Alan Jouban Q&A: Grandfather’s Influence, Louisiana Pride and UFC Dreams

UFC welterweight Alan Jouban is coming off a spectacular knockout finish of Ben Saunders at UFC on FOX 28 in February. “Brahma” recently caught up with Tony Reid of MyMMANews.com for a fun question and answer session.

Tony Reid – What was the most memorable moment from any training session you have been involved in?

Alan Jouban – “I can’t say that I have a most memorable training moment. But I always come home on a natural high when I’m able to turn that corner in training and improve on something I have been working on. I love that feeling.”

Tony Reid – Who has the heaviest hands of anybody you have fought or trained with?

Alan Jouban – “It was a little guy whose name I didn’t even know. But he was a pro boxer and we were doing rounds together and he was much smaller and faster than me. He connected on my nose a few too many times and my nose would hurt when the wind would blow for months after that.”

Tony Reid – You have said that prior to signing with the company that you would think about fighting in the UFC every single night. Was the UFC debut experience everything you thought it would be and more?

Alan Jouban – “Yeah and I still do think about it every day. The entire week leading up to the fight was amazing. From getting off the plane and seeing a Zuffa sign with my name on it, to having Burt Watson say those famous lines as I was about to walk out. It was everything I imagined over and over again. Will never forget it. I look forward to many more memorable nights like that.”

Tony Reid – Your grandfather was a huge influence of you and you list him as your hero. Could you share a story with us to tell our readers how special he was to you?

Alan Jouban – “My grandfather’s name was Allen Jeansonne, my parents named me after him just spelled differently. I took pride in knowing that from an early age. My grandfather had a big farm. He was a farmer and a cattleman. He had tractors, combines, cows and horses…you name it. All sorts of things for a kid to get into growing up.  As a young boy looking up to him, he always had something to teach me when I would visit. From how to shoot a gun, drive a tractor, ride a horse, catch a wild hog, throw a rope and crack a whip. I could go on and on because there was always something to do and learn when I was with him. This was how we bonded and one thing I’ve learned is that when someone teaches you things it creates an even stronger bond and trust. He would teach me things and not baby me. He would let me learn as I go but I always trusted his instincts.

“When he passed I was devastated. I spoke at his funeral not about him but to him, to let him know how much he meant to me growing up and that I looked up to him, loved him and that he was my hero. My son was born not long after he died and his middle name is Allen after my grandfather. My nickname “Brahma” is one that I actually chose to honor him because of the Brahma mix bulls he used to raise called a “Charolais”. I plan to teach my son a lot of what was taught to me one day and tell him stories of his great grandfather.”

Tony Reid – Having such strong ties to the state of Louisiana and being a big Saints fan how pumped are you when the NFL season rolls around?

Alan Jouban – “Man, you said it. I love my home. It’s who I am and always will be. Every single TV in Louisiana is watching the Saints game come football season. I don’t get to see every game out here in LA so I find myself calling family often to give me updates on things.”

Tony Reid – What was the first video game system you remember having as a child?

Alan Jouban – “When I was younger we had an Atari at home, it was actually my oldest brothers game system and it got kind of got handed down to the rest of us.”

Tony Reid – What were some of your favorite video games growing up?

Alan Jouban – “My favorite games growing up were Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! I also liked Magic Johnson’s Fast Break, the basketball game.”

Tony Reid – Did you ever get into any sports games?

Alan Jouban – “We would play John Madden Football at a friend’s house from time to time.”

Tony Reid – Do you do any online gaming and interact with fans at all?

Alan Jouban – “No never really did any online gaming. I really haven’t played any video games much at all since I was a kid really.”

Tony Reid

In July of 2008 Tony Reid launched an MMA inspired clothing line that he named Reid Fight Wear. He saw a need in the MMA clothing market for a more classic, clean and timeless design and less of the dated styles seen then. In the process of major life changes, Tony cashed out his 401(k), emptied his bank account and put his heart and soul into building the brand. In August 2009 Tony began writing for TapouT and MMA Worldwide Magazines. There he created Rattling the Cage, an MMA specific news site and home for all of his work. In May of 2012 Reid began writing for Ultimate MMA Magazine, launching an MMA Legends and MMA Officials Series. Also in May of the same year he started appearing regularly on ESPN 92.3 WVSL as the MMA Insider. In early August of 2012 Reid was named General Manager of UFC Fighter Tim Boetsch’s Barbarian Combat Sports in Sunbury, PA. By December 2012 Reid started contributing to Fighters Only Magazine. "The World's Leading MMA and Lifestyle Magazine" is sold in over 30 countries around the world and has the largest reach of any international magazine of its type. In May of 2013 Reid became a monthly segment host on Sirius XM Radio. Appearing the first Thursday of every month on TapouT Radio on SiriusXM (Sirius 92 XM 208) in a segment he created called "On Blast!" where he puts people in the MMA world on notice. In June of 2013 Reid began writing for the UK based MMA Uncaged Magazine. In August of 2013, Reid launched "Rattling the Cage with Tony Reid" a talk radio show he hosted on ESPN 92.3 WVSL "The Valley's Sports Leader". The show aired over 100 episodes and featured some of the biggest and brightest stars in the world of combat sports. It was one of the most successful shows in the station's history. In May of 2016 Reid became a feature writer for FloCombat. In September of the same year Reid began writing for ONE Championship, Asia’s largest global sports media property in history. Reid is happy to now join the team at MyMMANews as a contributor.

See Full Bio