Big House Boxing

On September 17, at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska Houston Alexander will go to war in front of his hometown fans against Eric Schafer. The UFC comes to Omaha for the first on back of the Nebraskan native, and devastating striker from Omaha. In this Big House Boxing interview an excited Alexander talks about fighting in front of his fans, Eric Schafer, and explains why he doesn’t train at a top gym. All this and much more in this Big House Boxing exclusive.

By Jonathan Brown

JB: How’s training going for your fight with Eric Schafer?

HA: Brutal! If you want one word to describe it would be brutal.

JB: How does it feel to be fighting in front of your hometown on national television?

HA: It feels great, because for a year and a half we have been pumping up our fans. This is more of a treat for the fans then anything. Especially since the UFC is here for the first time.

JB: Coming off two loses in a row do feel that this is a do or die fight for you?

HA: A lot of people have been asking me that question, and I don’t think so. The last two fights were learning experiences for me. I have been in the game for a very long time. I know the up’s and downs of MMA. If you can’t learn from your mistakes you’re not going to survive in any organization, so to me it’s not do or die. We have a better game plan, and I’m going to be executing my game a little better this time. All they did was sharpen the knives.

JB: Who are some of your training partners that are helping you sharpen those knives?

HA: I got a lot of wrestlers out of Nebraska. To tell you the truth a lot of these guys are unknown. I’m not big on working with big names, because we are all learning the same thing. I don’t know that anyone can teach me any different than the next guy that knows the exact same moves. My coaches are the ones who should take the most credit.

JB: Fair enough, but I remember Randy Couture saying that “iron sharpens iron”, meaning that the better training partners you have the better you get as a fighter.

HA: You know what my philosophy is? A lot of the guys know the same exact moves. You got a lot of the guys doing the same things: the same arm bars, the triangle chokes. To me it’s all about the individual person. I can have Randy Couture teach me boxing, but does that mean I’m going to be able to box like him? I can have B.J Penn teach me jujitsu but does that mean I’m going to be doing jujitsu like him? To me it doesn’t matter what big names you train with as long as you learn the moves and execute them.

JB: Many trainers say it’s taboo for a fighter to lift weights, because it tightens them up. Do you still lift weights?

HA: Of course, that’s a daily routine, but I don’t do a lot of heavy lifting. It’s lifting to keep the muscles tweaked, and keep my strength up.

JB: Eric has six submissions among his nine wins. Have you been working on your submission defense?

HA: Of course, you have to respect his ability, so of course we have been working on that, but we have been working on all the other things too.

JB: James Irvin tested positive for pain killers after his last loss to Anderson Silva. Is that a re-match you are looking for?

HA: As far as James testing positive that’s that mans thing that he has to deal with. As far as the fight goes I would love to get back into the octagon with James. I don’t think the fans were given justice as far as the finish. I want a re-match with James and Thaigo. I want to do an “Iceman”, and re-match everyone that beat me.

JB: What did you think about the John Fitch vs. GSP fight?

HA: That’s probably one of the better fights of the year. Great striking, great submission attempts. One of the better fights of the year!

JB: Who do you like in a re-match between GSP and B.J Penn?

HA: That’s another evenly matched fight that you can’t call. Whoever makes the first mistake is going to lose.

JB: When you first entered the UFC I know you walked around at the same weight you fought at. Is that still true?

HA: I’m at 209 right now. I could probably take a crap and make weight

JB: You ever think about going down to 185?

HA: No for me that’s not healthy. I’m not use to that weight. I just don’t think it’s healthy my body is not prepared for it.

JB: Do you think there should be same day weigh-ins so the fighters aren’t subjecting themselves to those health risks? A lot of fighters cut 20-30 pounds to get to a weight division that they really don’t belong in.

HA: That’s an interesting question. I have never been asked that question man. I don’t know if it does anything to the outcome, but I know cutting weight like that is not healthy to your body. I don’t know I’ve never been asked that question before. That’s the first time I have been stomped with a question in a year and a half.

JB: I know you’re the proud father of six children. Is it hard to juggle fatherhood with the demanding training it takes to be a UFC fighter?

HA: I don’t think so. I have been able to balance it well. It’s all about time management for me brother.

JB: Are any of your kids interested in fighting?

HA: The three boys have an interest in boxing and wrestling. I don’t really want them punching anyone right now. You know they might get in trouble in school for kneeing someone in the face.

JB: Are you still active in the hip-hop community?

HA: Yeah I recently painted a memorial at a Jazz and Blues Festival, so yeah I’m still pretty active.

JB: Yeah I hear you were a graffiti artist back in the day.

HA: Not back in the day I’m still one bro!

JB: Where can people go and see your work?

HA: A lot of it is just around the Omaha area. You can’t go online, because I never put any of it on there.

JB: You got to get your work up on Facebook man.

HA: I’m not big on Facebook, or MySpace. I’d rather let someone else do that.

JB: I’m friends with you on Facebook. Is that your account, or did somebody just make it up?

HA: It’s mine, but someone just manages it for me.

JB: Who do like in the Liddell vs. Evans fight?

HA: That’s going to be interesting because you got one guy that has been wrestling all his life, and then you got the other that has great takedown defense, so something is going to have to give man. Rashad is coming out of the same camp that had Keith beating Chuck, and Rashad’s a really good kicker, so don’t be surprised if Rashad is throwing a lot more kicks like Keith did.

JB: We got a lot of kids and young adults at Big House Boxing aspiring to get to the UFC. Can you give them some advice on what it takes to be successful in this industry?

HA: To be successful in this industry you have to have good coaches. You have to have experienced coaches in each discipline. You also need a good nutritionist to get your body right. You need the protein to feed the muscles. You need the oxygens, because you put your body through so much.

JB: That’s all I got for you. Good luck with your fight.

HA: Alright brother I appreciate it thanks.

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