Hous-Done?
By Curtis Clontz on Aug 21, 2008
UFC 71 was supposed to be just another fight for Keith Jardine. As he looked across the octagon at Houston Alexander he had no clue what the next few minutes would hold. Just 48 seconds into the fight, Jardine was finished, and a new superstar nicknamed The Assassin was upon us… or we thought. It appeared that a new name would surface in the 205 pound weight class. What a difference a year makes. Since getting TKO victories over Jardine and Alessio Sakara, Houston Alexander has dropped two straight and could be in serious trouble of being cut from the UFC.
In his last fight he was the result of an embarrassing 8 second loss, but even worse was the size of the holes in his game shown in the fight prior. Against Thiago Silva, Alexander showed that he may be a big strong guy with bricks in his hands, but he also showed us his lackluster ground game. He showed the world just how to beat him, and if you have a solid ground game you may have his number.
On September 17th, Houston will have the opportunity to fight for his spot in the world’s best MMA organization. He will step into the cage against Eric Schafer. Schafer has lost 2 straight against much bigger names in Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping. A loss for him could land him on the unemployed block as well.
Cole Miller once told me “you just see these guys fighting on TV so you assume because you’re not there yet that you are far away from that level but really some of these guys aren’t good at anything, they’re just tough.” Is Houston Alexander this type or is he a true MMA talent? Only time will tell but unfortunately for him, time is something that may be running out at the end of September.
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OK. I thought you were going to throw Houston Alexander under a bus. I’m a fan!! Too bad you’re right, he may just be a tough fighter and that’s it. I’ll admit both Keith Jardine and James Irvin exposed his chin. Thiago Silva exploited the heck out of his lack of ground game.
From what I recall, Eric Schafer does have decent ju-jitsu game so if he can take the fight to the floor expect Houston to desparately scramble, or suffer another ground-and-pound or be submitted. If he loses in a fashion that indicates he is getting too old and unable to compete stylistically against some UFC fighters, then I’ll understand the UFC letting him go. Sad. But he loses in a highly competitive 3-round decision, I would not understand why the UFC would let him go. After all he’s not a fighter like Lutter or Starnes.
Alexander’s matches were so conclusive, exciting, disappointing and embarassing that he’s just one of the fighters I would like to see more from. Kind of like Anderson Silva, you want to see a competition that offers a little bit more excitement. Imagine Anderson Silva suffering a really quick (not-really-shocking) defeat to Patrick Cote.
I like the idea of having Houston beating Eric Schafer. It’s definitely a winnable fight for him, even if Schafer is a tough matchup.
Still, I’m a fan of Houston’s, and I like that he’s a warrior, and an athlete. He’s a fun fighter to watch, and the 205 division is competitive enough that he’s a good guy to have around.
Although I did not care for the way he acted after his win over Jardine, he is exciting to watch and can finish people on his feet.
No hate, but if he can’t find ways to get his hand raised he may be shopping for a new place to throw those hands.
I will be honest, when I heard that Houston signed his new contract I figured this article was a waste of time and space, but after his loss last night I am not so sure.
He proved last night that his weak ground game is more than just something for him to work around, it is actually a weakness that could prevent him from climbing to the top.
At this point what happens? He could be out of a job soon, and another loss would be an almost guarantee to lose his job…
What do you guys think? is he treading on as thin of ice as I think?
He needs to get a ground game…