Matthew Peter Horwich (born October 2, 1978) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who most recently competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Horwich has fought in

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

, Strikeforce,

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

, the UFC, and for the Seattle Tiger Sharks of the IFL where he was the IFL Middleweight Champion.

Background

Horwich was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He watched many

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

films growing up and entered Dojo Kai Korean traditional martial arts classes. Growing up, Horwich had little interest in school due to low opinions of his teachers. Unmotivated, lost and without a concrete path to embark on, he began to experiment with drugs and alcohol. He then garnered interest for

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(BJJ) at the age of 17 and saved up enough money to learn from none other than

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family, he is considered to be one of the most influential figure ...

himself. After that, he reluctantly made an unwise decision and was placed in jail for thirty days for fighting and breaking windows. He served his time and chose to relocate to Seattle, Washington with the intention of starting a band. While there, he performed odd jobs and lived in squats as he crossed-paths between becoming either a musician or martial artist. He then eventually experienced a religious conversion as a self-described "spiritual" Christian and rededicated himself to a successful, focused career in martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Horwich developed his impressive skills as a

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

specialist training with Team Quest as well as BJJ

black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

s B.J. Penn and Eddie Bravo. He has also trained extensively with accomplished Kickboxer and Muay Thai Fighter Chris Reilly. Matt Horwich earned the nickname "The Fighting Hippy" due to his extremely unusual personality and interests. Before signing with the International Fight League's Portland Wolfpack, Matt Horwich amassed a strong record of 15-6-1 fighting in small promotions. It was there that he rose to prominence, when a 5-3 record earned him an opportunity to face Benji Radach in the World Grand Prix Finals to determine the first middleweight champion. Horwich defeated the noted striker by knockout in the second round, becoming the IFL's first ever middleweight champion. Matt Horwich then signed with the UFC after the IFL folded and made his debut at UFC 90. His opponent, none other than the latest IFL middleweight champion Dan Miller. Horwich came close to sinking in a fight-ending choke in this exciting bout as the clock suspensefully ticked at the final part of the second round. Despite his wholehearted efforts, Miller controlled most of the first and third rounds and took the unanimous decision. Horwich then made his second UFC appearance at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann against Ricardo Almeida which resulted in a second decision loss and his release from the company. After that, he debuted with

and then Aggression MMA where he came back with a solid, split-decision victory over Jason Lambert. This very well-fought rematch took place in Alberta, Canada as Horwich successfully returned to his winning ways. Horwich fought Tom 'Kong' Watson at BAMMA3 as a late replacement for Alex Reid on May 15, 2010, and lost. It was his first fight in Britain. Horwich beat Thales Leites, former UFC Middleweight contender, in an upset on August 14. On September 9, 2010, Horwich fought Bellator season two semifinalist Eric Schambari, losing via split decision. Horwich then defeated Jake Rosholt by technical knockout in the third round at Xtreme Fight Night – Rosholt vs. Horwich in November 2010. At Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort on March 11, 2011, Horwich squared off with UFC and WEC veteran Danillo Villefort, losing by unanimous decision after being controlled both on the feet and the floor for the entirety of the 15-minute affair. Horwich faced a rematch with Jake Rosholt at Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 on July 15, 2011, losing by unanimous decision. Rosholt used his wrestling to neutralize any attempt at a takedown and utilized a much improved striking game to win the nod from the judges. Horwich fought Piotr Strus at KSW 25 on December 7, 2013. Though the fan favorite coming into the fight, Horwich lost by majority decision.

Personal life

Matt Horwich was married the day after his first attempted defense of the IFL Middleweight Championship. Horwich is often described as a hippie who frequently quotes Bible passages and personal

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by t ...

s in conversation. His hobbies include playing guitar and writing music and poetry, mostly themed around his interest in

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, q ...

. Also knows the difference between a 301 EZO and a 307 SR end. In September 2022, Matt was featured in underground mini-comic issue #12 "MULTIVERSE" by Spencer Wile. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Matt_Horwich.jpg

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 30–25–1 , Piotr Siwkowski , TKO (elbows) , PLMMA 73: Ciechanow , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , Ciechanow, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 29–25–1 , David Ramirez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PLMMA 72: Lomianki , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Lomianki, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–25–1 , Marcin Naruszczka , Decision (unanimous) , PLMMA 70: Championships , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–24–1 , Vyacheslav Vasilevsky , Decision (unanimous) , Fightspirit Championship 6: Horwich vs. Vasilevsky , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , St. Petersburg, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–23–1 , Jae Young Kim , KO (punch) , Top FC 9: Battle of Incheon , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 , Incheon, South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–22–1 , Piotr Strus , Decision (majority) , KSW 25: Khalidov vs. Sakurai , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Wroclaw, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 28–21–1 , Terry Martin , TKO (punches) , KSW 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:08 ,

, Poland , Catchweight bout of 191 lbs. , - , Win , align=center, 27–21–1 , Antoni Chmielewski , TKO (punches) ,

KSW XIX The year 2012 is the ninth year in the history of the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Poland. In 2012 Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki held 4 events beginning with, KSW 18: Unfinished Sympathy. List of events KSW 18: ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:19 , Lódz, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–21–1 , Thales Leites , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Amazon Forest Combat 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:39 , Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil , Catchweight bout of 194 lbs. , - , Loss , align=center, 26–20–1 , Michał Materla , Decision (unanimous) , KSW 17: Revenge , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Lódz, Poland , , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–19–1 , Jake Rosholt , Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–18–1 , Danillo Villefort , Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–17–1 , Jake Rosholt , TKO (punches) , Xtreme Fight Night: Rosholt vs. Horwich , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:56 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–17–1 , Eric Schambari , Decision (split) , Bellator 28 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Thales Leites , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Powerhouse World Promotions: War on the Mainland , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–16–1 , Tom Watson , Decision (unanimous) ,

BAMMA 3 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Room ...

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–15–1 , Jason MacDonald , Decision (unanimous) , LGIO MMA 1: MacDonald vs Horwich , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 24–14–1 , Jason Lambert , Decision (split) , AMMA 1: First Blood , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–14–1 , Bryan Baker , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan are ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–13–1 , Ricardo Almeida , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–12–1 , Dan Miller , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 90 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located immediately northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,202. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that. Whi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–11–1 , Joey Guel , Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–11–1 , Ryan McGivern , Decision(unanimous) , IFL: Vegas , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–10–1 , Benji Radach , KO (punch) , IFL: World Grand Prix Finals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–10–1 , Brian Foster , Submission (armbar) , IFL: World Grand Prix Semifinals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, United States , Catchweight bout of 188 lbs. , - , Win , align=center, 20–10–1 , Kazuhiro Hamanaka , KO (head kick) , IFL: Everett , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Everett, Washington Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–10–1 , Jamal Patterson , Submission (guillotine choke) , IFL: Connecticut , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–9–1 , Brent Beauparlant , Submission (kimura) , IFL: Atlanta , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–9–1 , Ryan McGivern , Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Championship Final , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–8–1 , Mike Pyle , Submission (rear-naked choke) , IFL: World Championship Semifinals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–8–1 ,

Bristol Marunde Bristol Marunde (born April 20, 1982) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. He was a contestant on ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson'', and has competed for the ...

, Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Portland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8–1 , Jamal Patterson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , IFL: Legends Championship 2006 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7–1 , Roan Carneiro , Decision (split) , WCFC: No Guts No Glory , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6–1 , Petras Markevicius , Submission (rear naked choke) , WCFC: No Guts No Glory , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6–1 , Brian Ebersole , Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5–1 , Rob Wince , Submission (armbar) , ACF: Genesis , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:46 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , John Cronk , Submission (rear naked choke) , SF 13: Rocky Mountain Sportfight , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Vernon White , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 12: Breakout , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–1 , Krzysztof Soszynski , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Freedom Fight: Canada vs USA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Cana ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11-5-1 , Travis Wiuff , Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge 62 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Medina, Minnesota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4–1 , Brian Wieber , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFC: Dome of Destruction 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4–1 , Trevor Prangley , Decision (unanimous) , SF 9: Respect , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3–1 , Chris Kiever , Submission (triangle choke) , Kickdown Classic 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3–1 , Jason Lambert , TKO (submission to punches) , WEC 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:28 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , Jason MacDonald , Submission (armbar) , Extreme Fighting Challenge 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 , Billy Miles , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 6: Battleground in Reno , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Antony Rea , Submission (rear-naked choke) , APEX: Genesis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2–1 , Paul Purcell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 5: Stadium , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2–1 , Mikko Rupponen , Submission (triangle choke) , PFA: Pride and Fury , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:50 , Worley, Idaho, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2–1 , Chris Kiever , Submission (triangle choke) , Cage Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2–1 , Glover Teixeira , Decision (unanimous) , SF 3: Dome , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1–1 , Horace Spencer , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 2: On the Move , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1–1 , Joshua Burkman , Submission (triangle choke) , SF 1: Revolution , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:11 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1–1 , Rich Guerin , Submission (armbar) , DesertBrawl 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 , Bend, Oregon, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 1–0–1 , Shane Davis , Draw , Ultimate Ring Challenge 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Longview, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Cory Devela , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PPKA: Ultimate Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:24 , Pasco, Washington, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Horwich, Matt Living people 1978 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Mixed martial artists from Oregon Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Portland, Oregon Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters