8:02 PM EST

www.mmanewsdesk.com 's own Anna Elizabeth Anderson wrote about Houston Alexander's fight tonight against Brazilian Jui-Jitsu martial artist Thiago Silva for THE POST CHRONICLE, which you can read in its entirety at this link:
Houston Alexander Ready For UFC 78: Validation - Original Sports: The Post Chronicle.
 
The excellent story, which includes a lot of quotes from our own Arturo Collozo, Jr as well, says the following:
 
This Saturday night, when Zuffa presents UFC 78 Live from Newark, New Jersey, the main event may be billed as the UK's Michael Bisping vs Rashad Evans, but many would argue the most anticipated matchup will see Houston Alexander step into the Octagon against undefeated Jui-Jitsu black belt Thiago Silva from the fearsome Chute Box team in Brazil.
 
Alexander is a 1st round knockout king, having won both his UFC contests in under 2 minutes of the 1st round. According to www.mmanewsdesk.com , Alexander fought in small clubs, sometimes on a weekly basis, in and around his home base of Omaha, Nebraska. He fought in mostly unsanctioned matches, sometimes in tournaments which would see him fight five times a night. When he joined UFC, he was a relative unknown with a 6-1 professional MMA record. Alexander was brought in as an opponent for The Dean of Mean Keith Jardine, who had just ascended the UFC ladder by knocking out the hugely popular Forrest Griffin. So when Jardine faced Alexander at UFC 71 (Rampage vs Liddell) on May 26th, many thought he was just a tune-up match for the upwardly mobile Jardine. The fight opened up with Jardine blasting Alexander and knocking him down, but Alexander got right up and crushed Jardine in a total of 48 seconds.
 
Alexander's next test came at UFC 75 from London, England. Matched against Alessio Sakara, once again Alexander showed his explosive style by winning the fight in 61 seconds.
 
Alexander laughs off talk about his striking ability. In a recent interview, he calmly noted,  "You know what, I don't think anyone's actually really seen the punching power. They've probably seen a few punches here and there but I don't think they have ever seen me hit someone square. But I've always had heavy hands, though."
 
And yet, this ferocious self-proclaimed street fighter wants to be a role model to children. Don't laugh. We're serious. And so is he.
 
"A lot of these athletes who say they aren't role models in the eyes of kids, excuse my French, they're full of s*&^," he stated,  "Because we're in the public eye and the kids are looking up to us, for some type of guidance."
 
Alexander has put together The Culture Shock School Tour, where he lectures kids on the positive aspects of the hip hop culture.  "A lot of kids know nothing about the culture itself and so I go and teach them about the positive aspects because they don't get it from radio or television," Alexander exclaimed,  "They don't even know who the founding fathers of the culture are. And that it's not about the bling or any of that. It's about the music, it's about the dance and it's about the art. A full-blown culture that's expanded to clothing, communication, stuff like that."

The 35 year old, who stands 6-foot-tall and weighs 205 pounds is also the host of  "Sunday Night Raw", a 2 hour radio program in Omaha that features hip hop music from all around the world. But according to www.mmanewsdesk.com editor Arturo Collozo Jr., the most remarkable thing about Houston Alexander is something that is seldom discussed.

You see, Houston Alexander has only one kidney.

No, he wasn't born that way.

He donated his left kidney to his daughter Elan, who was born with a kidney dysfunction. "The story that is quietly talked about, and that everyone believes is true, is that Houston was found to be a match, didn't waste any time, had the surgery performed, and was back at his construction job to feed his kids the very next week," Collozo stated, "he's the proud single father of six children, and he likes to say that dealing with the kids is more pressure than anything he has to face in the Octagon."

So what does Alexander expect from Thiago this Saturday night? "I expect him to come after me like he's come after everyone else," Alexander said, "So it should be an interesting fight because we both like to stand up. But also if he decides he would like to take me to the ground, then the world will be introduced to my ground game."

MMA News Desk's Collozo thinks this fight is a huge opportunity for Alexander. "It's funny how many people are talking about Alexander right now, because there's a real chance he won't get by Thiago Silva," Collozo analyzed, "but if Alexander can score an electrifying knockout, then he can step up to big fights against Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, and even the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson."

UFC 78: Validation has its critics. The noticeable lack of star power may lead to a bad pay per view buyrate. UFC has placed ads in both The New York Post and The New York Daily News touting that tickets are still available for the show. On Thursday afternoon, Sports Illustrated's online columnist Pramit Mohapatra wrote,"It's fitting that (UFC 78)  is being held in Newark, just off I-95, because it could easily be called "UFC 78: E-ZPass." As in, one could see casual fans easily passing on paying pay-per-view dollar for a card that is noticeably lacking in star power."

But to many fans, Houston Alexander is a star on the rise, and a key figure to watch inside the Octagon. This Saturday night, no matter what the buy rate, or whether UFC sells out The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the biggest story of the night may just be what happens once Houston Alexander and Thiago Silva are told to get it on.