Houston Alexander Gets One More Chance to Shine at UFC 98

After losing his third straight UFC fight last September, Houston Alexander's days of fighting inside the Octagon appeared to be over. The loss was especially disappointing for the mixed martial arts veteran because it happened in his hometown of Omaha, Neb. However, much to the surprise of many fans and analysts, Alexander (8-4) was given another chance to prove his worth in the UFC when he was booked against Andre Gusmao (5-1) at UFC 98 on May 23.

Alexander is certainly no stranger to tough situations: He's a single father raising six children on his own and also donated one of his kidneys to his ailing daughter nine years ago.

FanHouse spoke to the UFC light heavyweight fighter about getting his career back on track and juggling his many duties as a father with his MMA career. The interview is below.

Ariel Helwani: After losing your third fight in a row last September, many pundits believed that the UFC would cut you. Were you nervous about that?
Houston Alexander: Of course I wasn't nervous; I wasn't nervous at all. No. 1, I have been in the business for ten years and second, it's great to be in the UFC, man, but it's not going to make or break me. The UFC is a great event to be a part of, but as far as me being a man, it's not going to make or break me.

Have they said to you that your fight against Andre Gusmao at UFC 98 could be your last should you lose?
No, but of course, there is pressure to win your upcoming fight. First of all, I hate losing. We have to make sure that the mechanics, the training and all that stuff coincides together. So, you know, of course I want to win. So, there is some pressure on this next fight because I, personally, want to win. Other than that, that's it.

How many fights do you have left on your UFC contract?
I lost count, brother, to be honest. I am taking this fight one fight at a time.

Looking back at your loss to Eric Schafer in Omaha, is it possible that the pressures of fighting at home affected your performance?
I don't think it got to me at all. Before I got into the fight, I hurt myself and a lot of people don't know that. This is the first time that I actually mention being hurt before that fight. But, you know, I don't find excuses whether I win or lose. There was no added pressure being in my hometown; I've done it before. That was nothing.

What kind of injury did you sustain?
I had a hyper-extended arm that I couldn't move at the time and my knee got twisted a little bit. You know, our sparring sessions are rough, man. I think our sparring sessions are a lot rougher than the fight. So, it was just those two things that were tweaked.

Did it get to the point where you actually thought about backing out of the fight?
You know, I thought about backing out, but no one wants to get hyped up for a fight and then back out. So, I could have backed out of the fight easily, but I chose not to. It is what it is. You chalk it up to the game and you move on.

Why did you wait eight months to fight again?
Again, making sure that everything coincides. I want to make sure that I'm 100% healthy. I want to make sure that I'm 100% focused on the training. I have been working on a lot more jiu-jitsu grappling and boxing. Just taking what I already have and then fine-tuning it. We just want to make sure that we fine-tune the NASCAR before we put it in the race.

How hard was it to get over the loss to Schafer?
Any loss for me, man, is tough. Again, I hate losing, but it's probably extra-tough for me with my coaching staff, the guys I train with and the people in my hometown because I got a whole state on my back, man. It's kind of disappointing for myself to have let those people down. And I know a lot of things are riding on me winning in the UFC because we don't have a lot of people coming out of Nebraska or this area who are winning.

Obviously, your lack of jiu-jitsu skills has been the biggest knock against you. How has your progression on that front gone?
It's going along well. In the process of learning, there's no way that you can possibly think about what you are going to do, especially when muscle memory comes into play. You know, when someone touches you a certain way, your body has to automatically go into it. That comes from a lot of drilling. So, another thing we've concentrated on is drilling.

Are you at any belt level in jiu-jitsu?
I haven't been tested yet. I guess when I'm ready to get tested we'll put that out there for people who want to know what level I'm at.

Are you interested in actually doing that?
Of course. It's like boxers who want to achieve that great left hook. You know, I would love to have a belt. That would be stupid for me to say, 'Hey, I'm not looking for a belt.' Obviously, that's a goal.

Did you ever consider leaving MMA for, say, boxing or kickboxing since you don't need any ground skills in those sports?
Nah, I'm still focused on MMA 100%. I don't see myself going into an arena against some kickboxing guy who's been doing it for 15 years. You just can't do that. I have been doing MMA for almost ten years. Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz are still around after all these years doing their thing, so why I can't I? I'm in great shape and I think MMA is my sport.

Have you studied a lot of tape on your opponent, Gusmao?
I have seen a couple of his fights and I honestly think he is one of the tougher guys because he's very athletic, he likes to strike and he's a black belt in jiu-jitsu. They are all tough, man. You are in the UFC for a reason and all these guys are tough. Andre looks like a very tough athletic guy who has great intensity. So, how do you counter that? You counter that by being more intense and a lot tougher (laughs).

He suffered the first loss of his career in his UFC debut last August against Jon Jones. Have you watched that fight a lot?
You know what? I watched some of it but I didn't watch all of it. Jones is a different fighter than I. I can't compare because what worked for Jones might not work for me. So, I can't compare each fight. I'm just going to run the game plan that my coaches worked out for me and go from there.

I noticed that you are plugging the radio show you work for in your voicemail recording and never mention that you are a UFC fighter. Does that mean that your MMA career is not your No. 1 priority?
(Laughs) My family is No. 1, MMA is No. 2 and everything else is third or fourth or fifth down the line.

So, how much time to you devote to your MMA training each week and how much time do your devote to your DJ career?
Three times a day is devoted to MMA. The rest of the day is devoted to family and Sunday is devoted to radio. What does that tell you?

So, how come you don't plug the fact that you are a UFC fighter on your voicemail instead of a DJ?
I think enough people recognize me and that's something I don't try to exploit all the time. If you see me the streets, people know what I do. I do a variety of everything, but MMA is just one part of me that's kind of passed all the other stuff that I do.

In 2000, you donated a kidney to your ailing daughter. Can you talk about the events that led to you making that decision?
My daughter was diagnosed with a swollen kidney when she was small, so they knew that she would need a kidney transplant when she got older. When we all got tested, I was a 100% match. 'Hey, do you want to give your daughter a kidney?' You don't think twice on that. So, I said, 'Yes, take it.' They took the kidney a couple of weeks later after testing and that was it. That's something that you just don't think twice on when it comes to your child. Before that, we knew it was happening, but when it actually happened, it was like a train hitting a car head on at the crossroads. It was just really crazy because here I am with one kidney and I am completely healthy and my daughter has the other. She's fine and healthy, so it's a wonderful feeling for that to happen.

How is she feeling now?
She is fine, man. She's still adjusting with medicines but she's fine.

The other amazing part of your back-story is that you are a single father raising six kids...
I don't know about that being an amazing story because you got women doing it every day.

Absolutely, but you don't hear those kinds of stories in sports these days. Do you get any help?
You know, I get plenty of help from their grandmothers and Godparents. I get help when I go out of town and go to different camps and train. The help is definitely there. I wouldn't be able to do it without the help of all the people that are surrounding me and helping me out.

Do you bring your kids to your fights?
No, I don't bring my kids to the fights. Anything that will deter you from achieving your goal, we don't want to have any distractions. Not saying that my kids are a distraction because it could be a girlfriend or anyone. Any type of distraction is that: a distraction.

Do you allow your kids to watch your fights on pay-per-view?
Yeah, they are at home watching it and that's fine with me. They find a place to watch and we end up talking about it when I get back.

So, what's your typical day like? You train during the day and then come and cook dinner for your kids?
(Laughs) Yeah, cook dinner. Right now, even after getting done training, I have to go wash clothes. So, it just doesn't stop, man. It's non-stop being a parent and it's non-stop being an MMA fighter.

Do any of your kids want to be an MMA fighter?
You know, my oldest son wants to be a professional wrestler. So, I don't know, maybe being a professional wrestler will translate into being an MMA fighter. Who knows? They are all excellent athletes, way better than when I was kid, so who knows what they end up doing. Whatever they do, I'll end up supporting them.

Your son wants to be a WWE wrestler?
Yup, he's wanting to be a WWE wrestler, and I'm busting my ass doing the real stuff, so it's kind of funny to me.

Considering the well-documented lifestyle of professional wrestlers, would you be fine with him pursuing that dream?
Whatever my son wants to do; as long as it's in a positive form, I don't care what he does. If he wants to read books for a living, who cares? As long as it's positive and as long as he's happy.

Will you still be fighting in the UFC this time next year?
This time next year, I will definitely be fighting in the UFC. Hopefully, by this time next year, Houston Alexander will be contending for a belt.