Matthew Peter Horwich (born October 2, 1978) was an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Horwich has fought in BAMMA, Strikeforce, Bellator, the UFC, and for the Seattle Tiger Sharks of the IFL where he became the IFL Middleweight Champion in 2007.

Background

Horwich was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He watched many Bruce Lee 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 (BJJ) at the age of 17 and saved up enough money to become a mentee of Royce Gracie. Sometime after his mentorship, Horwich was jailed for thirty days for fighting and breaking windows. After his release, he relocated to Seattle, Washington with the intention of starting a band. While there, he performed odd jobs and lived in squatter homes as he tried to decide between becoming either a musician or a martial artist. During his time in Seattle, Horwich experienced a religious conversion as a self-described "spiritual" Christian and rededicated himself to building a career in martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early 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 has also trained extensively with accomplished Kickboxer and Muay Thai Fighter Chris Reilly. Before signing with the International Fight League's Portland Wolfpack, Matt Horwich earned a record of 15-6-1 fighting in small promotions. After joining the IFL, he faced Benji Radach in the IFL's World Grand Prix Finals to determine the first middleweight champion. Horwich defeated the Radach by knockout in the second round, becoming the IFL's first ever middleweight champion. ` Matt Horwich later signed with the UFC after the IFL shut down and made his debut at UFC 90. facing fellow former IFL middleweight champion Dan Miller. Despite a near second round finish for Horwich late in the second round, Miller controlled most of the first and third rounds and earned a unanimous decision. Horwich 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 his release, Horwich debuted with Bellator and Aggression MMA where he earned split-decision victory over Jason Lambert in his Aggression debut. This rematch took place in Alberta, Canada. 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 victory on August 14. On September 9, 2010, Horwich fought Bellator season two semifinalist Eric Schambari, losing via split decision. Horwich 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 faced UFC and WEC veteran Danillo Villefort, losing by unanimous decision after being controlled both on the feet and the floor for the majority of the fight. Horwich faced a rematch with Jake Rosholt at Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 on July 15, 2011, losing by unanimous decision. 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 aphorisms in conversation. His hobbies include playing guitar and writing music and poetry, mostly themed around his interest in quantum mechanics. In September 2022, Matt was featured in underground mini-comic issue #12 "MULTIVERSE" by Spencer Wile.

Mixed martial arts record