Preview by: Richard Burmaster
You rarely see a draw in MMA and for good reasons, usually at some point in the fight one of the fighters has the advantage. The first time Craig and Jeff matched up neither was able to push the other person around and the two evenly matched fighters battled to a draw. Since then both have had impressive careers and now they are prepared to face off once again in the pros’. Let’s break down this fight.
 |
Craig Gardner | Name | Jeff Rexroad |  |
| Nickname | ||||
| 6’2″ | Height | 6’3″ | ||
| 170 | Weight | 170 | ||
| 0-0 | Record | 1-0 | ||
| Westside MMA | Gym | Paradigm | ||
| Vs | ||||
| None – Pro Debut | Last Three Fights | Danny Taylor (W – TKO) | ||
| POWER:
Jeff showed good power in his last fight ending Danny Taylors night in 44 seconds with a barrage of crisp strikes. Craig has shown decent power but is more of a technical striker than a power puncher. |
 |
|||
| DRAW | SPEED:
Both fighters have shown above average speed throughout their careers and neither will hold an advantage here. |
DRAW | ||
| DRAW |
WRESTLING: Both fighter have shown good take-down defense and are rarely pushed around in the cage. |
DRAW | ||
|
CLINCH: I have not seen Jeff work much from the clinch but I am sure working with the guys at Paradigm he has improved in this department. Craig has shown a very good clinch in his last few fights in both MMA and MT minus the experiment at 185 in his last fight. |
|||
| DRAW | GROUND:
Jeff is a brown belt in BJJ but rarely has to show his skills on the ground as he likes to stand and trade. Craig is a blue belt out of Westside, a school known for its great ground coaches and techniques. Craig likes to submit his opponents but will have problems with Jeff here. The difference in belt rank was not apparent in their last fight. |
DRAW | ||
| DRAW | CARDIO:
Neither fighter ever seems to be tired. Both of them come from schools that focus heavily on conditioning and I would expect nothing less than full tanks from both fighters. |
DRAW | ||
|
WINNER: Jeff Rexroad via Decision |
|
|||
|
SUMMARY: By far this was the hardest fight for me to pick. These two fighters match up so evenly it seems the fight will be decided by who wakes up in a better mood that day. Jeff likes to strike early and often and should be the aggressor in this fight. Craig starts a little slower but usually finds his rhythm after a short bit. Craig has used his BJJ more in the cage but Jeff is no slouch on the ground. I think this fight will come down to can Craig pressure Jeff against the fence and wear him down. I don’t see that happening this time. Craig is coming off of a disappointing loss in his last ammy fight and with the recent changes at Westside, he may not be in his usual state of mind for this fight. Jeff will have his hands full but should be able to pull this one out. This will be the closest fight of the night and I will be happy to see either guy get their hand raised at the end. |
||||
no disrespect to craig at all, but i gotta roll with roborex on this this one. he has better striking, better power, and a better ground game. not to mention the guy is huge for a welterweight. i think a bad weight cut is what caused their last fight to end in a draw and i dont see that happening this time.
agreed
Let me weight in: Craig please dont be mad at me you know i love you but….. i gotta go with teh executioner on this one. Jeff is a legit 6’3″ and walks around over 200lbs. his first time cutting to 170 was a tough deal and i thought that he looked slower and weaker than he ever did before. he has adjusted and imo he will fight much more like himself. Craig is an awsome fighter and can def get the win…their first figh was no fluke.
If Jeff stops craigs clinch takedowns then i think he will be too much standidng. if jeff implements td’s then he will prob get a stoppage. Craig can win a decision if he gets td’s in each round.
I pick Rex the executioner.
I pick the long arm of the law on this one. Jeff is going to be the judge, jury, and the executioner in this one.
is it just me or does jeffs neck look long as hell in this pic ? lookin like one of them africans in a national geographic magazine and shit. lol
HEY!!!! that was right after weigh-ins!!! give a guy a break!!
might have to start calling you the giraffe instead of the executioner. lol. i joke i joke. ya know i gotta give ya shit rex.
I’m going to go with Greg on this one…
This pick was based on the assumption that power would beat out technical strikes, and you know what they say about assumptions.
I think I know what Greg’s going to do, but I don’t want to jinx it so I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Good luck Greg.
Greg?
Who’s Greg? Is this going to be some 3 way dance here? TRIPLE THREAT MATCH!!!!
truth, 3 way ladder match with a barbwire cage. theyre doing it ultra hardcore.
I think Greg is the Commish.
Sorry I was typing at work… Craig.
im confused as to how typing at work relates to totally calling someone the wrong name. not once, but 3 times. well i guess since im at work as well, i cant wait to see this greg gardner vs george “giraffe” rexroad fight. lol
defiantly gonna be an intensely close match up, but i gotta go with craig, his stand up has improved drastically since their first match up as well as his jiu jitsu, and although the unfortunate changes at westside have been taxing on all of us there i don’t think it will be a factor once the cage doors close. although jeff looked amazing in his pro fight i still don’t think his improvements have paralleled craig’s. gardner by decision. oh and good luck to greg too
I’m going with Greg.
Sweet stache!
i gotta go with jeffery solely because he kicked a garage door down and rescued 4 people being held hostage yesterday at work. and he did it all with his bare hands. on some mcguyver type shit. nawsaayin.
It wasn’t just me…. I had the help of 6 other outstanding police officers. It was a good night though… Those 4 ppl were actually happy to see the police…. Go figure! Lol
Jeff, that is freaking AWESOME. You’re a real life hero man, thanks for keeping our streets safe!
im going with sexy rexy
lol, Jeff is getting some training in outside of the Cage… Very very nice.
WOW…there is so much here to work with…. Weve got Craig cross training with Greg, weve got Jeff cross training in garages, we’ve got people at work who have had the keys moved around on their keyboard like i used to do in highschool, we’ve got Jeff emulating giraffes and Craig emulating wyatt Earp with his stache.
ahhhhhhh this will be good. And great work by Jeff, HPD and anyone else involved in rescuing those hostages. That is the real fight guys and it changes lives. for all the bad press cops get its nice to let people know about all the good guys out there like Jeff….now about that ticket…
I like Craig just because we have alot in commen I too like the traditional martial arts and think the trash talking should be left to those who have no idea of the meaning of true fighting.My vote Craig win and keep being humble.
So Jeff picks ‘em up off the street and Craig puts ‘em behind bars in the courtroom. Police officer vs. Lawyer. Interesting match!
Congrats Craig! Too bad i didnt get to make it in time to watch your fight bro. See ya at the gym, and I’ll personally congratulate you.