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.[1]
Before signing with the International Fight League'sPortland 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.[1]`
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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
Horwich defeated Jake Rosholt by technical knockout in the third round at Xtreme Fight Night – Rosholt vs. Horwich in November 2010.
Horwich fought Piotr Strus at KSW 25 on December 7, 2013. Though the fan favorite coming into the fight, Horwich lost by majority decision.[9]
Personal life
Matt Horwich was married the day after his first attempted defense of the IFL Middleweight Championship.[10] Horwich is often described as a hippie who frequently quotes Bible passages and personal aphorisms in conversation.[1] His hobbies include playing guitar and writing music and poetry, mostly themed around his interest in quantum mechanics.[10]
In September 2022, Matt was featured in underground mini-comic issue #12 "MULTIVERSE" by Spencer Wile.
^ abBarnwell, Bill (February 21, 2008). "Matt Horwich Interview". IGN.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2009.