bouncing around a bit, we found Broadview Heights.”
As an athlete, Camur played high school football and lacrosse.
“During my junior year of high school in Brecksville, I gained an interest in lacrosse,” he said. “It’s an amazing sport, and I enjoyed every second of it; I only wish I found it sooner so I could have enjoyed more of it.”
But it was during senior year that the attraction for mixed martial arts took serious hold.
“I heard about Strong Style and what they were all about,” said Camur. “MMA has constantly been on the rise, and it was an interesting thing to me. A buddy of mine and I went to try it out, and it instantly grabbed me. I would start going every day after school until it became a daily habit.”
Camur was signed in July to a UFC contract as part of Dana White’s popular “Tuesday Nights Contenders” TV show that scouts talent for the ring. He said his next fight hasn’t been arranged yet, but he is hoping for something by the end of this year or the beginning of 2020.
In the meantime, he relaxes with video games such as Call of Duty and Fortnite.
“I like to take my mind off of the fight as much as I can, and playing games with my friends definitely helps with that,” he said.
In fact, watchers can follow Camur not only on the many media outlets that track MMA and UFC fighters, but also an online gamer channel twitch.tv/roqtheboat20, where he streams his digital bouts live.
Camur also has his own YouTube channel.
“Outside of fighting, I love photography and videography,” he said. “A teammate of mine, my brother and I have a media production company that we have been working on; it’s called Lykoi Productions. So I would love to take that as far as possible and see what we can do with it.”
And, of course, there are the visits to Strong Style, a place Camur recommends as much for families and fitness fans who want to stay in shape as for serious contenders.
“The community is amazing, and the facility is unmatched,” he said.
Featured image photo caption: Broadview Heights resident Aleksa Camur first tried mixed martial arts during his senior year at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. Now, he’s sparring partners with UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic and signing a UFC contract of his own.