BloodyKnux
09-03-2006, 08:07 PM
BK EXCLUSIVE IFL COVERAGE!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/BKDOTCOM/hornlawtgbaw.jpg
Jeremy "Gumby" Horn and Matt "The Law" Lindland discuss the IFL and their upcoming superfight.
With the first show of their second season, the International Fight League not only brings 4 teams of the best mixed martial artists to Portland, but also two of the best fighters in the middleweight division, Matt ?The Law? Lindland, and Jeremy ?Gumby? Horn. Both fighters took the time to discuss the IFL, their careers and their future fight with us here at the BK. One things for sure, on September 9th in Portland, ?There's Gonna be a War!?
Jeremy Horn-
BK- How much interaction have you had with the Silverback team, and what do you think of their chances this season?
Horn- Well to tell the truth I don't get to keep up with the ILF, because that station isn't on my TV package. So I haven't seen any of the fights. I did hear that Pat's team won, so that's really all I know about it.
BK-Are you familiar with the team concept, and what do you think of it?
Horn- I like it a lot. MMA has always been a one on one sport, but adding the team concept, it remains a one on one thing when you're in the ring, but it adds another element to it because now you've got a team that's going to help you when you're training, and help support you when you fight and who you are fighting to represent. A lot of the times it brings the fights up to another level. I think it's a great idea.
BK- Both Pat and Renzo's teams were made up of fighter who had been working with their coach for some time. What do you think the advantages of working with a team long term are?
Horn- Honestly in that regard I don't think there is any advantage. You know when you start training with a new group of people there's always a little bit of a feeling out process, to get comfortable with your partners and stuff, but you know that's short, and when you are in the ring it's still just you. What your training partners do doesn't really matter, because you're not fighting your training partners. It's kind of hit and miss. I think the biggest thing is having enough time to get comfortable with the partners so you can train hard, but as far as skill goes, I don't think it has a lot to do with it.
BK- You by definition are the journeyman of the MMA world right now, you've pretty much fought everywhere and against everyone. You next challenge is Olympian Matt Lindland, one of the best regarded middle weights in the sport. What kind of challenges do you think he's going to bring?
Horn- It's definitely a tough fight. Everybody looks at Matt and the way he fights and they think it's an easy fight. He's not a real big knock-out puncher he doesn't use a whole lot of submissions. Everybody looks at him, and thinks oh, that's an easy fight, I'll just do this this and this and it will be easy, but nobody's been able to do it yet. He wins pretty consistently. He's definitely going to be a big challenge. He's great at what he does, which is nullify other people's game plan and stay busy and work towards wearing people out and looks towards finishing people that way. He's very good at what he does there.
BK- Both you and Matt are generally regarded as part of the top of the food chain in the middleweight division. What do you think the victory in this match will mean for the winner?
Horn- With me, and also with him, I think a lot of people overlook both of us. For the people that know, I think we're both ranked in the upper portion of the top ten generally. I think whoever were to win this fight, it would solidify their spot in the top five or top ten.
BK- You recently left the UFC, after two victories at middleweight. Can you talk about why you left?
Horn- It just wasn't a sound financial decision for the UFC to keep me around. Fighting at 185, Rich Franklin's a good friend of mine, and he the champion of that division. I'm not going to fight him, so there really was not a whole lot of reasons to keep me around, beating other contenders. Who wants to see a title fight with a guy who just lost to me. It makes more sense for me just not to be there. Everybody else can fight each other, and gradually work towards a title shot by putting together 3 or 4 wins. If I'm just under Rich, and I beat everybody, and then the person I beat goes on to a title shot, it draws away from the whole title shot idea.
BK- Rich has a fight coming up against Anderson Silva, what do you think of Rich's chances there?
Horn- I think that's a tough fight for Rich. Anderson's very fast, he's got great footwork and great hands. I think his ground game is still a little weaker than his stand-up game, but I know he'd got some good people he's been training with. I think that really comes down to how Rich decides to fight him. I think Rich can beat him. On the feet it's a much more dangerous fight. On the ground I think Rich can definitely take him down and put him away. It comes down to how Rich chooses to approach this fight.
BK- You had an incident that seemed out of character for you, with a guy who went on to be on the Ultimate fighter. What's up with Josh Burkman?
Horn- I don't like him. I think he's a clown. I think he's gotten where he's at by a little bit of talent and a lot of luck. I think he's a clown. He barely ranks out of the amateur division. Honestly he's beaten a couple of good people, which I was incredibly surprised. I guess everybody has a little bit of luck running their way sometimes. You never know what other factors are involved, but every time he wins I'm surprised. I just don' think he's that good. I see him as a very athletic mediocre wrestler. That's it. He's got no boxing, really no submission skills. He's in good shape and he can wrestle. He's athletic and he's explosive, but that's it. There's a million people out there just like him. It really baffles me.
BK- Are you still training with MFS at all?
Horn- I haven't trained with Pat and the guys for going on four years now. live in Utah, I have my own gym. I opened a gym here, and started collecting some local guys here. I've put together some pretty decent people. Most of the guys out here are pretty new, starting from scratch with a lot of guys. It's mostly just a grass roots type of thing going on, but I'm sure you'll hear about them in the next little bit of time, because I've got some guys with a lot of potential. We'll be moving in the next couple of months, but it's just outside of downtown Salt Lake called Elite Performance at 980 south 700 west #12.
BK- Chuck Liddell just made very short work of Babalu Sobral, were you surprised at all?
Horn- No... I expected it to go that way. I thought Babalu would be a little more cautious and a little smarter, and drag the fight out a little longer, but I knew as soon as Chuck landed a good punch Babalu was done. Honestly, it seems I'm the only one who can take a punch from Chuck and get back up. Everybody else he punches stays down. The first punch he hit me with in the first round just ruined me. My vision was messed up for the rest of the fight. A lot of people think he damaged my eye or something, but that wasn't the case. He just hit me really really hard and my vision was blurry and spotty for the rest of the fight.
BK-You have the Super-Fight in the IFL coming up, any other plans?
Horn- No, not right off hand. Just running the gym and focusing on the move to a commercial facility, so just going to focus on putting that together.
BK- Thanks again for talking to us, and I look forward to your match next weekend.
Matt Lindland-
BK- Your new ILF Team makes their debut against Maurice Smith?s Tiger-Sharks in Portland Sept. 9th. How did you choose your team, and what qualities were you looking for in teammates?
Lindland- All my athletes are guys that I have been training with, coaching and managing for sometime now. It was simple, I picked the best Team Quest guys available to me.
BK- Tell us about the Wolf pack.. Where do you train with them? Have you worked with these guys long? What are their backgrounds?
Lindland- We train at the Team Quest in Gresham, OR we also will be making camps in the Temecula CA Team Quest location as well but our home location will remain in Oregon. The fighters have various back ground and are guys I have coached for years one guy I coached when he was wrestling in HS and another I coached when I work as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska
BK- Obviously you come from a wrestling background, and are familiar with the team concept, but how do you feel it will be accepted by the MMA community, and what benefits does it bring to the fighters?
Lindland- The Team concept is working great for us. We all train together as a group each guy depends on the others doing their job to get the team win. The Wolf Pack mantra is the ?The Strength is in the Pack? we all work collectively to get the job done.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g178/dcbooks/Wolfpack_Team.jpg
?The Strength is in the Pack?
BK- Who would you look out for from the other teams, and what team will be you greatest challenge, and why?
Lindland- All the Teams are strong and this is a new season we are not going to overlook anyone
BK- Your war of words with Phil Baroni has raged on the Internet and in the Octagon. Why was there so much animosity between the two of you?
Lindland-I have no animosity toward Phil he is an unsophisticated individual that likes to create drama that all that is.
BK- Jeremy Horn is the definition of journeyman in the MMA world. He?s one of the most experienced fighters in the history of the sport. What challenges does he bring for you?
Lindland- Jeremy is not only a journeyman he is quite an adroit competitor and poses challenges for anyone who faces him.
BK- You?re consistently ranked in the top five fighters in the middle weight division, but a title belt has eluded you. Would you fight for a belt in Pride if it meant facing Dan Henderson? Do you see any possibility of a shot at Rich Franklin in your future?
Lindland- Right now each organization has its own belt and these are organizational trophies. These do not mean you?re the best in that weight just the best in that organization Dan and I are the best two fighters period in this division but there is no need for us to fight each other we are friends and training partners and there are plenty of guys out there for us both to fight.
BK- Your win streak was recently broken by a very close and even controversial decision loss to Quinton Jackson in the WFA. You moved up a weight class to take the fight, and looked very good at 205. Do you for see fighting at 205 in the future?
Lindland-I lost that fight? Are you sure? I will fight anyone any weight.
BK- Many folks have said, ?Styles make fights.?, and some folks have speculated that this match up against Horn could be the MMA equivalent of sleeping pills. Tell my why those folks are wrong?
Lindland- I imagine the folks saying that are uneducated unsophisticated folks that don?t understand this is a sport.
Putting two world class technical athletes in the same ring equates to an exciting match up for all fans of MMA and they will appreciate this match very much.
The simpletons can go to a bar and wait - I am sure a fight will eventually break out.
BK- Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
IFL Preview click here!
(http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20002)
IFL Portland discussion here!
(http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18759)
Be sure to participate in the IFL Portland Pick-em Contest! Click Here!
(http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19987)
Big thanks to Jeremy and Matt, and Jerry Milani at the IFL for helping us with our IFL coverage!
- Jim "DC BOOKS" Kirkland
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/BKDOTCOM/hornlawtgbaw.jpg
Jeremy "Gumby" Horn and Matt "The Law" Lindland discuss the IFL and their upcoming superfight.
With the first show of their second season, the International Fight League not only brings 4 teams of the best mixed martial artists to Portland, but also two of the best fighters in the middleweight division, Matt ?The Law? Lindland, and Jeremy ?Gumby? Horn. Both fighters took the time to discuss the IFL, their careers and their future fight with us here at the BK. One things for sure, on September 9th in Portland, ?There's Gonna be a War!?
Jeremy Horn-
BK- How much interaction have you had with the Silverback team, and what do you think of their chances this season?
Horn- Well to tell the truth I don't get to keep up with the ILF, because that station isn't on my TV package. So I haven't seen any of the fights. I did hear that Pat's team won, so that's really all I know about it.
BK-Are you familiar with the team concept, and what do you think of it?
Horn- I like it a lot. MMA has always been a one on one sport, but adding the team concept, it remains a one on one thing when you're in the ring, but it adds another element to it because now you've got a team that's going to help you when you're training, and help support you when you fight and who you are fighting to represent. A lot of the times it brings the fights up to another level. I think it's a great idea.
BK- Both Pat and Renzo's teams were made up of fighter who had been working with their coach for some time. What do you think the advantages of working with a team long term are?
Horn- Honestly in that regard I don't think there is any advantage. You know when you start training with a new group of people there's always a little bit of a feeling out process, to get comfortable with your partners and stuff, but you know that's short, and when you are in the ring it's still just you. What your training partners do doesn't really matter, because you're not fighting your training partners. It's kind of hit and miss. I think the biggest thing is having enough time to get comfortable with the partners so you can train hard, but as far as skill goes, I don't think it has a lot to do with it.
BK- You by definition are the journeyman of the MMA world right now, you've pretty much fought everywhere and against everyone. You next challenge is Olympian Matt Lindland, one of the best regarded middle weights in the sport. What kind of challenges do you think he's going to bring?
Horn- It's definitely a tough fight. Everybody looks at Matt and the way he fights and they think it's an easy fight. He's not a real big knock-out puncher he doesn't use a whole lot of submissions. Everybody looks at him, and thinks oh, that's an easy fight, I'll just do this this and this and it will be easy, but nobody's been able to do it yet. He wins pretty consistently. He's definitely going to be a big challenge. He's great at what he does, which is nullify other people's game plan and stay busy and work towards wearing people out and looks towards finishing people that way. He's very good at what he does there.
BK- Both you and Matt are generally regarded as part of the top of the food chain in the middleweight division. What do you think the victory in this match will mean for the winner?
Horn- With me, and also with him, I think a lot of people overlook both of us. For the people that know, I think we're both ranked in the upper portion of the top ten generally. I think whoever were to win this fight, it would solidify their spot in the top five or top ten.
BK- You recently left the UFC, after two victories at middleweight. Can you talk about why you left?
Horn- It just wasn't a sound financial decision for the UFC to keep me around. Fighting at 185, Rich Franklin's a good friend of mine, and he the champion of that division. I'm not going to fight him, so there really was not a whole lot of reasons to keep me around, beating other contenders. Who wants to see a title fight with a guy who just lost to me. It makes more sense for me just not to be there. Everybody else can fight each other, and gradually work towards a title shot by putting together 3 or 4 wins. If I'm just under Rich, and I beat everybody, and then the person I beat goes on to a title shot, it draws away from the whole title shot idea.
BK- Rich has a fight coming up against Anderson Silva, what do you think of Rich's chances there?
Horn- I think that's a tough fight for Rich. Anderson's very fast, he's got great footwork and great hands. I think his ground game is still a little weaker than his stand-up game, but I know he'd got some good people he's been training with. I think that really comes down to how Rich decides to fight him. I think Rich can beat him. On the feet it's a much more dangerous fight. On the ground I think Rich can definitely take him down and put him away. It comes down to how Rich chooses to approach this fight.
BK- You had an incident that seemed out of character for you, with a guy who went on to be on the Ultimate fighter. What's up with Josh Burkman?
Horn- I don't like him. I think he's a clown. I think he's gotten where he's at by a little bit of talent and a lot of luck. I think he's a clown. He barely ranks out of the amateur division. Honestly he's beaten a couple of good people, which I was incredibly surprised. I guess everybody has a little bit of luck running their way sometimes. You never know what other factors are involved, but every time he wins I'm surprised. I just don' think he's that good. I see him as a very athletic mediocre wrestler. That's it. He's got no boxing, really no submission skills. He's in good shape and he can wrestle. He's athletic and he's explosive, but that's it. There's a million people out there just like him. It really baffles me.
BK- Are you still training with MFS at all?
Horn- I haven't trained with Pat and the guys for going on four years now. live in Utah, I have my own gym. I opened a gym here, and started collecting some local guys here. I've put together some pretty decent people. Most of the guys out here are pretty new, starting from scratch with a lot of guys. It's mostly just a grass roots type of thing going on, but I'm sure you'll hear about them in the next little bit of time, because I've got some guys with a lot of potential. We'll be moving in the next couple of months, but it's just outside of downtown Salt Lake called Elite Performance at 980 south 700 west #12.
BK- Chuck Liddell just made very short work of Babalu Sobral, were you surprised at all?
Horn- No... I expected it to go that way. I thought Babalu would be a little more cautious and a little smarter, and drag the fight out a little longer, but I knew as soon as Chuck landed a good punch Babalu was done. Honestly, it seems I'm the only one who can take a punch from Chuck and get back up. Everybody else he punches stays down. The first punch he hit me with in the first round just ruined me. My vision was messed up for the rest of the fight. A lot of people think he damaged my eye or something, but that wasn't the case. He just hit me really really hard and my vision was blurry and spotty for the rest of the fight.
BK-You have the Super-Fight in the IFL coming up, any other plans?
Horn- No, not right off hand. Just running the gym and focusing on the move to a commercial facility, so just going to focus on putting that together.
BK- Thanks again for talking to us, and I look forward to your match next weekend.
Matt Lindland-
BK- Your new ILF Team makes their debut against Maurice Smith?s Tiger-Sharks in Portland Sept. 9th. How did you choose your team, and what qualities were you looking for in teammates?
Lindland- All my athletes are guys that I have been training with, coaching and managing for sometime now. It was simple, I picked the best Team Quest guys available to me.
BK- Tell us about the Wolf pack.. Where do you train with them? Have you worked with these guys long? What are their backgrounds?
Lindland- We train at the Team Quest in Gresham, OR we also will be making camps in the Temecula CA Team Quest location as well but our home location will remain in Oregon. The fighters have various back ground and are guys I have coached for years one guy I coached when he was wrestling in HS and another I coached when I work as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska
BK- Obviously you come from a wrestling background, and are familiar with the team concept, but how do you feel it will be accepted by the MMA community, and what benefits does it bring to the fighters?
Lindland- The Team concept is working great for us. We all train together as a group each guy depends on the others doing their job to get the team win. The Wolf Pack mantra is the ?The Strength is in the Pack? we all work collectively to get the job done.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g178/dcbooks/Wolfpack_Team.jpg
?The Strength is in the Pack?
BK- Who would you look out for from the other teams, and what team will be you greatest challenge, and why?
Lindland- All the Teams are strong and this is a new season we are not going to overlook anyone
BK- Your war of words with Phil Baroni has raged on the Internet and in the Octagon. Why was there so much animosity between the two of you?
Lindland-I have no animosity toward Phil he is an unsophisticated individual that likes to create drama that all that is.
BK- Jeremy Horn is the definition of journeyman in the MMA world. He?s one of the most experienced fighters in the history of the sport. What challenges does he bring for you?
Lindland- Jeremy is not only a journeyman he is quite an adroit competitor and poses challenges for anyone who faces him.
BK- You?re consistently ranked in the top five fighters in the middle weight division, but a title belt has eluded you. Would you fight for a belt in Pride if it meant facing Dan Henderson? Do you see any possibility of a shot at Rich Franklin in your future?
Lindland- Right now each organization has its own belt and these are organizational trophies. These do not mean you?re the best in that weight just the best in that organization Dan and I are the best two fighters period in this division but there is no need for us to fight each other we are friends and training partners and there are plenty of guys out there for us both to fight.
BK- Your win streak was recently broken by a very close and even controversial decision loss to Quinton Jackson in the WFA. You moved up a weight class to take the fight, and looked very good at 205. Do you for see fighting at 205 in the future?
Lindland-I lost that fight? Are you sure? I will fight anyone any weight.
BK- Many folks have said, ?Styles make fights.?, and some folks have speculated that this match up against Horn could be the MMA equivalent of sleeping pills. Tell my why those folks are wrong?
Lindland- I imagine the folks saying that are uneducated unsophisticated folks that don?t understand this is a sport.
Putting two world class technical athletes in the same ring equates to an exciting match up for all fans of MMA and they will appreciate this match very much.
The simpletons can go to a bar and wait - I am sure a fight will eventually break out.
BK- Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
IFL Preview click here!
(http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20002)
IFL Portland discussion here!
(http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18759)
Be sure to participate in the IFL Portland Pick-em Contest! Click Here!
(http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19987)
Big thanks to Jeremy and Matt, and Jerry Milani at the IFL for helping us with our IFL coverage!
- Jim "DC BOOKS" Kirkland