Mousasi claimed the title after submitting K-1 standout Melvin Manhoef in the first round of the semis followed by a first round knockout over jiu-jitsu black belt Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the final.

The Armenian-born Mousasi, now a Dutch citizen, has long been considered one of the best pure strikers in the world but has flown under the radar of most mainstream MMA fans. His high-profile tournament victory in Japan on Tuesday could make him a sought-after commodity by major promotions in North America. In the interim, he will represent DREAM as the promotion’s first-ever middleweight champion.

In other matches held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, former PRIDE veteran Hayato Sakurai recorded a a decision victory over former UFC fighter Kuniyoshi Hironaka while a heated heavyweight encounter between Mirko Crop Cop and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem ended in a no contest after Overeem delivered two low blows to Cro Cop.

There was a great deal of trash talk dished out between Cro Cop and Overeem leading up to the fight and the outcome of Tuesday’s bout will no doubt add fuel to the fire.

Below is a full transcript of our live play-by-play from DREAM 6 with complete results.

Play-by-Play written in real-time format -

Tournament Bouts:

Reserve bout:
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Andrews Nakahara

Round 1

Nakahara starts the fight with a nice high kick. Yoon works the fight to the ground. Yoon opens his guard and Nakahara moves back to his feet. Yoon takes the bout back to the canvas and works from top position. After taking a few minutes of offense, Nakahara escapes backdoor from Yoon’s mount and the fight returns to the feet. Nakahara stuffs a takedown and delivers some brutal knees to the head of Yoon as the first round comes to a close.

Round 2

Nakahara opens the second frame with a leg kick , followed by a flurry of strikes that knock down Yoon. Yoon is taking shot after shot on the ground, and the ref steps in to save Yoon at the :30 second mark.

WINNER: Andrews Nakahara TKO Round 2– :30

Melvin Manhoef vs. Gegard Mousasi

Round 1

Mousasi starts the fight with a low kick to set up the takedown, Manhoef shows a good sprawl, but Mousasi drags him down and quickly works a triangle, Manhoef stands up and slams Mousasi, but only makes the triangle tighter………..Manhoef taps. Mousasi advances to the finals without taking as much as one punch.

Winner: Gegard Mousasi Sub ( triangle) Rd 1- 1:28

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Zelg Galesic

Round 1

Jacare takes the fight to the ground immediately, and moves immediately to side mount. A few blows to the head and Jacare moves to full mount, Galesic reverses position, and Jacare slaps on and immediate arm bar for the win.

Winner: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza Sub ( armbar) Rd 1–1:27

Non-Tournament Bouts:
Keita Nakamura vs. Adriano Martins

Round 1

The fighters circle for a minute, and Nakamura is knocked down by a Martins uppercut. Nakamura is back to his feet and the fight restarts. Martins is all over the place throwing wild shots and a unique half kick, and Nakamura clinches and takes Martins to the ground. Nakamura working from top is attempting to pass guard as Martins is landing strikes from his back. The action slows, and Nakamura begins to land some minor shots from the top. Nakamura’s left eye is cut as a result of shot delivered by Martins from the bottom. The fight is paused for inspection of the cut by ringside doctors. The fight is restarted on the feet and Nakamura comes out much more aggressive. Nakamura is looking sharper standing, as he lands some jabs as Martins counters with some wild uppercut attempts. Nakamura continue to land jabs as the round comes to an end.

Round 2

The second round begins as first ended with Nakamura landing jabs at will. Martins clinchs with no action and the fight is restarted. Nakamura lands a few more jabs and the fighters clinch. Nakamura gets the fight to the ground briefly but the action quickly returns to the feet. As the round progresses Nakamura continues to land straight jabs. Martins remains off ballance as he eats jab after jab as his face is starting to show some wear. The fighters clinch and the fight comes to an end. Fiveouncesofpain.com scores the bout as a victory for Nakamura, 2 of 3 Judges agree.

Winner Keita Nakamura via Split Decision

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Jimmy Ambriz

Round 1

Ambriz starts off fast and eats a shot from Kharitonov that knocks him to the floor. Ambriz back to his feet immediatly. the fight moves to the ropes and a yellow card is issued to Kharitonov for grabbing the ropes. Kharitonov looks sharp on his feet with shots to the body and head. Ambriz is starting to look tired, and is taking more frequent shots. Ambriz is dazed and is knocked to his knees, Kharitonov continues to despense punishment and Ambriz on his knees taps to end the fight.

Winner: Sergei Kharitonov TKO Rd 1-2:15

Hideo Tokoro vs. Atsushi Yamamoto

Round 1

The action starts quickly and Tokoro looks sharp on his feet early. Yamamoto lands a straight right that takes Tokoro off his feet, Yamamoto pounces and trys to end the fight. Tokoro works from guard and appears recovered. Tokoro escapes bottom and the pair spin back to their feet. The fighters exchange in the stand up with Yamamoto looking relaxed and sharp. After a period of boxing, Tokoro has jumped guard and Yamamoto works top and then decides to stand up. The pair continue to box with Yamamoto landing the better of the punches. Tokoro’s nose in now bleeding heavy, but the fighter gets the fight back to the ground. The round ends with Tokoro holding on from bottom position.

Round 2

The action starts off fast, as Tokoro comes out much more aggressive. The fight goes to the ground as the result of a spinning kick with Yamamoto working from the top position, but the is paused so the doctor can inspect Takoro’s nose. The fight is restarted from the ground but both fighters quickly work back to the feet. Yamamoto shoots and takes the fight back to the ground and after a scramble, both fighters return to their feet. The fight returns to the ground and Tokoro takes top position and is close with an armbar. Tokoro is close, and Yamamoto is defending the armbar, less than a minute and Tokoro will not let go of the arm, and Yamamoto is hanging on …….The fight ends. Fiveouncesofpain.com would award the close victory to Atsushi Yamamoto, all three judges agree.

WINNER: Atsushi Yamamoto via Decision

Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Masakatsu Funaki

Round 1

Funaki with and early kick and the fight goes to the ground. Funaki applies a heel hook and after a moment Minowa quckly taps.

WINNER: Masakatsu Funaki Sub ( heel hook) Rd 1– :32

Hayato Sakurai vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka

Round 1

The two fighters exchange leg kicks, Hironaka working for the takedown. The fight goes to the canvas with Hironaka taking top position. Hironaka is working from half guard trying to pass, a scramble and both fighters jump to their feet. Both fighters exchange in the staond up with Sakurai landing the better punches and kicks. Hironaka is throwing an ineffective jab to attempt to keep distance. Sakurai delivers a brutal leg kick, Hironaka appears to affected. Sakurai lost balance throwing a kick and Hironaka takes advantage and goes to the ground as well. Hironaka working from Sakurai’s guard delivering some minor shots. The fight is paused and an official warning is issued to Hironaka for kicking a downed opponent to the face. The fight continues and Sakurai is delivering a good mix of head, body and leg damage. The first round comes to and end.

Round 2

The fight quickly goes to the ground with Sakurai again working from his back. Sakurai works the fight back to his feet, and lands a nice overhead right, and leg kick. Sakurai takes the fight to the groud briefly, and delivers a head kick to his oponent as he gets back to his feet. Sakurai is starting to land the cleaner and stronger shots. Hironaka shows a great chin as he takes two brutal knees from the clinch. Sakurai comes on strong trying to finish the fight and the bell rings and signals the end of the contest. Fiveouncesofpain.com scores the fight for Sakurai, and all 3 judges agree.

WINNER: Hayato Sakurai via Decision

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Masanori Tonooka

Round 1

A left hook from Akiyama finds its target. Tonooka is swinging for the fences but can’t find his range. Akiyama closes the distance and takes Tonooka to the canvas. Akiyama to side-control and traps Tonooka’s left arm. Akiyama rains down punches , Tonooka finally gets his arm free. Akiyama traps Tonooka’s arm once again, and attempts a Kimura. Tonooka is then quickly mounted. Akiyama works on an armbar set up, but instead takes Tonooka’s back. Tonooka makes it back to his feet, but is quickly taken back to the ground where Akiyama immediatly mounts and submits Tonooka with are armbar.

WINNER Yoshihiro Akiyama via armbar Rd 1-6:26

Shinya Aoki vs. Todd Moore
Round 1

Moore does a nice job of fighting off Aoki in the early going. Aoki shoots on Moore who stuffs the shot, Aoki hops on his back and applies a neck crank for the win.

WINNER Shinya Aoki via sub ( neck crank) Rd 1. 1:10

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Alistair Overeem
Round 1

Overeem takes control early. The fight goes to the ground where Overeem punishes the Croation. Back to their feet,Cro Cop kicks Overeem who takes Filipovic back to the ground. Cro Cop is bloody above his left eye and gets a yellow card for his trouble. The fighters clinch and Overeem knees Cro Cop who appears to be complaining about a low blow, Back to the clinch and this time Overeem does deliver the shot below the border. The fight is halted as Cro Cop attempts to collect himself. The fight continues with both fighters exchanging blows, Overeem clearly in control delivers the second low blow of the round. Cro Cop remains down, and it’s beginning to look doubtful that the match will continue. The corner of Cro Cop is reporting their fighters right testicle has been pushed up into his body. The officials have spoken, the fight has ended and is ruled a NO CONTEST

Dream Middleweight GP Final:
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Gegard Mousasi

Round 1

As the match starts the fighters feel eachother out until Jacare gets the impressive takedown. Jacare working from half guard is working over Mousasi trying to set up his next move…………. Jacare postures up to rain down punches… Mousasi upkicks Jacare and KO’s Souza to win the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix.

WINNER : Gegard Mousasi KO Rd -2:15

DREAM.6, will focus on the semifinals and the finals of the DREAM middleweight grand prix as well as a much anticipated fight between heavyweights Mirko Filipovic and Alistair Overeem.

Fiveouncesofpain.com  will have live Play by Play coverage starting at 3a.m. ET.

Results

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (225.9 pounds) vs. Alistair Overeem (241.8)
Shinya Aoki (153.8) vs. Todd Moore (153.6)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (184.8) vs. Masanori Tonooka (184.1)
Kuniyoshi Hironaka (167) vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (167.2)
Masakatsu Funaki (198) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (193.4)
Hideo Tokoro (138.4) vs. Atsushi Yamamoto (138.2)
Jimmy Ambriz (290.4) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (253)
Adriano Martins (154) vs. Keita Nakamura (154)
Zelg Galesic (184.6) vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (184.4)- GP semi final fight
Melvin Manhoef (184.8) vs. Gegard Mousasi (184.6)- GP semi final fight
Andrews Nakahara (183.7) vs. Yoon Dong Sik (184.8)-Reserve bout

DREAM 6 will be Aoki’s first bout since losing in the finals of the promotion’s lightweight Grand Prix in June against Joachim Hansen, who had been previously eliminated in a bout against Eddie Alvarez. Hansen was reinstated into the tournament after an injury to Alvarez coupled with a victory in a tournament reserve bout.

Aoki, 17-3 with one no contest, according to Sherdog’s fight finder, previously defeated Hansen via a gogoplata submission at PRIDE Shockwave on New Year’s Eve in 2006. He also holds notable wins over Caol Uno, Gesias Calvancante, Akira Kikuchi, George Sotiropoulos, Clay French, and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

Moore is a Houston-based fighter who compiled an impressive 9-0 record that garnered him a contract with Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting. Despite his upside potential, Moore’s record in the WEC is 0-2 with him having lost his debut via unanimous last December to John Alessio and a more recent submission loss against Shane Roller at WEC 35 this past August.

Moore is still contracted to the WEC but has received permission to accept the fight vs. Aoki outside of his contract.

DREAM 6 is set to emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and will be televised live in the United States on HDNet. The entire card is listed below.

Middleweight Grand Prix Finals (16-man tournament):

- Gegard Mousasi vs. Melvin Manhoef
- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Zelg Galesic

Middleweight Grand Prix Finals:

- Winner of Souza/Galesic vs. Winner of Mousasi/Manhoef

Grand Prix Reserve Bout:

- Dong Sik Yoon vs. Andrews Nakahara

Non-Tournament Bouts:

- Shinya Aoki vs. Todd Moore

- Mirko Cro Cop vs. Alistair Overeem

- Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Masanori Tonooka

- Sergei Kharitonov vs. “Mighty” Mo Siliga

- Hayato Sakurai vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka

- Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Masakatsu Funaki

- Hideo Tokoro vs. Atsushi Yamamoto

- Keita Nakamura vs. Adriano Martins

Cro Cop recently responded in a blog post stating among other things:

I was asked by the members of media if I’m willing to fight Overeem since we challenged me twice already. I watched DREAM 5 and I was happy to see a strong heavyweight match-up on the card, I have no doubts that DREAM will put more match-ups like that in the future. It was a very good performance by Alistair I must say. I’m happy to accept his challenge and I’m looking forward to this fight as I believe that we can deliver an entertaining fight. Now it’s up to DREAM to make this fight happen, I’m ready to face my challenger on the next show already.

It looks as though both fighters are up to the challenge but the question remains if DREAM will actually make the bout. When two Japanese heavyweights agree to fight one another one usually ends up fighting Zulu at the event.

If the bout were to occur, I never thought I’d say this but I think Overeem at the very least has a shot. Coming off of his impressive win over Mark Hunt, Overeem has looked very impressive in his recent bouts while it’s obvious Mirko has not. I’ll still give Mirko the benefit of the doubt until he loses again but Alistair is certainly looking more dangerous than he used to.

This should be interesting because Schafer is a beast on the ground, a place where Alexander has shown to be inexperienced. Schafer is coming off a loss to Stephan Bonnar in his last appearance in the UFC but has since racked up two first round victories on the smaller circuits. Alexander is coming off a knockout loss to James Irvin and has now lost two in a row in the UFC. Both men need a victory here.

Roufus also posted that Alan Belcher will be taking on Ed Herman on the same card in a middleweight battle. Herman is coming off a technical submission to Demian Maia where he was caught in a mounted triangle and being beaten in the face at the same time. Belcher is also coming off a loss to Jason Day at UFC 83.

A member of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board walked into the room and told Alexander and Doyle the fight was off because Alexander only has one kidney.

Alexander had donated a kidney to one of his daughters several years earlier, but he’d always passed his pre-fight physicals with no problems. But New Jersey, fearful of a lawsuit should something untoward happen, opted at the last minute to prevent Alexander from fighting.

The reasoning was that with just one kidney, he wouldn’t have a backup if something happened to it. Manager Monte Cox, UFC president Dana White and Doyle were pleading Alexander’s case.

According to the report, this was roughly an hour before the fight. Wouldn’t something like this have been caught during the proper medical procedures that take place before the event even happens? How does the New Jersey Athletic Control Board not know that Alexander only has one kidney? Or if they did know, why wait until the very last minute to stop the fight from happening?

Obviously Dana White and Co. got their way and Silva thrashed Houston that night, but to throw that at a fighter just an hour before the fight is supposed to happen is a little unprofessional in my opinion. If the NJACB knew that Alexander only had one kidney, they should have addressed the situation when that information was posed to them, not an hour before the fight.

UPDATE: click for rebuttal from NJACB’s Nick Lembo 

Houston Alexander will return to Ultimate Fighting Championship action on April 2. MMAWeekly.com has confirmed with sources close to the fight that he will face James Irvin as a part of the main card of the upcoming UFC Fight Night leading into the seventh installment of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

This is a fight that was announced awhile back as part of a possible March 8th card in England, one week after UFC 82. Since that card seems to be botched at this point, lots of fighters are getting moved around to other cards. This should be a slugfest and a fight that’s tailor made for Houston to win, especially if it stays standing. UFC Fight Night 13 is turning into a very high caliber event, better on paper than some of the pay per views last year.

Check out more UFC Fight Night 13 content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

A source close to Houston Alexander (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the UFC light heavyweight has accepted a fight with James Irvin (13-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and is simply awaiting word on whether Irvin’s camp will green-light the bout.

Prepare for some punches to be thrown. Both are strikers so both will probably look to keep the fight standing. While Irvin has a lot of experience, look for the explosiveness of Houston Alexander to take over during this fight and put Houston back on the winning track. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Houston’s not going up against any BJJ black belts again. The UFC learned its lesson once.

Check out more UFC 83 and Houston Alexander content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

It’s not like a movie where you pay money and can critique the execution of how the film was produced. Despite the lack of a strong main event, the matchups on paper were solid. And as I’ve said many times before, this is a real sport and it isn’t scripted. It’s like going to a football game and watching two teams go three and out repeatedly — it’s sport and not theater and sometimes things just don’t come together.

In regard to MMA shows which don’t turn out to be great, there are isolated cases where in hindsight you can hold the matchmaker culpable for putting guys together who have styles that don’t mesh well. But how do you second guess Spencer Fisher vs. Frankie Edgar on paper? The two did not have a bad match last night but I think it’s safe to say it fell way short of expectations. Yes, you had a striker vs. a wrestler but these two guys have been in strong fights this year. How do you predict with certainty that Edgar was going to be able to control Fisher like he did?

And as it turns out, what was the weakest match on paper, Joe Doerksen vs. Ed Herman, just may have proved to be one of the best fights of the night, if not the best. Basically, I don’t think you can fault the UFC, the fighters, the judges, the referees, etc. for the fact that last night’s show was only two stars instead of four stars.

During last night’s card we also saw three fights from the main card go to a decision and I think the judges had the outcomes right. The only issue I have is with the one judge who scored the main event in favor of Bisping (was it an error?). There are some fights where there are rounds that could go either and I end up finding it hard to argue with a judge who scores it a different way than I saw it. However, when it came to last night’s scoring, how on Earth could you have given either rounds one or three to Bisping?

Aside from that one judge, I think last night proved that the 10-point must system works well for MMA. I realize many will disagree with that statement and a lot has been written recently to the contrary, but I haven’t seen anyone suggest a viable alternative. There have been some bad calls this year but any system you use that relies on humans is going to have imperfections. And for the amount of times bouts go to the judges, I think the percentage of controversial decisions is relatively small.

Scoring an MMA match is no easy task because you are combining different styles. How can you introduce a true points system when you have so many fighting disciplines being employed? Is a takedown worth more than a clean uppercut? Is a sweep worth more than a kick to the ribs? A true points system has been used in Olympic boxing to take it out of the judges hands. However, judges are still often needed to decide what punches register points. I remember that at one Olympics they used a computer scoring system but they still needed a human to register the punches into the system. I’ve been to several grappling tournaments now and they employ a points system that is pretty cut and try. There are defined point assignments for certain moves. However, the referee still has to use his judgment for when points should be awarded and there are still disputes.

If you’re not a fan of the 10-point must, that’s fine. But please offer a viable alternative. A lot of alternatives have been offered but none are viable in my opinion. To be frank, I find most of them to be Utopian in nature. Some of them sound good but simply aren’t applicable in a real-life situation.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

In the footage blow, Houston Alexander talks about how he fights for the fans and goes so far as to say he considers himself an employee of the fans.

How do you not root for this guy?

In addition to the video, you can still enjoy 5 Oz. contributing writer Adam Morgan’s exclusive interview that he conducted with Houston several months back by clicking here.

Alexander also feels that even though he started in the UFC in his late 30′s, he’ll be there for quite a few more fights:

“I have three more fights to go. I am pretty sure they will want to negotiate that for me to fight a little longer”"

He also addressed the question of if he felt slighted that Keith Jardine got the Chuck Liddell fight instead of himself:

“People keep asking me, ‘Hey don’t you think you deserved to fight Chuck’ I tell them that I didn’t deserve it. I have not been in the UFC as long as those guys have been. To me, they deserved to fight each other. “

Judging by Alexander’s responses, he comes across as a very well grounded guy. He has not gotten caught up in his own success. To me, Alexander’s wins have not been a fluke. The reason for that is he believes in himself. He prepares himself very well. Alexander is clearly a down-to-earth guy who hasn’t even quit his “day job” as a radio DJ.

With a victory against Thiago Silva, Alexander could very well put himself in position to be in a #1 contender type match. I’d love to see Alexander get in the cage against someone with more name value – maybe Forrest Griffin or the winner of Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell.

Is there a fighter who has been more surprising in the past year than Alexander? Maybe Sokoudjou, but besides that the list would be very short.

To read the entire interview, please click here.

Gerbasi also revealed that Houston Alexander will be back in action at UFC 78 and will be taking on Thiago Silva. Silva is 11-0 and considered one of the most promising young light heavyweights in the division. Meanwhile, despite being 35, Alexander is viewed by many as a breakout star coming off the heels of two devastating first round TKOs in his first two UFC fights.

According to the website, the televised portion of the card will be comprised of Bisping vs. Evans, Alexander vs. Silva, Hector Lombard vs. Karo Parisyan, Spencer Fisher vs. Frankie Edgar, and David Terrell vs. Ed Herman.

Thanks to Houston for taking the time out of his day to sit down and give us his thoughts on a number of topics, including who he might be looking to fight next, his ground game, his thoughts on the online MMA community and much more. Enjoy.

Adam Morgan: You’re a UFC fighter, a radio DJ, a hip hop lecturer and enthusiast, and a single dad of six children. What’s it like balancing all that?

It’s almost military. Everything has to be precise, everything has to be organized and everything has to be time driven, so it’s almost like the military.

Adam Morgan: So what is a normal day for Houston Alexander? Do you get up, take the kids to school, or what’s a normal day for Houston?

A normal day for me is waking up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning to go work out first. Go to work out, get a good hour or two hours of training in and that’s the first workout of the day. Then I come back home and take the children to school and then I work out again after I drop them off. In between the kids, I get to work out.

Adam Morgan: So it’s basically just taking care of the kids, training, and then you have the radio show on Sundays?

Yeah, I got the radio program through NRG Media (POWER 106.9 in Omaha, NE) from 7-10 and the show is called Sunday Nite Raw and I play independent music from all over the world, hip hop, and R&B. I also do promotions for the station and I also work with seven other different radio stations throughout the week. They’ve been working with me as far as the time goes, but I enjoy doing radio, so I don’t think I’m going to stop doing that.

Adam Morgan: So you’re saying even if you’re a full time fighter, training full time, radio will always be a part of your life?

Yeah, because I enjoy playing the music and I enjoy playing the music that no one’s heard. I enjoy helping artists out who are, you know, trying to get on and get that help.

Adam Morgan: Now a lot’s been said about your Culture Shock School Tour where you lecture the students about hip hop culture. Is there one underlying theme about hip hop that you stress in those segments?

It’s funny that you ask that because there is one underlying theme that we stress. It’s that hip hop culture is about music, dance, and art. Period. It’s a culture and a lot of people see rap music being set up as the only element in the culture, so we let the kids know that the hip hop culture is about music, dance, and art. It’s not about the gold chains or the trucks or the 22 inch rims or the 30 inch rims or however they’re doing it nowadays. The hip hop culture is about music, dance, and art. It’s not about the commercialized stuff they’re seeing now.

Editor’s note: WATCH some Culture Shock Tour video HERE

Adam Morgan: Right, so it’s not all about the benjamins, it’s about the culture itself.

It is about the culture itself. And if anyone knows anything about the culture, they’ll know that Justin Timberlake is not hip hop. Only MTV wants to categorize him in that situation.

Adam Morgan: Now you’re a graffiti artist as well?

Oh yeah, been a graf artist since I was 12 years old.

Adam Morgan: Do you still do graffiti regularly?

Houston Alexander: Yes, I’m still doing walls and as a matter of fact, about two months ago I did a project for Red Bull. So yeah, I’m still doing walls and I can proudly say that.

Adam Morgan: You’ve got your mixed martial arts career, your radio deal, and your Culture Shock School Tour. These are sort of your jobs on the side and I know you said you’d continue to do radio even if you are a full time fighter, so is it enough to just be getting paid to fight or what’s your take of the fighter pay scale in the UFC?

Houston Alexander: I let my manager handle all that. Right now I’m happy with what I’m getting paid. I have no complaints about what I’m getting paid and I know that being in the UFC and being a rookie, so to speak, I’m going to have to earn my way up just like anyone else, so I’m willing to do that. I’m willing to work and that’s something that a lot of people don’t like doing in some cases. But I like to work, I like to train, and I like to get it done because I like to see the results in the ring. So I have no problem earning my way.

Adam Morgan: Alright Houston, you know I have to ask this, it’s the standard interview question for fighters. Do you have any idea who or when you might be fighting next?

Houston Alexander: And I’m going to give you the standard answer that I’ve been giving everyone else. The UFC can decide whatever they want to decide on that. For me it’s been every three months. I’m thinking over the next month and a half they’ll let me know who it will be.

Adam Morgan: I saw a little interview with Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle with you. He mentioned Michael Bisping as someone you might like to fight?

Houston Alexander: I wouldn’t mind fighting Bisping. He seems like a pretty good competitor and he seems pretty fired up about fighting so I wouldn’t mind fighting him. But I wouldn’t mind fighting anyone that’s any type of top caliber. I want to test my skills and see where I stand in the 205 lb. division also, so I wouldn’t mind fighting anyone, but I think that he stands out the most to me. He’s very outspoken like I am.

Adam Morgan: Regarding who you’re going to be fighting next, Forrest Griffin’s come out and said that he can’t fight until maybe next year, so he’s out of the light heavyweight picture and Rampage isn’t fighting until next year because of a wrist injury. So my question to you is, what about Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva? Would you be interested in fighting either of those guys?

Houston Alexander: Again, man, just like I’ve told everybody else. I will fight anyone at any time. As a matter of fact, I’m used to fighting every week in the smaller shows so a three month layoff is like a killer for me. I’d rather be in the ring on a regular basis, but it is what it is. I wouldn’t mind fighting whoever they put in front of me. If it’s another big name they want to put in front of me then I’m going to do my best to get it done.

Adam Morgan: You’ve said in recent interviews that you’ve fought over 200 times in the past seven years in unsanctioned bouts. Where were these fights usually held?

Houston Alexander: A lot of the time they were in Des Moines, Iowa, Sioux City, Omaha, a lot of fights going on in Illinois. The majority of them were around the area that I stay in. Whether or not people believe me or not? Do I care? No. I know where I’ve been over the past seven years and it’s been fighting in the small shows for lesser amounts of money than I’m getting now. But I enjoy doing it. I enjoy doing it and it pays the bills.

Adam Morgan: Were these non-sanctioned bouts against guys that were more or less street brawlers or were they guys that actually had MMA technique?

Houston Alexander: I’ve fought probably every type of fighter and any type of style of fighter that’s probably ever been laid out. Jiu jitsu style, wrestling style, boxing style. I’ve probably fought every type of style, probably fought every type of weight, and I’ve fought every type of height. Nothing surprises me in the UFC right now. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen fat, short, tall, toothless. I’ve seen it all, man. As a matter of fact, it’s a pleasant surprise to be in the UFC because I get to actually fight someone who is my actual weight. I’ve been fighting guys that were twice my size for the past seven years. At 205, I’m grinning with glee.

Before I even got into the UFC, I was in Extreme Challenge, one of Monte Cox’s, my manager, one of his events. Two of the guys I had to beat, well John Murphy was 6’3”, 235 lbs. and the last gentleman was 6’3”, 250 lbs., and I’m at a light 207 so I’ve been fighting guys that were twice my size for the past seven years.

Adam Morgan: What’s the funniest or craziest thing that’s ever happened to you in one of these unsanctioned bouts?

Houston Alexander: True story. Des Moines, Iowa, I slammed a guy so hard that I broke the boards in the ring.

Adam Morgan: You slammed the guy through the mat?

Houston Alexander: No, you know how you have boards underneath the ring? I broke the boards in the ring.

Adam Morgan: Are there any big names that you’ve fought in the past? Anybody the casual MMA fan would know?

Houston Alexander: Josh Neer and I fought, but that was more of an exhibition. It was just a fun match, it wasn’t like a major match because at the time he was at around 175 lbs. and I was at about 203 or something like that. It was one of those things that we just kind of did, just for the fans.

Adam Morgan: You’ve been fortunate enough to have your two UFC fights on some pretty high profile shows. You were on the UFC 71 card with the big Chuck Liddell v. Quinton Jackson main event and then UFC 75 on Spike TV. Has there been any stardom that’s come along with knocking out a former Ultimate Fighter guy and competing one one of the biggest stages in mixed martial arts this year?

Houston Alexander: I think I was really freaked out when we went to London and we went to the weigh ins and there were 2-3,000 people there and we received just as much applause as the gentleman that was from there. That freaked me out when they applauded for us and our team is from Nebraska. It was just really interesting and I was really appreciative of that, so that charged me even more to go intO the ring and do what I did.

Adam Morgan: I know you have a background as a boxer and a wrestler and we sort of have yet to see you on the ground in the Octagon. Let’s say in your next fight, guy comes out, shoots a double leg takedown on you and puts you on your back. What does Houston Alexander do from his back?

Houston Alexander: First of all, the guy has to be really fast to get me in a double leg takedown, so that’s gotta happen first. They have to get past my first line of defense. If something weird like that happens, like in the Sakara fight when he grabbed my leg and we went down, my ground game is just as good as anyone in the UFC. I don’t know of anyone that can be stronger than what I am. It’s weird, because I get this question every time someone interviews me. I just haven’t had the chance to do it, so why go there when they can’t get past my first line of defense?

Like I said, I slammed the guy in Des Moines through the floor. I just can’t wait and I’m excited to show the world what type of ground game I have. My ground and pound’s not too bad according to the ref at UFC 75.

Adam Morgan: Are you training any jiu jitsu right now?

Houston Alexander: I’m doing everything. I’m not just concentrating on one thing, I’m doing everything. I’m training in every type of ground game, grappling, jiu jitsu, I’m doing it all.

Adam Morgan: Do you train with a gi or no gi?

Houston Alexander: Everything. All you have to say is everything. I won’t get into all that because I am training everything on every level.

Adam Morgan: As far as cardio goes, do you think you have the cardio to go five 5-minute rounds in a championship fight against someone like Quinton Jackson or Dan Henderson?

Houston Alexander: 8-Ball Nutrition has been a sponsor of ours for a while now and those guys got me looking great in the ring. As for my cardio, I haven’t had a chance to use my cardio. They can’t get past that first line of defense, but I can go round upon round upon round and still feel refreshed. I feel fine after every fight, so I can go. Believe me, they’ll find out if it has to get to that. Again, we’ll use that phrase throughout this whole interview: they have to get past the first line of defense.

Adam Morgan: You mentioned the Alessio Sakara fight earlier and I wanted to ask you about a picture of you before UFC 75 with “Sakara’s Gotta Go!” scrawled across your wraps. Is that something you do for every fight and is it always the same message?

Houston Alexander: At the time, my coach and I were sparring and that’s our catch phrase at the gym. They gotta go. When I’m in the ring, those people gotta go. He just kind of drew it on the hand and we thought it would be a cool idea to put it on the site. It’s something I haven’t started doing, but it’s kinda cool.

Adam Morgan: I know you have a good relationship with MMAjunkie.com and I don’t know if you’ve heard Dana White’s recent comments about these “goofy internet sites,” but I just wanted to get your thoughts on the online MMA community and whether or not you think it gives fighters a good chance for exposure.

Houston Alexander: You know what, it does give the fighters a good chance for exposure. Any promotion for me is good promotion, whether it’s good or bad. I understand that the site got started from a fan who just wanted to know information and wanted to get info to everyone across the world. I don’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t see anything wrong with getting the information, wanting to know the information and getting to know the fighters.

Adam Morgan: I do understand where Dana’s coming from to an extent, as some of these sites can get a little out of hand sometimes.

Yeah, but you learn to shift through all that. You learn to shift through all the crap that’s out there and MMAjunkie.com, they’re for real. They’re a legit site for info or I wouldn’t put my name behind it.

Adam Morgan: I notice you have some tattoos on your forearms and various parts of your upper body. Is there one that means the most to you and is there a story behind any of them?

Houston Alexander: I wouldn’t get any type of ink on me without having the stories behind it, but my favorite is the one on my back, it says “The Bringer of War.” “The Bringer of War,” to me, is a symbol of me and my life struggles. The meaning is that I’m going to bring it 110% no matter what I do and I’m going to accomplish everything that I’ve set out to accomplish. A lot of times, maybe nine times out of ten in my life, I’ve accomplished it. As far as the UFC, my accomplishment is to get the belt. That should be everyone’s goal, to reach the highest pick in anything they do. So if I’m gonna do this, my standards are set high. My goal is to get the belt.

I guess if Chuck Liddell beats Keith Jardine then Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva for Dec. 29 will officially be signed and that will count as a PRIDE vs. UFC match. But other than that, what else is on the immediate horizon? I just don’t see the Super Bowl of MMA series ever taking place. Which is fine, but it’s time to stop promoting such a concept if there’s no guarantee of a satisfying payoff.

There’s also no point in promoting a PRIDE vs. UFC feud if you aren’t going to even show PRIDE enough respect to put their titles on TV. Maybe I missed it, but I don’t recall seeing Henderson’s PRIDE middleweight and welterweight titles being brought to the ring. And after Jackson was named the winner there was only one belt put around his waist — the UFC light heavyweight title. Did the PRIDE middleweight and welterweight titles decide not to sign contracts so the UFC elected to make the decision not to put them on camera? Were they lost in the mail when they were sent over from Japan? Why couldn’t they have waited until after the unification match to retire the PRIDE title?

Enough with the sarcasm because I thoroughly enjoyed UFC 75. It was a much better production than UFC 72 or UFC 70. For some reason those two international shows had a stale feeling (the resolution and lighting weren’t that great for those shows). UFC 75 truly felt like a big event and commercials aside, I really did feel like I was watching a PPV for free. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan were very good on the show and Randy Couture added a lot during the Henderson vs. Rampage main event.

Even the commercials were better! UFC 70 felt so B-league when it came to advertisers. There weren’t any Girls Gone Wild promos or anything like that for UFC 75 so the prestige of the event wasn’t taken away from. The timing of the matches was good and the editing of the pre-recorded comments by Goldberg was a lot more seamless than usual.

A general thought that I have is in regard to a lot of people who have issues with Dana White for being critical of the competition. At the end of the day though, the UFC knows how to put on an event and they know how to run an MMA fight promotion. They aren’t in the learning stages. It isn’t trial and error with them. They have the game down to a science. I’ve even spoken to people inside the industry who aren’t fans of Dana and the way he carries himself yet even they admit that the UFC simply understands the business of MMA better than anyone else out there.

The fights themselves were good. There wasn’t a match of the year candidate but there weren’t any clunkers either.

Onto the matches…

Houston Alexander TKO over Alessio Sakara in round 1 - I guess technically as a journalist I’m supposed to remain impartial and not root for guys and what not. But this is the fight game and I pride myself as not being your typical sportswriter. So full disclosure: I’m a Houston Alexander fan. I was of Houston’s after the demolition of Jardine; I became a bigger fan last week after I interviewed him with Eric “Performify” Foster for MMAjunkie.com; and I completely marked out when he mugged Sakara and then got on the mic and showed MMAjunkie.com some love during his post-fight interview with Rogan. The guy is just a cool dude.

When Eric and I interviewed him he was super nice to us. I wondered if maybe it was because he knows we’re “media” and he was buttering us up a bit? Not so. With the Junkie name drop he showed me that he just sincerely appreciates the fact that Junkie gave him fair coverage leading up to his debut vs. Jardine. Everyone buried him but Junkie gave this guy the chance to tell his story. I think he claimed Junkie to be a sponsor but to my knowledge that technically isn’t the case. The site has done a lot to support him (as they do for a lot of fighters) but I don’t think they funded any of his training. I think he used the sponsorship route so he could work the mention in. I’m sure Eric and Dann can correct me if I’m wrong.

The fight itself was short but brutally entertaining. Rogan said it best when he stated “Houston Alexander is violent.” It’s kind of a weird statement considering this is fighting and fighting by nature is violent but Alexander kind of elevates the level of violence in his fights. It’s almost like not watching MMA but more of a guy assaulting another dude. Honestly, I can’t say I haven’t learned anything more about him as a fighter but we can’t say Alexander has fought nothing but suspect competition since entering the UFC. Granted, I don’t place a lot of stock in Sakara as an opponent but Keith Jardine rates as a quality win in my mind. I believe this dude is for real but I know not everyone does. But at the very least you have to admit that this guy is entertaining as hell.

Luke Thomas, Matt Cava and I discussed on the UFC 75 preview last week on Inside the Cage Radio how the “Italian boxer” thing in regard to Sakara is just a flat out promotional joke. Kudos to Luke for doing the research on Sakara’s boxing background because even though he is a boxer in Italy, his record isn’t all that impressive. His wins have come against some pretty weak competition. If you’re really a good boxer, wouldn’t you eventually graduate from the Italian boxing scene and take your act international? He’s simply a guy at this point that the UFC knows will do nothing but trade hands and probably end up losing the exchange.

Back to Alexander as I round this up. The UFC has struck gold in him and they need to keep the Houston Alexander express running. I don’t want to see an extended layoff for him that could kill his momentum. He’s used to fighting often so I’d book him to fight Stephan Bonnar at UFC 78 in Newark this November.

Marcus Davis armbar submission over Paul Taylor in round 1 - I wish I remembered the site but I remember reading a column by a pretty well-known pundit who claimed a year and a half ago that Davis was past his prime and was winding down his career. In reality, who could blame him? But the fact is that Davis is far from done as he’s in his prime right now. Davis was nothing more than a boxer for years but his work with Jorge Gurgel has paid dividends in his ground game. And his continued work with Kru Mark Della Grotte is also apparent. When I finish my overachievers article, Davis will be on it because this guy made himself into a mixed martial artist brick-by-brick. I guess his kettle bell work has paid off too because I don’t remember his physique ever having as much definition as we saw last night.

As for Taylor, he seems like he has solid kickboxing skills but I don’t think we need to see him as anything more than a local guy they use on the non-televised preliminary portion of European shows.

So what’s next for Davis? He’s on a 10 fight win streak and has won five consecutive fights in the UFC against Forrest Petz, Shonie Carter, Pete Spratt, Jason Tan, and now Taylor. It’s time for the UFC to challenge him and give him a step up in competition in the welterweight division. Josh Koscheck is coming off a loss at UFC 74 so why not Koscheck vs. Davis as Kos’ first match back?

Cheick Kongo defeats Mirko Cro Cop via unanimous decision – I guess nobody lives in fear of that left high kick anymore so guys are willing to come right at Cro Cop and fight him like anyone else. Cro Cop got beat my a bigger, stronger, and faster fighter who brought the fight to him the entire time. The crazy thing is, Cro Cop didn’t look that bad. He came into the fight in good shape and really stepped up his training. You could tell though that he gave into frustration. He’s not used to people fighting him like that. So now you’ve had Gonzaga and Kongo go right at him. It looks like the Cro Cop myth has been broken. He’s getting paid a ton of money and has yet to be involved in a big money matchup for the UFC and he’s not in a position to be involved in one for his next match.

Kongo really pushed the pace and you could tell that Cro Cop didn’t like it. Cro Cop is used to attacking guys and didn’t like constantly being put on the defensive. I think maybe he took Kongo lightly and assumed that because he was the more respected striker from a reputation standpoint that he’d be able to dictate the terms of the match. He just didn’t have a plan B when he realized things weren’t going his way.

I was also surprised to see Kongo show some ground skills. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell the match would go to the ground. Then again, I didn’t think there was a chance in hell the match would go the distance. I still wouldn’t call Kongo proficient on the ground but at least he showed us something on the mat. Some progress is better than no progress. I guess working with Juanito has made a huge difference. Man, I remember in PRIDE when Rampage had trouble affording decent sparring partners. Thanks to his success and his new affiliation with Juanito, he’s going to have top sparring partners for years to come and probably won’t have to pay a dime because a lot of people are going to want to improve their games under Juanito’s tutelage.

Kongo is just so marketable. I mean, the dude is huge and he’s jacked and he’s a striker! What more could you ask for? You just put him on a poster and non-MMA fans are just going to assume this guy is lethal. If he can improve his ground game further and develop a takedown defense then he could actually turn into what Cro Cop once was.

So what’s next for these two? How about an extended vacation for Cro Cop and a match between Cheick Kongo and Andrei Arlovski?

Michael Bisping wins split decision over Matt Hamill - If you’ve read my work you know I’m a Bisping mark. And if you listened to the UFC 75 preview on Inside the Cage you know that I said I might cry if he lost. Well, Bisping didn’t lose but I almost cried anyway. I’m a Bisping fan and even I know that Matt Hamill won that fight. Luke, Matt, and I kind of buried Hamill on the radio show last week but wherever Hamill has trained lately it’s done him some good because now he has some semblance of a standup game. Look, he’s very stiff when he punches and has no rhythm (like most wrestlers) but I was still surprised by his boxing skills in the first round. He was really heavy handed and now knows how to capitalize on that attribute. He’s clearly done a lot of sparring because he took some decent shots from Bisping and kept his composure (BTW, I love how they say he had to drop out of TUF 3 because he had a concussion… welcome to fighting!).

When I spoke with Bisping he basically indicated he didn’t think Hamill could hurt him. His concern was getting taken to the ground and being controlled by Hamill. He wasn’t worried about standup and wasn’t worried about ground and pound. Basically, I don’t think Bisping was mentally prepared to get hit last night. It’s possible he went light on sparring and instead focused more on his takedown defense during training. He just kind of looked shocked that Hamill was standing with him and his face looked like a mess towards the end of the first round.

Two things are obvious to me after this match.

First, Bisping needs to drop down to middleweight… NOW! His philosophy about not needing to fix something if it wasn’t broken made a lot of sense at the time but I’ve done a 180 after last night’s bout. It’s inevitable that he’s going to have to move to 185 lbs. There’s just no way around it. He’s not big enough and doesn’t have the punching power. Hamill was just too strong. Why wait until he loses to drop? What’s the point in not making the move until he gets obliterated by someone like Liddell, Silva, or Shogun? Why not take his perfect 14-0 record and pack his bags for the middleweight division and go there with his head held high as opposed to making the move under the auspices of trying to make a comeback. It’s not like the division doesn’t need him.

And second, I have to go on a rant about the judging, which is something I rarely have done in the past but Hamill got robbed and I can’t contain my thoughts any longer.

It’s hard to call it a hometown decision because the lone UK judge, Chris Watts, scored it 30-27 for Hamill. It was the two clowns from the U.S., Jeff Mullen and Cecil Peoples, who scored it 29-28 for Bisping. The hometown thing was still a factor though because the crowd reaction had to have influenced how Mullen and Peoples scored the match. Peoples has a history of judging poorly. To this day I do not understand why boxing judges who don’t understand the MMA game are used. MMA is getting bigger and needs MMA-specific judges. Look, if there’s a guy who understands both boxing and MMA then he should be allowed to judge. But he should be used as an MMA judge based on his merits in regard to MMA and his boxing credentials should have nothing to do with anything. Seriously though, you could take random fans from the audience and they know how to judge an MMA match better than people like Dalby Shirley and Cecil Peoples. And correct me if I’m wrong, isn’t Peoples a lousy boxing judge? I’m sure he’s a nice guy and all and knows his stuff, but I think he might have short-term memory issues. I’m not just saying that to be funny. Perhaps five minute rounds are too long for him and he only remembers the last three minutes of each round?

The biggest issue is accountability. The NBA, NFL, and MLB have a grading system for their officials and use that system to determine who gets assigned to playoff and All-Star games. Do the commissions have any kind of accountability system whatsoever? Or is being a judge like a bureaucratic position and the only way to lose your gig is if you do something corrupt and get caught?

BTW, can someone tell me why everyone pronounces Bisping’s last name as “Bis-Bing?” Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there a “P” in his last name instead of a “B?” Is it a UK thing where “P” is pronounced “B” like “R” is pronounced as “H” in Brazil?

So what’s next for these two? Obviously a drop to middleweight for Bisping. If he stays at light heavyweight then I really need to see a rematch between him and Hamill. As for Hamill, if Bisping drops then I’d like to see him possibly face one of the losers in the upcoming Liddell vs. Jardine, Shogun vs. Griffin, and Ortiz vs. Evans matches.

Quinton Jackson defeats Dan Henderson via unanimous decision - Finally a UFC main event with a payoff! It’s nice to have a match with a lot of hype going into it that lasts more than two minutes. Rampage vs. Liddell was just so unsatisfying. This one did the trick for me. And what was with the intense staredown from Jackson before the start of the match? Henderson simply grinned but Jackson didn’t break character and Henderson wiped the grin off real quick. It’s kind of weird trying to staredown a friend of yours. I guess it sent a message to Henderson that the match was going to be no joke.

Henderson is a strong guy and really showed a lot of moxie vs. Rampage but the match kind of reminded an NFL game where a 265 lbs. speed rusher gets off to a strong start against a 300 lbs. offensive lineman but just wears down as the game progresses. By the end of the match Henderson was clearly tired.

It wasn’t non-stop action but I thought the wrestling was good and I thought the exchanges the two had when it came to punching were plenty of action.

Rampage looked well prepared and I don’t care about the size disadvantage, a win over Henderson is impressive. He looked like a complete fighter tonight and reminded me of the old Rampage. He’s a worthy champ and I can’t wait to see a rematch with Shogun early next year.

As for Henderson, I think he can be a .500 guy at light heavyweight but he can be a dynasty if he goes back down to middleweight. If I was the UFC I would sign him to an extension and pay him like a top light heavyweight but get him to commit to the middleweight division. I know Henderson wants to stay a light heavyweight and I know he can hang with the best guys in the division, but money talks and bullshit walks. Pay him fairly and I’m sure he’ll go back down. They promoted the hell out of the PRIDE vs. UFC feud at the top of the show and they really don’t have the fighters under contract to make those claims. But they still have the PRIDE welterweight (185 lbs.) champ in Henderson under contract and I think a match between him and the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin is the only way to go.

Cheick Kongo defeats Mirko Cro Cop – Unanimous Decision

Michael Bisping defeats Matt Hamill – Split Decision

Houston Alexander defeats Alessio Sakara – TKO (strikes) Rd 1.

Marcus Davis defeats Paul Taylor – Submission (armbar) Rd 1.

Check out much more UFC 75 content on 5 Oz of Pain.

One thing I was able to Houston about was his claim in his first interview with Junkie that he has over 100 fights on his record…

Sam Caplan: You mentioned in your last interview with UFCjunkie (see: “UFCjunkie.com Exclusive: An Interview with UFC 71’s Houston Alexander”) that you’d fought way more times beyond your official record. Can you describe some of those matches — just sort of give people a background?

Houston Alexander: I know a lot of people were saying “this guy is full of crap.” But a lot of those fights took place in Sioux City, Iowa. A lot of those fights took place in Des Moines. A lot of those fights took place in Omaha. That was three cities I was going back and forth. I was fighting every single week. I fought every single week, every single weekend. Sometimes as many as five guys in a single night. But a lot of those fights were under a minute. So I did those kinds of fights. I’d just fight every single weekend in those three cities plus a few other cities. I just fought in the smaller shows every weekend.

Sam Caplan: Were they underground fights?

Houston Alexander: No, they were organized fights. They just weren’t sanctioned or registered to where you guys could know that I was actually doing them.

To read the entire interview conducted by Eric “Performify” Foster and I, just click here.

I find the move to be a mild surprise because even though I think Alexander earned a better deal following his fight against Keith Jardine, it isn’t like the UFC to re-do a deal for a fighter who is relatively unproven. If a guy outperforms his pay the UFC has a tendency to reward him through bonuses such as fight of the night and knockout of the night. Dana White has been particularly generous the last few cards as he awarded multiple bonuses for fight of the night and knockout of the night.

The fact that they would break from tradition for Alexander shows that they think highly of him.

To see the article for yourself, go to:

http://midwestfighter.com/latest/houston-alexander-makes-appearance-at-ofc-fight-night-2.html