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Alabama linebacker Eryk Anders (32) scrambles after the loose football after causing Auburn quarterback Chris Todd to fumble in the second quarter of the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Nov. 27, 2009.

(AL.com File)

The MMA career of former Alabama outside linebacker Eryk Anders will go to a new level on Friday when he fights for the first time under the Bellator banner.

Anders, who has compiled a 4-0 pro record in mixed martial arts fighting, will appear on the preliminary card of Bellator 162 on Friday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Bellator is a national promoter owned by entertainment giant Viacom, a big step up for Anders who is used to fighting on regional circuits.

He's scheduled for a middleweight fight against Brian White, who has a 5-4 pro record.

"Bellator has some of the top fighters in the world, but there's not a doubt in my mind I can string together two or three or four wins in a row," Anders said. "There's not a doubt in mind that eventually I'll win the belt. This is just the first step in a long road, so definitely looking forward to it."

When Alabama fans last saw Anders on the football field, he was helping the Crimson Tide defeat Texas 37-21 in the BCS national championship game to cap the 2009 season. Anders led Alabama with seven tackles, including a fumble-causing sack of Texas quarterback Garret Gilbert with the Crimson Tide clinging to a 24-21 lead. Courtney Upshaw recovered the loose football for Alabama at the Texas 3-yard line with 3:02 left in the game, and the Tide rolled on to its first national title under coach Nick Saban.

Anders said MMA had filled a void as a goal-oriented, competitive individual since he left football.

"When I got done with college ball, I went on to the Cleveland Browns for a little bit, went to Canada, played a year of arena ball," Anders said, "and I pretty much said if it's not the NFL, then I don't want to play. Went into the old 9-to-5 thing. Truly unsatisfied with life. Just had a competitive edge, looking for something to compete in. I walked into a gym, started training. That was five years ago, and I haven't looked back since."

Anders said some aspects of football come in handy in MMA, particularly how to deal with adversity. While Anders fights alone, he says there are teamwork aspects similar to being on a football team, too.

"Although I'm the only one that goes in there and competes -- when the cage door shuts, I'm the only one in there -- but my teammates and training partners who I've worked with helped get me ready for the fight," he said.

"Just like football, the game or the fight is won and lost when the spectators aren't watching. Spectators only see the final product."

As with football, MMA also has film study.

"I definitely watch a lot of film on my opponents," Anders said. "But when I fight, I like to kind of turn the brain off and just react to what my opponent is giving me, because he may show one thing on film, but then when it comes fight time, maybe he added a new wrinkle to his game or shows a new technique.

"I'm really the type that takes the fight as it comes to me. If you give me pressure, I'll counterpunch, and if they're not, then I'll be on the offensive."

After winning five amateur fights, Anders debuted as pro on Aug. 22, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, winning by TKO 40 seconds into Round 1. He then won a unanimous decision in Montgomery and took a third-round TKO in Tuscaloosa before winning his most recent fight by submission in only 33 seconds on June 18 in Memphis.

Anders said he doesn't consider himself a devotee of any particular fighting discipline.

"If I had one word to describe myself as a fighter, it'd be winner," Anders said. "I always find a way to win. 5-0 as a professional, definitely looking to go 6-0 after this fight."

He's predicting a "first-round victory" on Friday.

"Confidence comes from preparation," Anders said. "I train hard, I work hard and I have the best training partners around."

The Anders-White fight is one of the preliminaries on the Bellator 162 undercard on Friday. The main event matches former Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko against Kendall Grove, with a heavyweight fight between former WWE competitor Bobby Lashley and Josh Appelt billed as a co-main event.

The four fights on the main card will be televised on Spike at 8 p.m. CDT Friday. The preliminary fights will be streamed live on Bellator.com.

Also among the preliminary fights is Omar Johnson's Bellator debut in a catchweight event. Johnson was a prep football standout at St. Paul's in Mobile who played defensive back at Samford. He takes a 5-0 pro record into his fight against Jaleel Willis, who has a 6-0 record.