At 43 years old, Alexis Vila is entering Randy Couture territory.
The 1996 Olympic Games freestyle wrestling bronze medalist can possibly achieve the greatest heights in his career in these upcoming years, much like the "Natural" did when we was competing in his forties.
But it's been a tough road for the "Exorcist," to say the least.
Committed to a career in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) after his triumph in Atlanta, Vila endured a nightmare experience after defecting to America and leaving his family behind.
The Cuban served three years in jail after crashing his SUV into a crowded terminal at a federal airport. With authorities believing it was a terrorist attack, the fighter stressed it was simply an accident, and plead guilty for a reduced prison sentence of three years.
It was noted by his manager two weeks ago at the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) hearing that his client was trying to commit suicide, after two of his brothers were killed and another took his own life.
"This is a bad time that happened in my life," admitted Vila in an interview with MMAmania.com. "You have to think of the good things, be happy, think positive. There's one life, so you have to enjoy life."
With an upbeat attitude, Vila stuck to his goals of finding success in the fighting world, and credits the sport for turning his life around and finding a positive path since making his professional debut in 2007.
"I think fighting helped me a lot to find positivity, and to understand things," he said.
Currently 3-3 in his last six bouts, the Miami resident has already picked up a victory over Sidemar Honorio in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promotion, after losing his first bout against Josh Rettinghouse. Some casual fans may be unfamiliar with him, but he did make his presence felt in the sport in his Bellator debut three years ago.
With nine victories under his belt, the "Exorcist" took on Joe Warren in the organization's season five bantamweight tournament. Warren was the featherweight champion at the time, and it took just over a minute for Vila to catch Warren with a left hook from hell, dropping the champion and sending him into stiffness.
"It was a great fight," Vila said. "It was good for me and my career, but I feel the same. I haven't changed. I'm still the same... I have the same power."
Vila battles Brandon Hempleman on the main card of WSOF 12, and despite having respect for his foe, it doesn't matter what "Hot Rod" is going to bring to the table because the Olympian is more concerned with his skill set and plan of action.
"I don't know too much about him," admits Vila. "I never worry about my opponents, or what he can do. I dictate the pace. He's going to do whatever I want him to do."
After competing in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions, the Cuban feels as if he will become the number one contender in the 125-pound division if he knocks out his adversary on Saturday night. But claiming gold isn't sufficient for Vila, who wants to be known as one of the world's best fighters.
Besides, WSOF doesn't even have a flyweight titleholder at the moment.
He's looking at the bigger picture, and he's willing to take on all comers; even those competing in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), with his sights set on "Mighty Mouse."
"I hope that someday they give me the chance to fight with the UFC champion," Vila says. "If it's coming, I'm going to take it. Whatever is there."
Check out more in our WSOF 12: "Palomino vs. Gonzalez" preview right here.