He’s back.
Greeley’s Andrew Alirez, who barely broke a sweat in his first MMA fight and professional debut less than two months ago, returns to combat sport competition with two different events in the next month.
The Real American Freestyle wrestling match and a second MMA fight are only part of a big summer for the 25-year-old Alirez, who will also be married in early August.
Before Alirez walks down the aisle, he’ll first step onto another wrestling mat and into another MMA cage.
“I’m trying to stay busy and stay active,” he said.
On June 13, Alirez will again wrestle with a Real American Freestyle 145-pound bout against fellow former collegiate wrestler Jaydin Eierman in St. Louis, Missouri. Eierman was a four-time All-American while at the University of Missouri and the University of Iowa.
Alirez was an NCAA champion and All-American for the University of Northern Colorado in 2023.
Alirez (1-0-0) will continue his professional MMA career on Sunday, July 19 with a fight against Ethan Morales (1-1-0) in Porterville, California. The 135-pound bout will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass, which is the official subscription streaming service of Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC is the top-level organization in the sport, giving Alirez a higher profile platform from his first fight in Loveland.
Volunteer coach Andrew Alirez watches while wrestlers do drills during a Northern Colorado Bears wrestling practice on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Alirez isn’t the only former UNC wrestler currently in the MMA ranks and fighting this month.
Justin Gaethje wrestled for the Bears from 2007-11, and he’s been in MMA for 15 years. Gaethje, 37, is a UFC fighter and reigning interim lightweight champion (155 pounds).
On Sunday, June 14, Gaethje will compete for the lightweight title as part of a seven-card event called UFC Freedom 250 on the south lawn of The White House in Washington, D.C. The fights will be held in a small stadium on the lawn and were the brainchild of President Donald Trump, who turns 80 the same day.
Gaethje (27-5-0) will meet champion Ilia Topuria (17-0-0) for the lightweight title.
Alirez, known as a wrestler since high school at Greeley Central, put his main sport aside earlier this year to prepare for his entry into MMA.
The first MMA fight was a good one. Alirez defeated Castle Rock’s Bruce Martin on a technical knockout just 43 seconds into their April 26 fight at Blue Arena in Loveland. In the crowd for the multi-card night were countless Alirez fans, friends and family.
He made his name in Northern Colorado as a four-time high school state champion, later winning internationally and the NCAA title at UNC.
“He was successful in the first fight, and he seemed real relaxed,” said Mike Alirez Jr., Andrew’s uncle and one of his MMA coaches and trainers. “He was thinking. He was focused. That’s what I wanted to see out of him in the mental aspect of the game.”
Mike Alirez Jr. said Morales will be a more dangerous opponent for Andrew, and possibly a better fighter than Martin.
“We want to keep going up and fighting with tougher guys,” Alirez Jr. said.
Andrew Alirez fights Bruce Martin, from Castle Rock, in Alirez’s 140-pound debut MMA fight at Blue Federal Credit Union Arena in Loveland on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Alirez went on to win with a technical knockout after 43 seconds in the octagon. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Alirez became involved with Real American Freestyle earlier this year. The RAF is billed as the first unscripted pro wrestling in the world.
The match against Eierman will be Alirez’s second with the league. He won his RAF debut in February, beating former University of Wyoming wrestler Bryce Meredith on a 13-2 technical fall. A technical fall is a victory based on an established point differential.
Eierman, 30, was a four-time high school state champion in Missouri. He started his collegiate career in 2015 at the University of Missouri before transferring to Iowa in 2020. Eierman was a four-time All-American and four-time conference champion.
University of Northern Colorado wrestler Andrew Alirez works for position during his last home meet in February 2025 at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. (Greeley Tribune file photo).
“You go out there and do what you’re supposed to do,” Alirez said of his approach to the match. “I’ve known Jaydin for years. We’ve been in brackets together. He’s a really good wrestler.”
Alirez said he wants to be involved in MMA and wrestling at the same time because of his interest in competition. There is crossover between the sports. Wrestling is a big part of MMA, which incorporates components of different combat-related sports.
Training for wrestling won’t detract from Alirez’s workouts for MMA. He said he’ll increase his work on non-wrestling skills, such as kicking and punching, for the MMA fight after the RAF bout.
“RAF is a great show and platform to grow the sport,” he said. “I want to be a part of it because wrestling is always a part of me.”