Mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran and Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling (2000), Matt Lindland, came up short in his bid to defeat Suzanne VanOrman in the political race to capture the Oregon House of Representatives in District 52.
Lindland earned 42 percent of the vote compared to VanOrman's 58 percent -- effectively surrendering the seat previously held by retiring Rep. Patti Smith, R-Corbett.
"The Law" is no stranger to state politics. He played an integral role in the effort to legalize mixed martial arts in Oregon after becoming the state’s first licensed promoter. His addition to the Republican House would have provided a major boost to a sport that is continually trying to break into new markets.
Perhaps now Lindland can get back to his full-time duties as a mixed martial artist. He's set to face Renato "Babalu" Sobral in a 195-pound catchweight bout during Affliction MMA’s encore offering at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on January 24,
Lindland recently scored a unanimous decision win over Fabio Negao during the July Affliction show. It was self-admittedly a rather disappointing fight, which eventually turned into a wrestling match.
Despite the win, he blamed his political responsibilities and other factors for the poor performance and assured fans that he would be back to his normal form his next time out.
He doesn’t have much choice going against a dangerous opponent such as Babalu.
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