Lindland to screen MMA film at East Side Cannery tonight

By Andy Samuelson

Friday, April 10, 2009 | 2:22 p.m.

Matt Lindland knows tonight he’s in the right town to truly get some actual feedback about the film based around his life in the fight game.

“I’m super excited because Vegas is a fight town with knowledgeable fans who love the sport,” said Lindland, a mixed martial artist who fittingly goes by the nickname “The Law” since the name of the film is "FIGHTING POLITICS.”

There will an 8:15 p.m. screening tonight of the documentary, which is part of the 2009 Las Vegas International Film Festival, at the East Side Cannery. Tickets are $7 and there will be a Q&A session afterwards with Lindland.

“If you don’t know a thing about cagefighting and you watch this film, you’ll totally understand how this sport works, where it came from, who’s involved and where it’s going,” said filmmaker David Vahey.

“The film really looks at the politics in the sport, and unfortunately Matt’s path in the sport hasn’t really been a smooth one.”

One of the documentary’s main storylines centers around Lindland’s controversial departure from the UFC in the summer of 2005 for allegedly wearing unapproved clothing.

While Lindland — who won a silver medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling — still believes there was no real reasoning behind him being kicked out of the UFC, said the common misconception about the film is that it is just an attack on the largest MMA organization in the world.

“It’s not a negative piece on the UFC, which I think a lot of people are expecting,” Lindland said. “It does a good job of telling the story of who I am and what a good job the UFC’s done of building their organization, and bringing some good exposure to the sport of MMA.

“It gives you kind of an insider’s look that maybe a lot of fans don’t understand about some of the lesser known things that go on in the UFC and MMA.”

While Lindland manages and trains several UFC fighters, he admits his relationship with UFC President Dana White is not a very personal one.

“We get along, but we don’t have that deep of a relationship that he has with other fighters,” Lindland said. “When you’re in the UFC, he’s the boss. You kind of got to end up doing what the boss says, or you won’t be in the UFC kind of like me.

“I think Dana will recognize the film for what it is. It shows just how powerful Dana White is in this industry.”