Inexperience doesn't stop Lindland from running for office

Matt Lindland is an Olympic silver-medalist, an accomplished pro athlete, the owner of a world class fight gym, and the promoter of a long-running fight promotion. But apparently that's not enough. Not for Lindland. He's trying his hand at a completely different endeavor, one he freely admits he has zero experience with.

Matt "The Law" Lindland is running for Oregon state representative. Believe it or not.

If you're having a hard time picturing the gruff, straight-speaking Lindland as a polished politician on the campaign trail, you aren't alone. He has a hard time with the image too.

Would you trust this man with your tax dollars? (IFL)

Ask him what experience he has as a legislator, and he'll tell you. None at all. He's never held a public office, never been in a political debate. But in this competition, inexperience may be something of a virtue, says Lindland.

"The system wasn't set up so that only politicians could serve. That's not how it's supposed to be. It was set up so that ordinary citizens could go down and represent their district. That's what I want to do."

Lindland's decision to run for the vacated 52nd District wasn't an automatic one. Like many small business owners in Oregon, Lindland felt the crunch of a struggling local economy that he felt was only being worsened by the state's political leadership.

"For years the solution from the Democrats in Salem has been to raise taxes," says Lindland. "That doesn't promote growth from businesses. It doesn't encourage businesses to bring jobs here. We should be seeing Oregon businesses expand and hire more people, but we aren't, and that's because of the burden placed on business owners."

But it wasn't until the last day of the filing deadline that Lindland finally decided to put his name on the ballot. To hear him tell it, the decision sprang less from a will to power than a sense of obligation. He threw his hat in the ring simply because there wasn't another Republican on the ballot.

"I think this state is headed in the wrong direction right now. Our economic policies, the restrictions on private land use, I think too much government intrusion in our lives is a bad thing."

One thing you can say for Lindland, he's never been the type to remain silent in the face of a perceived injustice.

Before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Lindland filed a lawsuit to ensure that his spot on the U.S. Wrestling team wasn't unfairly given away due to a scoring error. After entering the world of MMA, he created waves in the UFC when a title bout promised to Lindland was given instead to Rich Franklin without explanation.

Lindland would later be released from his UFC contract for wearing an unapproved sponsor logo to a weigh-in -- a move recognized by the sport's insiders as little more than a convenient excuse for getting rid of the man who refused to toe the company line.

While being so outspoken and eager to challenge authority might have made Lindland's athletic career more difficult than most, he believes the same attributes will make him an effective legislator.

So far he's off to a good start, going after the Democrat-controlled Statehouse for what he alleges was an unconstitutional second session used to undercut citizen initiatives.

More subtle than a double-leg takedown, perhaps, but still the absolute refusal to accept injustice that we've come to expect of Lindland.

While it's still too early in the election season to know where this new fight will lead for "The Law," he's every bit as serious about his campaign as he was in the ring. With fundraising events planned and a website up and running, Lindland seems poised to make a real go at a career in politics.

Now all he has to do is win what's sure to be a difficult fight. Fortunately, that's one area where he does have some experience.