HOUSTON ALEXANDER: His Own Words (Pt. 1)
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HOUSTON ALEXANDER: His Own Words (Pt. 1)
emfleek
12/18/09 8:59:57AM
MMAWeekly.com on Thursday spoke with light heavyweight Houston Alexander, who faced Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson at "The Ultimate Fighter" season 10 finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. In a fight widely criticized by fans and UFC president Dana White, Alexander talks about his thoughts on the experience and his future in the sport.
(This is part one of an exclusive two-part interview with Houston Alexander.)
MMAWeekly: Let’s start from the beginning. How did you feel going into the fight and what were your expectations going in versus what happened?
Alexander: I felt really good going into the fight. My coaches said this was the most prepared I’d been for a fight. Even I was going through a lot of... cause what I do, I visualize a lot. Right before the fight, I went down to the auditorium, and I felt myself coming out and going down the walkway, so I felt really good. I’ve probably never felt as good as I did coming into this fight.
MMAWeekly: You paused there for a second. Were there any distractions leading up to this camp?
Alexander: No, there were no distractions. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, so I was real relaxed and I was well prepared for this fight. It was not that I wasn’t prepared, I was prepared to a T.
MMAWeekly: What about your cardio? Most of your fights have ended really quickly, and obviously you went the distance and both of you looked exhausted. I think that’s where some fans criticized your performance. Were you prepared for three rounds?
Alexander: It’s funny, because no one’s in there with us doing the actual fighting. You’ve got a lot of people doing this talk about, ‘aw, this guy’s cardio.’ I could have went another round, to be honest. I could have went a couple more rounds. You have to fight through fatigue, and it was more of a mental thing than anything. You’re exhausted because you’re mentally exhausted. I don’t think it was that we were both exhausted; fighters think about the fight constantly, and when it’s finally over, it’s over. My thing was more relief than anything.
LINK
(This is part one of an exclusive two-part interview with Houston Alexander.)
MMAWeekly: Let’s start from the beginning. How did you feel going into the fight and what were your expectations going in versus what happened?
Alexander: I felt really good going into the fight. My coaches said this was the most prepared I’d been for a fight. Even I was going through a lot of... cause what I do, I visualize a lot. Right before the fight, I went down to the auditorium, and I felt myself coming out and going down the walkway, so I felt really good. I’ve probably never felt as good as I did coming into this fight.
MMAWeekly: You paused there for a second. Were there any distractions leading up to this camp?
Alexander: No, there were no distractions. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, so I was real relaxed and I was well prepared for this fight. It was not that I wasn’t prepared, I was prepared to a T.
MMAWeekly: What about your cardio? Most of your fights have ended really quickly, and obviously you went the distance and both of you looked exhausted. I think that’s where some fans criticized your performance. Were you prepared for three rounds?
Alexander: It’s funny, because no one’s in there with us doing the actual fighting. You’ve got a lot of people doing this talk about, ‘aw, this guy’s cardio.’ I could have went another round, to be honest. I could have went a couple more rounds. You have to fight through fatigue, and it was more of a mental thing than anything. You’re exhausted because you’re mentally exhausted. I don’t think it was that we were both exhausted; fighters think about the fight constantly, and when it’s finally over, it’s over. My thing was more relief than anything.
LINK
cowcatcher
12/18/09 9:22:07AM
hes a good guy, and he has some valid points. im sure we are going to see him again somewhere, hes been an exciting fighter since hes come on the scene whether he wins or loses.
emfleek
12/18/09 9:26:11AM
Posted by cowcatcher
hes a good guy, and he has some valid points. im sure we are going to see him again somewhere, hes been an exciting fighter since hes come on the scene whether he wins or loses.
I actually *did* post something shortly after the fight stating that Kimbo didn't exactly engage, himself. I think Houston's getting a lot of sh*t for no reason. He actually had a good gameplan and, had it worked, he would've received praise for it.*
* Minus the elbows, imo. The kick & counter method would have worked fine, I think. We all saw Petruzelli's counter and what it did to Kimbo.
karn501
12/18/09 2:07:02PM
Posted by cowcatcher
hes a good guy, and he has some valid points. im sure we are going to see him again somewhere, hes been an exciting fighter since hes come on the scene whether he wins or loses.
hell yeah he has alexander jardine was one of the greatest fights ive ever seen.
kimbo sucked in that fight except for that vicious slam he seemed to afraid to get close
marcoDGK
12/18/09 6:22:23PM
Posted by karn501
kimbo sucked in that fight except for that vicious slam he seemed to afraid to get close
I guess that slam was good enough to win him all 3 rounds. It was the only thing I remember vividly about the fight.
I was going for Houston. If they fought again, I would still go for Houston. When it comes down to it, Houston has the reputation of running in on guys and that’s what we were expecting. He didn’t and everyone was so let down, they started talking ish. We just expected more from Houston and so little of Kimbo we were impressed with the little he showed us.
Both fighters were too scared of the counter punch enough not to engage.
His point of view on Machida vs Shogun is understandable but I think in order to win a decision over a Champ you need to dominate the Champ. If that was a 3 round fight that wasn’t a main event I think the judging would have been a bit different.
Jackelope
12/18/09 6:55:04PM
I like a lot of what Houston is saying here. I'm a perma-fan. I can't help it. Good luck to you, Houston 