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Matt Lindland Bio
Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970) is an American mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives, District 52 seat on May 20, 2008.
Wrestling
Lindland started wrestling at age 15 at Gladstone High School in Gladstone, Oregon. In 1991, he won the junior college 158lbs national title wrestling for Clackamas Community College.
Lindland then went on to wrestle at the University of Nebraska, Division 1 of the NCAA. He won the Big Eight title at 158 in 1993. Following up that title, Lindland had a record of 36-0 for the 1993 season going into the National Tournament, and was the #1 ranked wrestler for his weight class. He suffered an upset in the first round of the tournament however, and did not place. Following his college career Lindland began to compete in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman events, finding success in both but ultimately deciding to concentrate all his effort upon the Greco-Roman style.
The highpoint of his career was when he represented the United States in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 69–76kg weight category, winning the silver medal. His mixed martial arts career had actually started 3 years prior, having fought at events such as IVC 6, and it is notable that he continued to compete in amateur wrestling as well as mma following his olympic competition. Following his first UFC match, at UFC 29, Lindland managed to secure a silver medal at the world championships and a U.S. National title in 2001. Lindland was still a top 10 ranked wrestler in his weight class for the nation until 2004, when his wrestling career finally came to an end, already being a veteran of over a dozen mma fights as well, including competing in a title match.
Lindland was notable for having secured his spot on the US Olympic team through the courts. In the finals of the United States Olympic trials, Lindland lost to Keith Sieracki, who Lindland had accused of tripping him (under the rules of Greco-Roman wrestling, athletes are not permitted the use of their legs for advantage in defense of offensive moves). After appealing, an arbitrator ordered a rematch for Lindland and Sieracki, in which Lindland won 9-0.
The USOC however sought to keep Sieracki on the team, and appealed in federal court. A federal district judge, then a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, both decided in Lindland's favor. A request for a hearing by the USOC in the Supreme Court of the United States was denied, which settled Lindland's status on the team. Lindland would later earn his nickname "The Law" from the protracted case.
Mixed martial arts
Lindland started mixed martial arts training with Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and others at Team Quest. He won four fights in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship before losing to Murilo Bustamante in a championship match at UFC 37.
Lindland's next loss came at the hands of Falaniko Vitale, who Matt Lindland attempted to slam, only to knock himself out in the process. This self-KO features in many comedy MMA blooper reels and is something that Lindland now laughs about. At UFC 54 Lindland was dropped from the UFC roster for breaking one of the sponsorship and advertising-related terms of his contract by wearing an unapproved T-shirt at the weigh-ins. After his dismissal Lindland continued to corner fighters at UFC events such as in B.J. Penn's bout against Georges St. Pierre. He has also continued his professional MMA career in IFL and Bodog Fight with five wins and two losses, with the two losses coming outside of his weightclass against the future UFC Light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson and the Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. After his loss to Jackson, Lindland joined the International Fight League, which also marked Lindland's debut as an IFL team coach – he fought against top twenty middleweight Jeremy Horn. Lindland won by TKO early in the second round. He then beat Carlos Newton at IFL Houston at the 1:43 mark of Round 2 by submission due to guillotine choke. Lindland defeated Fabio Negao via unanimous decision on July 19, 2008 at Affliction: Banned in Anaheim, California. At Affliction: Day of Reckoning on the Jan 24, 2009, he was defeated by Vitor Belfort and suffered a devastating KO loss. Lindland is the former coach of the Portland Wolfpack in the International Fight League.
There is currently a documentary called "Fighting Politics", being filmed about Matt and his MMA career.
Matt was recently choked unconscious by Mamed Khalidov at KSW 16.
Strikeforce
On April 13, 2009, Lindland signed a three-fight deal with Strikeforce and made his debut against Ronaldo Souza at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19, 2009. Lindland lost the fight via first-round submission by way of arm triangle choke.
Lindland Headlined Strikeforce Challengers 8 on May 21, 2010, in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, defeating Kevin Casey.
He fought Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: St. Louis on December 4, 2010. Lindland was knocked out fifty seconds into the first round.
In addition, he is a "Mixed Martial Arts Management" instructor for the online sports career training school, Sports Management Worldwide, in Portland, Oregon.
Personal life and political aspiration
Matt and his wife Angie have two children, a son named James and a daughter named Robin.
On March 11, 2008, Lindland filed as a Republican to run for the Oregon House of Representatives in District 52. The seat was formerly held by Republican Patti Smith. Lindland defeated fellow Republican Phyllis Thiemann in the May 20, 2008 primary, 58 to 42 percent. He advanced to the general election and was defeated by Hood River, Oregon Democrat Suzanne VanOrman by around 58 percent to Lindland’s 41 percent.
Film
Lindland appears in the mixed martial arts documentary Fight Life, set for release in the summer of 2011, the film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films.
TV show appearance. Matt Lindland and Ed Herman guest star on the hit TV series "LEVERAGE" July 22, 2011. He played an MMA Fighter.
Lawsuits
In Early 2011 former training partner Dan Henderson filed a lawsuit in California federal district court against Lindland and his company, Team Quest Fight Club, LLC, alleging trademark infringement, copyright infringement and unfair competition. The lawsuit boils down to the issue of who has the right to use the Team Quest trademarks.
On March 3, 2011 a suit was filed against Lindland in the Multnomah County Circuit Court by Gonzalo Aldana Gamboa regarding the theft of six marijuana plants. The suit alleges that Gamboa was granted permission to grow the plants on Lindland’s property in Eagle Creek, Ore., last October under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP). However, Gamboa claims that Lindland would not allow him to collect the marijuana when Gamboa returned in November.
The OMMP is a state registry program which processes applications for medical marijuana identification cards, as well as registering “grow sites.” According to the suit, Gamboa registered the growth and harvest of the six plants with the state in October. He is reportedly seeking $122,880, the estimated street value of the lost marijuana.
Mixed martial arts record
Submission Grappling
ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships
Record of opponents:
- Won: Yushin Okami.
- Lost: Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza, Fabricio Werdum (armbar)
Folkstyle Wrestling
NJCAA Collegiate Championships 1991 158lbs: 1st place
NCAA Division 1 Tournament Seed 1993 163lbs: 1st place
Freestyle Wrestling
USA University Freestyle Championships
1992 163lbs: 1st place
1994 163lbs: 1st place
Greco-Roman Wrestling
USA Senior Greco-Roman Championships
1995 163lbs: 1st place
1998 167.5lbs: 1st place
1999 167.5lbs: 1st place
2000 167.5lbs: 1st place
2001 187.2lbs: 1st place
FILA World Championships
1998 167lbs: 6th place
2001 187lbs: 2nd place
US Olympics
2000 167.5lbs: silver medal
External links
- Official Website of Coach Matt Lindland
- Professional MMA record for Matt Lindland from Sherdog
- Olympic profile at sports-reference.com
- Matt Lindland at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
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