GET 2 KNOW: Matt "The Law" Lindland
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 09.11.2003 08:31 AM
BIOFILE Matt Lindland
By Scoop Malinowski
Status: Mixed Martial Arts fighter and U.S. Olympic silver medallist wrestler.
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 185
Born On: May 17, 1970 In: Milwaukee, Oregon
Nicknames: Bender, Bendability, Gumby, Bendernelly.
Hobbies/Interests: "Right now, I like to ride horses. Do anything outside with my kids. Help my son with his 4H projects."
Photo: Zuffa LLC/UFC.tv
Favorite Movies: "Cool Hand Luke, Planes Trains & Automobiles, Meet The Parents."
Musical Tastes: "Classic country, Johnny Cash, Alabama, Charlie Pride, T. Graham Brown, The Marshall Tucker Band."
Favorite TV Show: "Seinfeld."
Childhood Hero: "My grandfather (James Jemison)."
Funny Fighting Memory: "I fought in a Toughman fight in Colorado Springs ('96). The whole event was hilarious. You had to be there, I guess, to appreciate the humor of it. In it, we were only allowed to punch and kick. I threw the guy over the ropes, into the crowd. And we continued fighting outside the ring. We landed on the judges table and we kind of rolled into the crowd."
Favorite Meal: "Lobster. No...I have to go with oysters...on the half-shell - fried, baked, you name it."
Favorite Breakast Cereal: "Oatmeal."
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Peaches and cream."
Early Fighting Memory: "World Fighting Federation, in Birmingham, Alabama ('97). My very first fight ever. The refereee stopped it. And the other guy complained to the ref that it shouldn't have been stopped. I pinned both his arms down, landed a bunch of punches to his head. He was saying, Get him out here, I'll fight him again! I'm like, Okay, I'll fight him again. I said, Okay, let's do it again. I like to fight. Then, after stopping him once already, we went and had another fight. (What happened this time?) About the same thing. But he didn't complain the second time though [smiles]."
Favorite Fighters: "I think Randy Couture is my favorite. I mean, he just keeps on getting better. The guys I train with - Evan Tanner, Dan Henderson. It's a lot more exciting when you know somebody. A few others...Pat Miletich is great, very technical. Sakuraba is fun to watch, he's exciting."
Pre-Fight Feeling: "Oh, I'm pretty excited. Anxious to get in there. I'm thinking technically, about what my strategy is. What's my gameplan. What's the first thing I'm gonna do in the fight."
Childhood Dreams: "A lot of different things at different stages. One was to be a veterinarian. Then an entrepreneur. I think most kids think about being a professional athlete. I got that one, in a way."
First Car: "Blue Chevy Luv."
First Job: "Farmwork for my parents in Oregon City."
Greatest Sports Moments: "I would have to say winning the Olympic silver medal in 2000. The first time I fought in UFC was a great fight (vs. Yoji Anjo). The first time I walked in there and I knocked him out in the first round. The guy shot in and I kneed him in the head a bunch of times. Another moment was beating Pat Miletich in the first round. To knock someone out who's that good was exciting."
Most Painful Moment: "My fight against Bustamante. It was terrible. Just knowing I didn't fight to my potential. I went in there with a bad gameplan - stay on my feet and clinch with him. Not really wanting to go into his best position which was on the ground, submissions. That was a bad strategy. I think I should have taken him down on my terms."
Favorite Fights: "Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort. That was just a straight ass whipping. Vitor - he's so highly rated...Randy just put it on that guy. I love that fight. I could watch that one over and over and over. Randy was smiling and laughing when he walked into the cage. Vitor didn't come out of his trailer for like 20 minutes. Maybe he was trying to psyche Randy out. Or maybe he was scared to death. Or trying to negotiate for more money."
Worst Injury: "My only injury was wrestling at the World Championships in Athens, Greece in 1999. I tore a muscle in my left arm and shattered the muscle in half."
People Qualities Most Admired: "Honesty and integrity. Those are the pillars of our society there."
Family: Wife, Angie; son, James; daughter, Robin.
Scoop Malinowski is a boxinginsider.com contributor. www.thebiofile.com
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