Knocking on success’ door: balancing the title of MMA world champion and aspiring lawyer

People decide to attend law school for many reasons. Some do so to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer, while others follow family traditions. For Alexander Preissing, however, it was a commitment to his late mother and a desire to pursue something greater after overcoming many adversities growing up. That journey led him to the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Preissing is a third-year JD student who balances his education with his career as a mixed martial arts champion. The road to get to where he is now has been anything but easy.

Though he doesn’t remember exactly when he began wrestling, he recalls starting to compete at around 5 years old. His passion eventually expanded into various combat sports, including MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing and kickboxing. His biggest accomplishment in MMA is becoming the Ringside Unified Fighting Flyweight World Champion.

Preissing’s dedication to MMA began at a young age, focusing on wrestling throughout his childhood and college years. His wrestling success led to several collegiate opportunities, but Preissing eventually decided to step away from the sport. He was burned out. However, the break from wrestling sent him down a dark path.

“I developed serious depression and anxiety. I fell into substance abuse and life started feeling more and more meaningless,” Preissing recalled. “Without wrestling, I became a shell of myself. My perceived lack of purpose led to poor academic performance, a humiliating public arrest and incredibly dangerous drug consumption habits. Eventually, my substance abuse caught up with me, leading to a series of seizures that lasted about 48 hours. Afterward, I entered a two-week coma that my neurologist didn’t expect me to survive.”

This near-death experience proved to be the turning point for Preissing.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.

The road to recovery began, and Preissing hasn’t touched an illicit substance since returning to the gym. Once his life was back on track, he decided to pursue law school and began studying for the law school admissions test. But once again, adversity struck when his mother passed away from COVID-19-related complications.

“Before she passed, I promised Mom I would get through law school,” Preissing said. “Crushed by her death and seeking comfort, I threw myself into competitive MMA, trying to revitalize the best version of myself. Since my mother’s passing in 2021, I’ve dedicated my entire life to law school and competitive MMA.”

It took some time to find the right balance between school and his professional MMA career. Preissing said what drew him to ASU Law was its proximity to a high-caliber professional fight team and its Post-Conviction Clinic.

“With ASU Law checking my two major boxes, I knew it would be a great fit,” Preissing said. “I withdrew about 10-12 pending law school applications after ASU Law’s admissions office guaranteed me a class schedule that would work with Fight Ready MMA’s professional team schedule.”

As Preissing nears the end of his studies, he will transition from an intern at the Arizona Justice Project to the Larry Hammond Justice Fellowship, a role he will begin after taking the bar exam. 

“My family often questioned, ‘Why are you doing this MMA thing? Why don’t you just go be a lawyer?’ A lot of people told me I’d never be a lawyer and a fighter,” Preissing said. “Well, now I’m on the verge of proving them all wrong. I will eventually be the only U.S. lawyer in UFC history.”

Preissing will defend his Flyweight title on April 26 and is expected to graduate from ASU Law with his JD in May.

Photo credit: Peyton Kortez - xShotsFired

Written by Crystal Jimenez