» Fighter: Matt Lindland

Fighters.com seventh-ranked middleweight Chael Sonnen (24-10-1) has announced that he is running for Oregon State Representative. I love the fact that he is looking to venture into politics. This could lead to some positive press for the sport of mixed martial arts, if only he was not hiding the fact that he fights.

Read More About UFC’s Chael Sonnen Hiding his Profession?…

Strikeforce middleweight “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2) climbed a rung to to number eight in December with a first-round submission of “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-7) at Evolution in San Jose December 19.

Read More About Souza, Shields, & Henderson Make a Trio for Strikeforce – Fighters.com’s December Middleweight Rankings…

Light heavyweight prospect “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0), DREAM veteran middleweight “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (8-2), and UFC veteran middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-6) are set for Strikeforce Evolution in San Jose December 19, Strikeforce has announced.

Read More About Strikeforce Evolution: “King” Mo Lawal, Matt Lindland, “Jacare” Slated for December…

Heavyweights Josh Queen (2-1) and Mike Hayes (6-2-1) and featherweights “Animal” Enoch Wilson (11-6-1) and “Brooklyn Night” Chanti Johnson (4-0) will duke it out for titles at Sportfight 26 at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon 2 October.

Queen is 2-0 in “The Law” Matt Lindland’s (21-6) Sportfight promotion, but enters his first title fight after suffering a 12-second TKO to Matt Kovacs (2-4) at Professional Fighting Association in Couer d’Alene 27 March.

Hayes will make his Sportfight debut challenging for the heavyweight title. He TKO’d Daniel Krug (0-1) at CageSport in Tacoma 25 July.

Read More About Matt Lindland’s Sportfight To Pit Josh Queen Versus Mike Hayes For Heavyweight Title…

Sportfight 26 will occur Friday, 2 October, UFC vet “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-6) told Fighters.com this afternoon.

Sportfight is Lindland’s Oregon-based promotion which has featured former UFC lightweight champion “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1), UFC middleweights Chael Sonnen (22-10-1), “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-6), and “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (15-7), heavyweight “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8), DREAM lightweight “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (12-2-1), and Sengoku lightweight “Lion” Ryan Schultz (20-11-1).

Lindland’s promotion debuted in 2004.

Sportfight 25 Wildcard took place at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon last April.

Matchups for Sportfight 26 will be announced soon.

New Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-8) has been pulled from his bout with middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, according to MMA Weekly Monday.

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio made the decision to match Lindland against fellow middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (16-8), rather than have the fight with Sobral at a catchweight between 190-195 pounds.

Sobral defeated Bobby Southworth (9-5) over a week ago via TKO due to a cut to win the light heavyweight title.

Sobral’s agent Richard Wilner told Five Ounces of Pain that “Babalu” is still expected to fight on the card.

Lindland last fought at Affliction: Banned in July, defeating “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (16-8) via unanimous decision.

Belfort’s most recent fight was also at Banned.  He KO’d Terry Martin (18-6) in round two.

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-6-0) will teach striking techniques for MMA at a three-hour American Top Team-hosted training seminar in Cocount Creek, north of Miami, 7 December.

Liddell’s lead trainer at The Pit in San Luis Obispo, John Hackleman, will join Liddell.

Read More About The Iceman Cometh to American Top Team…

Six more bouts were made official Monday for Affliction Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim.

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8) will fight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5).

“Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) will fight “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3).

“Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-9) will face “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidelnikov (3-1).

“Machine” Mark Hominick (14-7) will face LC Davis (9-1).

“Thorobred” Jay Hieron (13-4) will fight Jason High (6-0).

Albert Rios (6-2) will face “Tigre” Antonio Duarte (7-1).

Brett Cooper will also fight, although no opponent was named.

Read More About Affliction Announces Day of Reckoning Match-ups…

Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion and WAMMA Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) and third-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-5) will headline Affliction: Day of Reckoning, which will take place 24 January at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, the organization confirmed on their official website.

Emelianenko versus Arlovski had been reported previously, as well as the date of the event, but Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio last week would confirm neither the main event, the date, nor the venue for their second show.

Other fighters on the card are sixth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5), “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3), “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3), “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-7), “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8), “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5), and the IFL’s Jay Hieron (16-4) and Chris Horodecki (12-1).

The match-ups have not yet been announced.

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio announced Thursday in New York City that both Fighters.com’s third-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-5) and sixth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5) are being considered as opponents for Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) at Affliction’s yet to be re-scheduled second event.

However, Atencio had already confirmed Arlovski as Emelianenko’s opponent to MMA Rated 10 October, according to that website.

Additionally, Barnett has announced that he won’t fight Emelianenko, according to MMA Weekly.

“It’s just not a fight that’s going to happen in January.  And I think that the feeling is actually mutual,” Barnett told that website 2 October.

Atencio also wouldn’t commit on a date or location of Affliction’s second event, originally scheduled for Las Vegas 11 October.

Atencio said Affliction: Day of Reckoning would “take place in the first quarter of ‘09.”

Read More About Affliction’s Tom Atencio Backtracks on Emelianenko Versus Arlovski at Affliction 2…