On July 10th, 2010, "Da Protogé" DJ Linderman lit it up in the Rose Garden, putting in a superlative performance against Heavyweight Daniel Stewart and capturing the Sportfight Heavyweight crown after 5 hard fought rounds. The win is just the latest for this rising prospect who went 11-0-1 as an amateur and now is 8-1 as a professional, with notable victories over IFL vet Devin Cole, Bodog vet Mario Rinaldi, and Bellator fighter, Mike Hayes. NW Fightscene had an opportunity to speak with the new Sportfight Champion a few days after his victory...

NW Fightscene: Congrats on winning the Sportfight Heavyweight Title. Tell us a little bit about the fight for people that weren't there. 
DJ Linderman: The fight was great. My game plan was to come out and take this guy down and ground and pound him. After the first round I saw that I was going to have to change it up. I thought it was going to be a quick one. We came out and he wanted to take me down. I changed it to the standup game and I was winning the standup. It went three rounds, back and forth, round for round... Took it into the fourth round, I saw he was getting a little tired and beaten, and could see he was just flushed. I came out just banging him in the fourth round and he couldn't stop my standup at all. He had cuts from ear to ear. Clinchin' him up, he couldn't stop the clinch game with the knees coming. I was throwing head kicks and I'm not a guy who throws head kicks. I was throwing those and fifth round came. And he could not block. The ref was wanting him to fight back and he just couldn't fight back. Basically, he kept trying to avoid or take me down, [but] he couldn't do that. He just finished out the time getting punched.

NWFS: 5 rounds of heavyweight action, that's a long time for heavyweights to be punching and kicking. Did you go in thinking this would go the full five rounds?
Linderman: No, I was thinking the only way this fight is being finished is by KO. I even listed it on the FCFF forum like that. I was like, between me and this guy, only one person is leaving this awake. (Laughs)... I give him the respect any fighter should have. That guy's head is made of iron!

NWFS: You've fought some pretty tough guys in the past, so you've definitely been tested. What are your thoughts on your opponent Dan in this fight and his skills? 
Linderman: I think Daniel Stewart was my toughest opponent, but not my hardest opponent. His skill level with the standup wasn't the best that I've went against. His grappling, his ground, is great. He's the most durable fighter that I think I've went against, I give that to him.

NWFS: Tell us about your preparation for this fight and your fight camp.
Linderman: I had a nine week fight camp for this. A lot of cardio. In the last four months I've probably dropped forty pounds of walk around weight. In the last two weeks, I gained weight for the fight. I did a lot of running, at least 3 to 4 miles a day. Worked my hands extremely on the mitts. On a daily basis, I'd come in and do a 45 minute elliptical ride and a mile on the treadmill. I couldn't grapple much. I had a shoulder injury that kept me about 70 percent with the strength in my shoulder going into this fight.

NWFS: So you fought with an injury?
Linderman: Yeah, I did. I fought with an injury.

NWFS: What team are you with?
Linderman: I'm out of Yreka, California with Do Somethin' Athletics, Team Do Somethin'.

NWFS: So what do you see, now that you have the Sportfight Title, as next for you in the future?
Linderman: I'm looking at either Strikeforce or the UFC, whichever comes first. And Mark [Pavelich] from Maximum Fighting Championship offered me a 205 fight either with Wilson Gouveia or Thales Leites. My goal is to drop to 205.

NWFS: You feel that is where you are going to be at is 205?
Linderman: Yes. Within two months, I will be a 205'er and that's where my career will stay.

NWFS: Is there anybody you'd like to thank?
Linderman: I'd like to thank the guys up at Joe's Crab Shack in Vancouver, Washington. They sponsor me. My team Do Somethin' Athletics here in Yreka for all the hard training they put me through. And Tommy Davis, my head coach.

NW Fightscene thanks DJ for taking the time to speak with us. Fans wanting to hit him up online can do so at www.myspace.com/NorCal_Champ.

Matt Lindland with Sportfight Heavyweight Champ DJ Linderman