Lindland to return dec. 4, opponent tba

killakem1 · 09-25-2010, 11:01 AM

- LINDLAND TO RETURN DEC. 4, OPPONENT TBA- MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

Quote:

Matt "The Law" Lindland isn’t one to wait around unnecessarily.

When his Oct. 9 Strikeforce bout with Luke Rockhold was cancelled due to Rockhold sustaining a shoulder injury, Lindland quickly jumped at an opportunity to be part of a soon to be announced event taking place later this year.

“I did a contract amendment to extend my contract a little longer so I’ll fight Dec. 4 in St. Louis,” Lindland told MMAWeekly.com. “I don’t know if they’ve solidified my opponent yet."

With Rockhold due to be shelved for the next several weeks, it doesn’t appear as if he will be facing Lindland in December.

“It sounds like Luke came up injured, so I’m sure we’ll get a chance to do that fight again down the road,” commented Lindland. “I think Strikeforce has moved on and they’re looking for a different opponent, that’s what it sounds like to me.”

For Lindland, not facing Rockhold in December is no big deal, as he looks to taking more well-known opposition.

“The hardcore fans definitely know who (Rockhold) is, but I don’t think the general public does,” stated Lindland. “Strikeforce has a lot of big names in the middleweight division, so I could fight one of those bigger name guys and probably do a little more for me, a little more intriguing fight.

“I know Luke’s tough and how good he is, and I was looking forward to competing against him, but I want to fight top level guys. I’m not saying Luke is not a top level guy, he’s very talented, but he’s just not a recognized name in the industry.”

Since Lindland last competed in Strikeforce this past May, the promotion has crowned a new middleweight champion in Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

When asked if he’d like another shot at Souza since losing to him last December, Lindland replied, “Jacare is definitely the top guy in the division and for a reason, nobody else wanted to fight him. If they want to give me another shot at him right away, I’d be honored and I’d take the fight.

“I’d approach it a little bit differently, because I certainly know how talented he is and what he’s capable of. There are definitely other name guys in the division, so at least I’d like to get another win or two and hopefully get an opportunity to rematch him for sure.”

Having suffered a temporary setback, Lindland is full-steam ahead towards a December return, and a return to the type of fights that will take him to the top of the middleweight division again.

“Keep your eyes peeled because I’m sure we’ll get announcement from Strikeforce and confirm everything as far as an opponent soon,” said Lindland. “I want to work with Strikeforce, so I signed an extension to stay with them longer and be with the organization.

“I’ll be in really, really great shape. I already started a really serious camp for the fight in October, so I’m just going to keep that training regimen going through to December. I’m going to come forward, put a lot of pressure on my opponent and make it the worst night of their life.”