Bodog Beat

Matt Horwich will defend his IFL middleweight belt on Feb. 29. (MMAweekly.com Photo)

On Friday, Feb. 29 at IFL: New Blood, New Battles in Las Vegas, Nev, IFL Middleweight champion Matt "Suave" Horwich (21-9-1) will put his belt on the line for the first time since winning the title in December, when he beat Benji "Razor" Radach (17-4-0) by knockout.

Originally, "Suave" was scheduled to face Tim Kennedy (9-2-0) but when an injury forced Kennedy off the card, Iowa's Ryan McGivern (11-5-0) was selected as the late replacement.

McGivern beat Horwich by unanimous decision in December 2006. Facing him for a second time, Horwich isn't sure what to expect.

"It’s hard to say, because there are a lot of thinks that can happen, and that’s the exciting thing about our sport," he tells MMAweekly.com. "There’re so many different facets and so many different things that can happen out there."

"I don’t like going in thinking too much about one certain game plan," Horwich explains. "I like to have a flexible game plan. Every fight I want to continue to improve my stand-up, combos, correct reactions, slips, punches, firing back, takedowns, takedown defense, submissions, and guard passes – all aspects of our sport."

Both Horwich and McGivern are currently at -115 odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Offical Fight Card for IFL: New Blood, New Battles
Feb. 29 – Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.

• Matt Horwich (-115) vs. Ryan McGivern (-115)
• Ryan Shultz (-130) vs. John Gunderson (EVEN)
• Pat Healy (-115) vs. Jake Ellenberger (-115)
• Rafael Dias (-260) vs. Santino DeFranco (+200)
• Dennis Davis (-350) vs. Ian Loveland (+250)
• Leopoldo Serao (-135) vs. Josh Haynes (+105)
• Roy Nelson (-500) vs. Fabiano Scherner (+330)
• Alexandre Ferreira (-265) vs. Lew Polley (+205)

Bet on IFL in the Bodog Sportsbook.

All lines subject to change.