Sherdog.com Preview: Raze MMA Fight Night
Main Event
Apr 29, 2006
Mike Van Arsdale
(Pictures) vs. Matt Lindland (Pictures)
VAN ARSDALE: Wrestler Mike Van Arsdale (Pictures) is a three–time All American wrestler for Iowa State and won an NCAA championship in 1988. He is also a 1996 Olympic Trials competitor and 1997 World Cup winner. Mike is 8-4-0 in MMA and trains at the American Kickboxing Academy with Paul Buentello (Pictures), Trevor Prangley (Pictures), Mike Swick (Pictures) and Richard Crunkilton (Pictures).
He had his first exposure to MMA at the International Wrestling
Forum: The Contenders event in September of 1997 where he faced
then Lewis/Pederneiras team member Renato Verissimo (Pictures). Mike won the match on points but
it was a submission-only event similar to the Abu Dhabi Combat
Championships. The card featured matches between wrestlers and
martial artists with Dan Gable and John Perretti doing
commentary.
Van Arsdale was an unorthodox fighter and brought a mix of solid wrestling skills on the ground and a street-style stand-up game to the sport of MMA in 1998. Mike traveled to Brazil and competed in the IVC 4 tournament under the guidance of former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE Grand Prix Champion Mark Coleman (Pictures).
Following that trip, Mike debuted in the Octagon at UFC 17. He faced Royce Gracie (Pictures) student Joe Pardo and toyed with him for 11 minutes, mercifully ending the bout with a keylock. Mike’s next stop in ’98 was back in Brazil against Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) at IVC 6.
Silva pushed off Van Arsdale’s first takedown attempt and they remained standing. Van Arsdale’s wild striking only worked in Wanderlei’s favor and a well placed knee from Silva signaled the beginning of the end. Wanderlei followed Mike’s retreat, knocked him to the floor with a right hand over the shoulder and then soccer kicked him in the back of the head.
Van Arsdale beat Christopher Haseman at WFA 3 and went on to win two bouts by submission in smaller organizations before returning to the UFC in April of 2005. At UFC 52 he defeated jiu-jitsu fighter John Marsh by unanimous decision and then took on Randy Couture (Pictures) at UFC 54.
Mike fought hard and had the upper hand on occasion but the former champion would not let up. Randy worked for a gator roll and arm-triangle and eventually won with it, but not before Van Arsdale showed he could hang with the former champ into the third round.
At UFC 57 Van Arsdale faced Renato Sobral (Pictures) and lost to the top ranked Brazilian by rear-choke. And in his most recent bout, he was triangle choked by Jorge Oliveira (Pictures) at Pride and Fury 4. Both of his recent defeats came in the first round.
LINDLAND: Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Lindland (Pictures) has a 17-3-0 record in MMA and is a five-time national champion, three-time Pan-Am champion, World Cup champion and a 2000 Olympic Silver medalist.
The former IFC middleweight champion and Abu Dhabi veteran trains with Dan Henderson (Pictures), Chael Sonnen (Pictures), Nathan Quarry (Pictures), trainer Robert Follis and the rest of Team Quest.
Since debuting in MMA in 1997, Lindland has usually impressed but rarely thrilled spectators with his blue-collar style. He’s beaten numerous big name fighters in the UFC, including Ricardo Almeida (Pictures), Phil Baroni (Pictures) (twice), Pat Miletich (Pictures), Ivan Salaverry (Pictures) and Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) (in the rematch).
When you add the fact he beat UFC veterans Travis Fulton, Anthony Fryklund and Mark Weir (Pictures) away from the Octagon, it is clear why Lindland ranks at the top of the division. He has three losses in his last 13 fights.
The first was to former middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) in a title bout. Bustamante owned that fight and literally beat Lindland twice, finally submitting him with a guillotine choke in the third round.
Matt lost to Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) in a flash knockout and then was KO’d by up-and-comer David Terrell (Pictures) in UFC 49. He cut Mark Weir (Pictures) at Cage Rage 9, submitted Landon Showalter (Pictures) at the Sportfight event and submitted Travis Lutter (Pictures) at UFC 52.
Lindland won a unanimous decision over Joe Doerksen (Pictures) at UFC 54 and then he stopped Chute Boxe fighter Antonio Schembri (Pictures) with strikes in the third round at Cage Rage 14. Last month he submitted Fabio Leopoldo (Pictures) in the third round at the Team Gracie versus Hammer House event.
MY PICK: Tough call. Though his style will never be mistaken for “exciting,” Lindland has won six in a row against some tough competition. His biggest challenge here may be balancing the extra weight he’s carrying (this is a 205-pound fight and Matt usually fights at 185). I’m sure he got to train less and eat more but it may hurt him.
Meanwhile Van Arsdale is looking for a win and it likely doesn’t matter whose expense it comes at. The two-inch height advantage for Mike likely won’t make a huge difference unless the bout remains standing and goes into the later rounds, when Van Arsdale’s reach comes into play. Weight or no weight, I think Lindland pulls out another victory here. For whatever reason Van Arsdale seems susceptible to the choke lately, having been defeated by three different chokes in his last three outings. Lindland by submission in the second round.
VAN ARSDALE: Wrestler Mike Van Arsdale (Pictures) is a three–time All American wrestler for Iowa State and won an NCAA championship in 1988. He is also a 1996 Olympic Trials competitor and 1997 World Cup winner. Mike is 8-4-0 in MMA and trains at the American Kickboxing Academy with Paul Buentello (Pictures), Trevor Prangley (Pictures), Mike Swick (Pictures) and Richard Crunkilton (Pictures).
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Van Arsdale was an unorthodox fighter and brought a mix of solid wrestling skills on the ground and a street-style stand-up game to the sport of MMA in 1998. Mike traveled to Brazil and competed in the IVC 4 tournament under the guidance of former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE Grand Prix Champion Mark Coleman (Pictures).
Van Arsdale blew through the tournament with relative ease. He
hardly even struck his first opponent, Francisco Nonato, working him
over with pure wrestling skills and submitting him via keylock.
Mike threw hands in the second bout, displaying his loose
change-of-pace stand-up style that made him distinctive. Once on
the ground, Van Arsdale opened up Marcelo Barbosa with elbows to
the face. The final bout against Dario Amorim was more competitive
on the feet but an unorthodox slam from Van Arsdale caused Amorim
to land on his shoulder and tap instantly.
Following that trip, Mike debuted in the Octagon at UFC 17. He faced Royce Gracie (Pictures) student Joe Pardo and toyed with him for 11 minutes, mercifully ending the bout with a keylock. Mike’s next stop in ’98 was back in Brazil against Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) at IVC 6.
Silva pushed off Van Arsdale’s first takedown attempt and they remained standing. Van Arsdale’s wild striking only worked in Wanderlei’s favor and a well placed knee from Silva signaled the beginning of the end. Wanderlei followed Mike’s retreat, knocked him to the floor with a right hand over the shoulder and then soccer kicked him in the back of the head.
Van Arsdale beat Christopher Haseman at WFA 3 and went on to win two bouts by submission in smaller organizations before returning to the UFC in April of 2005. At UFC 52 he defeated jiu-jitsu fighter John Marsh by unanimous decision and then took on Randy Couture (Pictures) at UFC 54.
Mike fought hard and had the upper hand on occasion but the former champion would not let up. Randy worked for a gator roll and arm-triangle and eventually won with it, but not before Van Arsdale showed he could hang with the former champ into the third round.
At UFC 57 Van Arsdale faced Renato Sobral (Pictures) and lost to the top ranked Brazilian by rear-choke. And in his most recent bout, he was triangle choked by Jorge Oliveira (Pictures) at Pride and Fury 4. Both of his recent defeats came in the first round.
LINDLAND: Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Lindland (Pictures) has a 17-3-0 record in MMA and is a five-time national champion, three-time Pan-Am champion, World Cup champion and a 2000 Olympic Silver medalist.
The former IFC middleweight champion and Abu Dhabi veteran trains with Dan Henderson (Pictures), Chael Sonnen (Pictures), Nathan Quarry (Pictures), trainer Robert Follis and the rest of Team Quest.
Since debuting in MMA in 1997, Lindland has usually impressed but rarely thrilled spectators with his blue-collar style. He’s beaten numerous big name fighters in the UFC, including Ricardo Almeida (Pictures), Phil Baroni (Pictures) (twice), Pat Miletich (Pictures), Ivan Salaverry (Pictures) and Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) (in the rematch).
When you add the fact he beat UFC veterans Travis Fulton, Anthony Fryklund and Mark Weir (Pictures) away from the Octagon, it is clear why Lindland ranks at the top of the division. He has three losses in his last 13 fights.
The first was to former middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) in a title bout. Bustamante owned that fight and literally beat Lindland twice, finally submitting him with a guillotine choke in the third round.
Matt lost to Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) in a flash knockout and then was KO’d by up-and-comer David Terrell (Pictures) in UFC 49. He cut Mark Weir (Pictures) at Cage Rage 9, submitted Landon Showalter (Pictures) at the Sportfight event and submitted Travis Lutter (Pictures) at UFC 52.
Lindland won a unanimous decision over Joe Doerksen (Pictures) at UFC 54 and then he stopped Chute Boxe fighter Antonio Schembri (Pictures) with strikes in the third round at Cage Rage 14. Last month he submitted Fabio Leopoldo (Pictures) in the third round at the Team Gracie versus Hammer House event.
MY PICK: Tough call. Though his style will never be mistaken for “exciting,” Lindland has won six in a row against some tough competition. His biggest challenge here may be balancing the extra weight he’s carrying (this is a 205-pound fight and Matt usually fights at 185). I’m sure he got to train less and eat more but it may hurt him.
Meanwhile Van Arsdale is looking for a win and it likely doesn’t matter whose expense it comes at. The two-inch height advantage for Mike likely won’t make a huge difference unless the bout remains standing and goes into the later rounds, when Van Arsdale’s reach comes into play. Weight or no weight, I think Lindland pulls out another victory here. For whatever reason Van Arsdale seems susceptible to the choke lately, having been defeated by three different chokes in his last three outings. Lindland by submission in the second round.
