Q&A with Matt Lindland

No Husker wrestler ever had a better single-season record than Matt Lindland’s 36-1 mark (.973 winning percentage) in 1993. Though he suffered his only defeat in the NCAA Championships and didn’t medal, Lindland went on to experience plenty of wrestling glory — earning gold medals at the 1999 and 2000 Pan American Games, winning U.S. amateur national titles in 1995 and 1997-99 and a World Cup title in 1996.

His wrestling career reached its zenith in 2000, when he joined his Husker teammate Rulon Gardner on the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team for the Sydney Games. Lindland earned a silver medal.

Long before the Games, Lindland branched out into mixed martial arts fighting. Starting in 1997, Lindland took to the MMA ring and became a professional athlete. He’s compiled a 19-4 record that ranks him as one of the top middleweights (185-pounders) in the world.

Last year, Lindland joined the International Fight League (IFL), which brings a team approach to the MMA world. Each fight card includes two dual matches between teams of five fighters. The IFL will be soon offered on cable TV network Fox Sports Net and on MyNetworkTV beginning in April or May.

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