Matt Horwich
 |
Name | Matt Horwich |
| Nickname | Suave / The Fighting Hippy | |
| Association | Team Quest | |
| Weight Class | Middleweight (185 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 11" (180 cm) | |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling | |
| Birth Date | October 2, 1978 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Gresham, Oregon | |
| Country | USA | |
| Matt Horwich Pictures | Official Website |
Matthew Peter 'Matt' Horwich is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Middleweight. Formerly fighting for the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League (IFL), Horwich now fights in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Contents |
[edit] Professional Record
| Record | 28 - 21 - 1 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 5 (T)KOs 20 Submissions 3 Decisions |
| Losses | 0 (T)KOs 4 Submissions 16 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Terry Martin | TKO (Punches) | KSW 21: Final Resolution | 12/1/2012 | 2 | 4:08 | |
| Win | Antoni Chmielewski | TKO (Punches) | KSW 19: Pudzianowski vs. Sapp | 5/12/2012 | 3 | 2:19 | |
| Loss | Thales Leites | Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | AFC: Amazon Forest Combat 2 | 3/31/2012 | 2 | 4:394 | |
| Loss | Michal Materla | Decision (Unanimous) | KSW 17: Revenge | 11/26/2011 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Loss | Jake Rosholt | Decision (Unanimous) | SF 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 | 7/15/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Danillo Villefort | Decision (Unanimous) | SF 14: Horwich vs. Villefort | 3/11/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Jake Rosholt | TKO (Punches) | Xtreme Fight Night: Rosholt vs. Horwich | 11/12/2010 | 3 | 2:56 | |
| Loss | Eric Schambari | Decision (Split) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 28 | 9/09/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Thales Leites | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | PWP: War on the Mainland | 8/14/2010 | 4 | 0:44 | Won first-ever PWP Middleweight Championship |
| Loss | Tom Watson | Decision (Unanimous) | BAMMA: British Association of Mixed Martial Arts 3 | 5/15/2010 | 5 | 5:00 | For first-ever BAMMA Middleweight Championship; Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Jason MacDonald | Decision (Unanimous) | LGIO MMA 1: MacDonald vs. Horwich | 4/23/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Jason Lambert | Decision (Split) | AMMA 1: First Blood | 10/24/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Bryan Baker | Decision (Unanimous) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 10 | 6/05/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Ricardo Almeida | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 18: Condit vs. Kampmann | 4/01/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Dan Miller | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote | 10/25/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC debut |
| Win | Joey Guel | Decision (Unanimous) | IFL: Connecticut | 5/16/2008 | 3 | 4:00 | |
| Loss | Ryan McGivern | Decision (Unanimous) | IFL: Las Vegas | 2/29/2008 | 4 | 5:00 | Lost IFL Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Benji Radach | KO (Punch) | IFL: World Grand Prix Finals | 12/29/2007 | 2 | 1:58 | Won first IFL Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Brian Foster | Submission (Armbar) | IFL: World Grand Prix Semifinals | 11/03/2007 | 1 | 3:59 | |
| Win | Kazuhiro Hamanaka | KO (Head Kick) | IFL: Everett | 6/01/2007 | 1 | 2:07 | |
| Loss | Jamal Patterson | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | IFL: Connecticut | 4/13/2007 | 1 | 0:37 | |
| Win | Brent Beauparlant | Submission (Kimura) | IFL: Atlanta | 2/23/2007 | 2 | 0:28 | |
| Loss | Ryan McGivern | Decision (Unanimous) | IFL: Championship Final | 12/29/2006 | 3 | 4:00 | |
| Win | Mike Pyle | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | IFL: World Championship Semifinals | 11/02/2006 | 2 | 1:02 | |
| Win | Bristol Marunde | Decision (Unanimous) | IFL: Portland | 9/09/2006 | 3 | 4:00 | |
| Loss | Jamal Patterson | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | IFL: Legends Championship 2006 | 4/29/2006 | 1 | 2:57 | IFL debut |
| Loss | Roan Carneiro | Decision (Split) | WCFC: No Guts No Glory | 3/18/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Petras Morkevicius | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | WCFC: No Guts No Glory | 3/18/2006 | 1 | 4:59 | |
| Loss | Brian Ebersole | Decision (Unanimous) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie | 3/10/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Rob Wince | Submission (Armbar) | ACF: Genesis | 2/24/2006 | 1 | 1:46 | |
| Win | John Cronk | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 13: Rocky Mountain Sportfight | 10/15/2005 | 2 | 3:28 | |
| Win | Vernon White | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 12: Breakout | 9/16/2005 | 2 | 2:38 | |
| Win | Krzysztof Soszynski | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Freedome Fight: Canada vs. USA | 7/09/2005 | 2 | 0:52 | |
| Loss | Travis Wiuff | Decision (Unanimous) | EC 62: Extreme Challenge 62 | 6/18/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Brian Wieber | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | XFC: Dome of Destruction 2 | 4/30/2005 | 1 | 2:37 | |
| Loss | Trevor Prangley | Decision (Unanimous) | SF 9: Respect | 3/26/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Chris Kiever | Submission (Triangle Choke) | KC 16: Kickdown Classic 16 | 2/19/2005 | 2 | 0:40 | |
| Loss | Jason Lambert | Submission (Punches) | WEC 12: Halloween Fury 3 | 10/21/2004 | 2 | 3:28 | |
| Win | Jason MacDonald | Submission (Armbar) | EFC 3: Extreme Fighting Challenge 3 | 10/16/2004 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Billy Miles | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 6: Battleground in Reno | 9/23/2004 | 2 | 0:59 | |
| Win | Antony Rea | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | APEX: Genesis | 9/05/2004 | 2 | 1:13 | |
| Win | Paul Purcell | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 5: Stadium | 8/28/2004 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Mikko Rupponen | Submission (Triangle Choke) | PFA: Pride and Fury | 6/03/2004 | 3 | 0:50 | |
| Win | Chris Kiever | Submission (Triangle Choke) | CFC 1: Cage Fighting Championship 1 | 5/01/2004 | 1 | 1:47 | |
| Loss | Glover Teixeira | Decision | SF 3: Dome | 4/17/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | For SportFight Light Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Horace Spencer | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 2: On the Move | 3/19/2004 | 1 | 4:45 | |
| Win | Josh Burkman | Submission (Triangle Choke) | SF 1: Revolution | 2/21/2004 | 2 | 2:11 | |
| Loss | Rich Guerin | Submission (Armbar) | DB 9: DesertBrawl 9 | 11/08/2003 | 1 | 1:54 | |
| Draw | Shane Davis | Draw | URC 6: Ultimate Ring Challenge 6 | 10/25/2003 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Cory Devela | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | PPKA: PPKA - Ultimate Fight Night 2 | 9/06/2003 | 2 | 1:24 | |
[edit] Biography
Horwich had little interest in school due to a low opinion of his teachers, and performed poorly. At the age of 17, he saved $1,000 to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) for four weeks with Royce Gracie, but afterwards his interested in BJJ waned and he began to experiment with drugs and alchohol. After serving ten days in jail for possession of crystal meth, he moved to Seattle with the intention of starting a band. Horwich found little success in the music scene, and went back and forth between wanting to become a musician or a martial artist. He performed odd jobs and lived in squats before experiencing a religious conversion. As a self-described "spiritual Christian", Horwich rededicated himself to a career in martial arts.
Horwich's hobbies include writing music and poetry, much of which is themed around his interest in quantum mechanics. He is often described as a hippie, frequently quoting Bible passages and personal aphorisms in conversation.
[edit] Mixed Martial Arts Career
Horwich developed his skills as a submission specialist training with Team Quest as well as BJJ black belts B.J. Penn and Eddie Bravo. He also claims to have learned a punch-and-kick combination from watching students of Maurice Smith on Youtube. He earned the nickname "Suave" after friends overheard his smooth responses to a Native American who had caught him urinating on reservation land. Due to his personality and interests, he acquired the alternate nickname "The Fighting Hippy".
[edit] IFL Career
Horwich fought in small promotions and amassed a record of 15-6-1 before signing with the International Fight League (IFL). Fighting with the Portland Wolfpack, he racked up a 5-3 record in the IFL before facing Benji Radach at the World Grand Prix Finals to determine a middleweight champion. In an upset, Horwich defeated the noted striker with a knockout punch in the second round, becoming the IFL's first middleweight champion. His first title defense was a rematch against Ryan McGivern, who had previously defeated him by unanimous decision. Horwich lost again to McGivern by unanimous decision and lost the title.
[edit] UFC Career
After the IFL folded, Horwich signed with the UFC. He made his debut in the promotion at UFC 90, facing the final IFL middleweight champion Dan Miller. While Horwich came close to sinking a choke at the end of the second round, Miller controlled most of the first and third rounds, earning him a unanimous decision.
Horiwch made his second UFC appearance at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann against Ricardo Almeida. Horwich lost via unanimous decision to the former King of Pancrase. He was subsequently released from his contract.
[edit] Post-UFC Career
After being released from the UFC, Horwich faced off against Bryan Baker at a Bellator event, where he lost a Decision (Unanimous), keeping his losing streak going. He finally bounced back with a Decision (Split) victory over Jason Lambert at an AMMA event.
He returned April 23, 2010 to face UFC veteran Jason MacDonald. Horwich was handed another loss, once again by Decision (Unanimous).
Horwich then took part in a BAMMA event in England, where he faced Tom Watson for the promotion's first-ever Middleweight title. After five rounds of fighting back and forth, it was Watson who got the nod with the Decision (Unanimous), handing Horwich his second loss in a row, and his fifth loss in his past six fights.
Powerhouse World Promotions put on an event on August 14, 2010, which featured three title fights, one of which was a bout between Horwich and another UFC cast-off, Thales Leites. The fight was for the promotion's first-ever Middleweight title. Leites looked as if he was in control of the fight for the first three round, though Horwich did threaten at times. In the fourth round Leites appeared to be fading slightly, and Horwich took advantage. Horwich moved to the back, drug the fight to the floor in rapid fashion and sunk in a Rear Naked Choke. Leites was forced to tap just 24 seconds into the round, and Horwich was crowned the PWP Middleweight Champion.
After defeating Leites, it was learned that Horwich would return to action on September 9, 2010 at Bellator 28, where he would face off against WEC and Bellator veteran Eric Schambari. After one round of keeping Horwich at bay, Schambari placed the priority on getting the fight to the ground. The UFC veteran did not go easily, as Schambari spent a lot of energy on takedowns and managed to nail a few. But Horwich managed to right himself, and continued his pursuit. In the end, though, those takedowns proved to be the advantage on judges' scorecards, not to mention the stinging shots he landed early in the fight. Still, two judges gave Schambari the fight with scores of 30-27, one judge dissented with a ruling of 29-28 for Horwich.
[edit] Personal Life
Horwich got married the day after losing his IFL title.
[edit] Ranks and Titles
- IFL Middleweight Championship
- PWP Middleweight Championship
