Have We Seen the Last of "The Assassin?"

Hello, MMA fans and fighters! I am Balistik and this is "MMA ALL THE WAY!!" Today's topic of discussion is about UFC light heavyweight fighter Houston Alexander.

UFC Fight Night is over. The season premiere of TUF Eight is over. And, from the looks of the fight between Eric Schafer and Houston Alexander, the days of "The Assassin" in the UFC may be over, as well.

That fight was a classic striker vs. grappler fight. Eric with the Jiu-Jitsu and Alexander with the knockout power. What made the difference of the fight was the inexperience Houston showed as soon as he was taken to the ground. You can be the best striker on the planet, but if you do not improve your all around game, especially, the ground game, you will not last long in the MMA world.

In the UFC, three losses in a row will definitely reduce your stay at the UFC to almost zero. Granted, Houston's KO wins over Keith Jardine and Allessio Sakara were impressive, but those guys like to keep the fight on the feet; yes, they do have a ground game, but it was not part of the game plan going into those fights.

Scafer did have a very good ground game, and it was a major part of his game plan, that is why he was not wanting to beat Alexander at the striking game. He knows if he gets caught he will go down, and he did, but it was his Jiu-Jitsu that saved him from annihilation.

For Houston, this loss was not only his third consecutive loss, but it was a loss in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. To make it worst, there were seven seconds left in the first round. Who knows what would happen if the fight went to a third.

Houston has to go back and work on his ground game a lot. He already has the striking down, but that ground game is so important in MMA, not only for offense, but for defense, as well. Maybe, in the future, we will see a more well-rounded Houston Alexander, or maybe not.

Well, those are my thoughts; now I'd like to hear yours. Is this it for "The Assassin?" or should he have another fight in the UFC? Until then, this is Balistik signing out.

Peace Out,

"MMA ALL THE WAY!!"