LFC 8 Interview Series – Jeff Rexroad on Balancing Life as a Houston Police Officer, Husband, Fighter, and Father

HOUSTON, TX, September 10, 2011 – As competitive martial artists also living everyday lives, MMA fighters can sometimes play the extremes in terms of balancing their obligations at both ends. All the rigors of training, getting punched in the face, and committing the time it takes to get better are oftentimes equally as important as doing a good job at work, making sure the kids are fed, and keeping up with all the other things normal people do.

That’s true for everyone that every once in a while, there are fighters who take that balancing act to even greater extremes.

Take Jeff Rexroad for example.

If a normal fighter’s life was balancing a plate in each hand, what this guy is doing is equivalent to spinning ten plates on top of a chopsticks with each arm while riding a unicycle and balancing a copy of Legacy Magazine on top of his head. Simply put and take from a guy that stays pretty busy himself… this guy’s life is no joke.

As a tenured member of the Houston Police Department, Jeff works some of the grimiest parts of the city where he deals with murderers, car jackers, dope dealers, rapists, and all kinds of criminals. He does that on a day-to-day basis until he’s worn to the bone. After he punches out from punching out bad guys for the day, his other day starts and he beats himself up by stepping into the gym in order to get beat up himself. It’s grueling work but it’s something he has to do in order to get better and compete at the highest level of MMA around here, in the Legacy Fighting Championship.

So 8-10 hours of hazardous heroic-type work, then a few hours at the gym on a regular basis… It definitely sounds tough. You’d certainly think that getting armbarred, knee’d, and otherwise punished by the likes of Brian Melancon and Mike Bronzoulis would be enough for any man. But not for Jeff. When he’s done there, he goes home to his toughest job of them all.

Being a full-time husband to his wife Danese and one-year old daughter Riley.

This writer can attest that a burgeoning toddler and family life in general can be load to bear for any man. And as it should. There can never be enough love to go around. Changing diapers, listening to crying (the baby, not the wife), grocery shopping, cleaning house, and all that other stuff is not easy. For those of you that aren’t there yet, assume all you want but you won’t know what it’s truly like until you get there.

So yeah, Jeff Rexroad is completely insane. From the outside looking in, one’s got to assume that balancing those plates with that chopstick ain’t easy but he continues to do it. And did I mention that he’s got a fight coming up less than two weeks from now against another tough S.O.B. in John Malbrough at Legacy FC 8?

We talk about all that plus the balancing act below.

Jeff, thanks for taking this interview prior to Legacy FC 8. Before we talk about the upcoming fight, let’s talk about life in general. How’s the family, etc? Anything exciting going on?

Things have been going great for me recently. My daughter is about to turn 1 year old and is a little ball of fire. She’s the greatest thing to happen to me and has completely changed my life. 

As for exciting things, I dunno, I’m pretty stoked about Riley’s upcoming birthday party. <laughs> It’s weird that those things are exciting to me nowadays. My life keeps me busy every minute of every day…and I never know what the day is going to bring. That’s how I like it.

What’s life been like for you as a Police Officer ever since you started taking your MMA career seriously as a pro? Has there been any cross-over between the two obligations in terms of one helping (or hurting) with the other?

There’s definitely some cross-over. My day job keeps me pretty busy and my schedule can change at any given moment depending on what kind of case we are working on at the moment. For me to prepare properly for a fight, especially this one since it is 5 minute rounds, it really takes a toll on me. I have to work, train, and still find time to spend with my wife and daughter. It makes for a really long day. I have to take time off from work to get the amount of training I need to have in order to be in the best shape possible come fight night.

So, it’s a constant struggle to try and make sure that I’m not neglecting any part of my work, training, or family time. Thankfully my wife is very understanding and sacrifices a lot for me to do this.   I don’t know if either obligation hurts the other one, but it does take a lot of scheduling, dedication, and compromise to make it work.

What do you feel is more dangerous minute-to-minute, working or the time you spend locked in a cage for a fight?

The day-to-day job of being a police officer is far more dangerous than fighting in the cage. As part of a Gang investigations unit I deal with robbers, murderers, car jackers, dope dealers, people high on PCP or any number of other narcotic substance on a daily basis. In every case it’s a fine line between these people cooperating or deciding that today is the day they are not going back to jail at any cost.

Just the other day we captured a guy for Capital Murder and Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer. This guy killed a 71 year old man for spilling water on him and then tried to kill the police officer who made the scene. People who have nothing to lose will do anything to get away…including killing an officer.

In MMA it’s a very regulated and controlled situation. Sure, I don’t get punched in the face very often on the streets, but the worst that happens to me in the cage is I get knocked out. That’s a far cry from being shot, stabbed, run over, etc. People always ask if I get nervous or scared when I fight and the answer is always “no.”  After being in Iraq for over a year and spending the past 4 and 1/2 years working some of the toughest neighborhoods in Houston, there is nothing about fighting in the cage that can make me nervous.

How do you balance life as a police officer working in a gang unit and a fighter on the side with being a full-time husband and father as well? It’s gotta be a little extreme…

It’s definitely tough. Like I’ve said in some other interviews the only reason I can do this is because of my wife, Danese. She truly sacrifices a lot for me to do this sport. Without her it wouldn’t be possible.   We have a pretty good system in place to take care of each other and for me to be there for Riley as much as possible.

I also have some pretty awesome training partners who make sure that there is never a minute wasted at the gym. Every second I’m there we are training like mad to make each other better with the sole goal of winning every single fight.

Since you’ve entered the sport, what’s been your proudest accomplishment so far? What about your biggest challenge?

That’s a tough question to answer. There have been many moments that I’m proud of for various reasons. I’d have to say that the thing I’m most proud of, and probably my biggest challenge to date, was the Ricardo Talavera fight. That was the first fight where the other guy truly pushed me and made me be the best fighter I could be. To be able to be involved in a fight like that, and survive it,  makes you understand where you really are as a fighter. Not everyone can take the kind of shots me and Ricardo were throwing and still fight through it without wanting to quit.  It really takes two warriors to make a fight like that happen and they are few and far between.  I will never forget that fight.

I notice that there have been some changes as far as fighters moving around since Saul’s settled back into Houston and Renan Chavez opened his own gym. How have you guys felt the change over at Paradigm, what’s the training environment like now, and who’s been helping you most in getting ready for this coming fight?

My training hasn’t changed. I’m still training with some of the best guys in the Houston, and probably the nation. My main training partners are Brian Melancon, Mike B, Lee King, Tim Snyder, Evert Gutierrez, Lester Batres, Rashon Lewis, and Chas Liberty. There are many others that help me but that quick list of names should tell you the kind of talent I get to work with is off the chain.

I have moved around a little bit to get some training in at a few other places to get a different look, but I only go where I know I’m going to get quality training by top-notch guys. So, I think it would be hard pressed to find better training than what I have at my disposal. (no disrespect to any other gyms as I know there are several high quality schools here in Houston.)

What do you see as your biggest strengths in the cage and what areas do you feel you need to improve most or would like to improve most?

I started training BJJ in early 2004 and MMA probably around 2006. So, I’ve been able to work on my game for quite awhile. I would say that my ground game is probably my strongest area with my kickboxing coming in as a close second. I have made great strides in my wrestling to the point where I’m quite comfortable in any area of the fight. That being said, you can never know too much and you will never be perfect. That leaves a lot of room to continue learning and trying new things to constantly improve your game.

I would also have to say that my ability to remain calm, composed, and control myself during a fight is a huge asset. People make dumb mistakes when they freak out or get pissed or what have you. If you can control your emotions and methodically implement your game plan then you are starting off one step ahead of the other guy.

You’ve taken on some tough competition too. Internet rankings aside, where do you think you stand in the top-ten and where do you see yourself going in the next year or so?

I’m pretty sure every fight I’ve had so far was against an opponent ranked in the top 10. I don’t believe I’ve ever fought a guy with a losing record, including my amateur fights. That’s how I like it. I don’t want any easy fights and I’m not trying to pad my record by fighting tomato can fighters.

 As far as where I think I rank in the top 10… I think I’m in the top 5 for sure. I would bet money against anyone that the 170lb division is the toughest in Houston. We had Mike B and Brian running the top of the boards and now that they have moved on to Strikeforce we have guys like Macaco and Pete Spratt filling the ranks. You look at the 170 list from top to bottom and it’s packed with tough dudes who could win any fight at any given time.

I guess we will see what the next year holds for me. Hopefully I continue to win fights and put on the best shows I can. I’m at the stage in my life where I’m taking things one fight at a time. We’ll see where things take me.

Looking ahead to LFC 8 in two weeks, you’ll be fighting John Malbrough. What do you think about him as a fighter?

I think he’s tough as nails. He’s fought some tough guys and he’s hard to finish. I think he might have bitten of a bit more than he could chew by fighting Jake Rosholt that early in his mma career but that tells you the kind of mindset he has. He’s willing to fight anyone at anytime and that’s my kind of guy. That’s the type of people that I want to fight.

Any ideas on how you plan on winning this fight?

I’m looking to finish the fight. I don’t care how or what round but I’m going to be looking for the finish the whole time. I plan on pushing the pace and testing his cardio. Then we will see what happens. I always try to put on exciting fights and give the fans what they want to see. That’s what has Mick asking me back for more fights.

The quicker the fight ends the quicker I get to eat chicken wings and pizza. Ha!

If you had to give last words to John Malbrough before this fight, what would you tell him?

This is actually the first time I’m fighting someone that I knew before the fight. I’ve talked to John on numerous occasions and he’s a pretty cool dude. I like him a lot and I respect his abilities. I hope his training goes well and that he’s in great shape for the fight. That way we can both put on a great show for the fans and make them leave the show going “damn, that was a bad ass fight!”

What’s next for you after this fight Jeff?

That’s the million dollar question. Right now my focus is on this fight and only this fight. I’ll worry about what happens next after this fight is over.

Any last words? Anybody you want to thank?

 Most importantly I’d like to thank my wife for sacrificing as much as she does so I can do something I love. I’d also like to thank everyone at Paradigm Training Center, all my training partners, coaches, and everyone else who helped me prepare for this fight.

I’d also like to thank my sponsors; www.brittanylopezcpa.com, Proformance Mouthguards, and Fight Knight MMA who made some awesome walk out shirts for me.

I also want to urge people to buy tickets and come to see the show live. I know it’s going to be aired on HDNet but you can’ truly understand the quality of show that Mick and the guys at Legacy FC put on unless you go see it in person. The Houston MMA fans are very knowledgeable and create a fantastic environment to watch a great night of fights. This whole card is stacked and promises to be one of the best nights in Houston MMA history. Don’t spend it on your couch!

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