No one stopped 17-year-old Jerod Botts of Waverly from climbing into the cage for a mixed martial arts fight even though he was underage, didn’t have a parent’s permission and had never fought before. An experienced fighter beat him badly, leaving him with a broken nose, a cracked eye socket and vision damage.

When 20-year-old Zach Kirk of Shenandoah was paralyzed from the neck down in an amateur fight, the promoter who staged the event didn’t offer to pay medical expenses — and wasn’t required by law to do so.

The fist-pumping adrenaline rush and freewheeling style of combat draws young fighters despite the danger. The intoxicating swirl of bloody spectacle, thumping music and alcohol attracts crowds to bars and concert halls across Iowa.

Industry insiders, in interviews with The Des Moines Register, said they love the sport, but they believe certain practices in Iowa’s amateur fight scene lead to exploitation and injuries and need to be cleaned up.

Iowa is one of 15 states with no regulation of amateur mixed martial arts fights. Amateur fighting is illegal in six states. Other states have either regulation by state officials or oversight by a third-party sanctioning body.

A bill to change Iowa’s law has passed the Iowa Senate and is now before the Iowa House.

“There is a very dark side to some of these unregulated fights,” said Franklin DeToye, a mixed martial arts referee and trainer in the Quad Cities.

Some promoters let fighters into the ring even if they’re impaired by alcohol or drugs, don’t check IDs for birth dates, and pit lighter, rookie fighters against bigger, veteran foes. They don’t require blood tests, leaving fighters vulnerable to catch a disease if an opponent with HIV or hepatitis gets cut and blood flies.

Iowa has more amateur fighters in mixed martial arts than most states because of the state’s deep roots in wrestling, insiders said. Any Iowan can usually find a show at least once a week within 60 miles, they said.

Iowa doesn’t regulate mixed martial arts fights if the contestants aren’t paid. Iowa Labor Commissioner David Neil said some promoters pay fighters under the table — $100 to $1,500 per fight — to pretend they’re amateurs to avoid following government rules. Neil has championed the drive to regulate amateur fights.

Sen. William Dotzler, D-Waterloo, who led the bill to unanimous passage in the Senate a week ago, said: “The more we expose some of the underbelly of the amateur fighting world, the more disturbing it is. There are good promoters, and there are promoters who are exploiting our youth.”

The sport at its best showcases athletes skilled in boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, judo and other martial arts disciplines.

Adam Miller, a 25-year-old fighter from Cherokee, said the amateur circuit is a good way to test skills and stay fit. If fighters prove themselves, they can become professionals; even lesser-known fighters can earn $1,000 each bout, and the stars can earn hundreds of thousands in the Ultimate Fighting Championship or Strikeforce circuits.

Andrew Fichter, 21, an Iowa fighter who recently moved to New Mexico, said he was a quiet youth who never got in trouble. He got in the cage twice because “if I was ever in a situation where I needed to defend myself, I wanted to know if I was able to.”

The sport at its worst is “a bunch of thugs street brawling,” said Jason Neef, who owns an online mixed martial arts data service.

Anyone can put on an amateur fight in Iowa, set whatever rules and “take any kid who saw mixed martial arts on TV and wants to fight now,” said Neef, of Kansas City. “For the safety of the fighters, it’s a travesty.”

Referee says some care little for fighter safety

DeToye, the referee from Davenport, said he has seen fighters under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs who were in no condition to enter the ring. In two cases, he argued with promoters to stop the youths from fighting. Both times, he was overruled, so he refused to oversee the bout. The promoters called in other referees willing to ignore the safety risks, he said.

In one case, the intoxicated fighter was badly beaten.

“The fighter was carried to a back room and left on the floor unattended,” DeToye said. “I found him there and called an ambulance. He was unconscious and choking on his own vomit from what I believed to be a concussion or worse.”

In the other case, a young man with no mixed martial arts experience was matched against a professional fighter. When the rookie fighter’s arm broke just seconds into the bout, “the ref didn’t notice until I yelled,” DeToye said. “The crowd cheered as his arm dangled and flopped around.”

A promoter in Iowa can insist an amateur fight continue, even if it’s getting ugly.

DeToye said an amateur fighter was knocked unconscious twice in one night, then fought again in the next two weeks and was knocked out twice more. In professional bouts, fighters who are knocked out get a 30-day suspension to allow healing.

The lack of regulation in Iowa’s amateur scene also troubles Charles Craft, a promoter who operates on the eastern side of the state.

“I’d rather do fights in Illinois,” said Craft, owner of American Combat Sports in Fort Madison. “They know what right and wrong is.”

The Illinois State Boxing Commission doesn’t regulate amateur events, but promoters there can choose to sanction their events with the commission. Minnesota uses official state regulators, as does Nebraska, which has tougher regulations than what Iowa is considering.

Some promoters working in Iowa already take steps to protect fighters beyond what lawmakers propose; others do little to ensure fighter safety, insiders said.

For some promoters, “it’s all about action in the cage,” Craft said. “They want it as exciting, as brutal as possible, because that’s what the fans want. It’s bad in Iowa.”

Amateur, professional fights could be regulated similarly

Iowa promoters disagree on just how much regulation is needed.

The proposed bill, Senate File 2286, would let the state take a 5 percent cut of gate receipts to pay for regulation at amateur events. It would also require promoters to carry $25,000 in health insurance per amateur fighter and $20,000 in life insurance, the same as for professional fighters. Supporters of the legislation think promoters, who make money on tickets and videos, can afford it.

“They’re making a fortune on these kids,” Dotzler said. “If they’re charging $25 at the door, and you’ve got 400 people, that’s 10 grand.”

Craft thinks that the health insurance coverage should be no higher than $10,000 per fighter and that life insurance is unnecessary because deaths are so rare.

Other promoters, such as John Halverson of Midwest Cage Championship in Des Moines, don’t mind the insurance proposals, or the 5 percent cut.

“If that’s what it takes to make the sport better, then I really don’t see that as a hindrance,” he said.

Midwest Cage Championship stages shows a couple of times a month, with about four slots for amateurs and a dozen for professionals. Halverson said he has tapped the health insurance required for pro fighters just once, for a broken jaw.

Halverson sets rules to protect amateurs, such as a two-minute limit per round and a ban on any kicking.

Amateur fighters said it’s not uncommon to use drugs or alcohol to loosen inhibitions and ease nerves before a bout. Even though the law doesn’t call for it, Halverson requires fighters to pass an alcohol breath test.

“Let a kid fight after a couple drinks, he gets his arm or jaw broken, or worse he gets hit and goes into a coma,” Halverson said. “It’s just foolish to drink. Your perception would be thrown off.”

With regulation, Halverson said, “the 300-pound tough guy fighting the 150-pound guy that got dared into fighting by some of this buddies — those things aren’t going to happen.”

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Davis, who signed with UFC just last month, will be facing former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Brian Stann, who played football at the US Naval Academy.

A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler, Davis built a 116-20 collegiate career with the Nittany Lions. The 25-year-old Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native owns a 4-0 professional MMA record, having competed inside the Palace Fighting Championship, Ultimate Warrior Challenge and Ultimate Cage Fighting Challenge promotions. In Davis’ most recent MMA event in June, he submitted David Baggett with a rear-naked choke in 3:37.

To read the rest of the story…

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7334-College-Wrestling-Examiner~y2010m1d8-2009-NCAA-champ-Phil-Davis-to-make-UFC-debut-February-6

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It is often said that one of the best bases to have as a mixed martial artist is wresting. Wrestling, in all of its forms, is a sport that is all about leverage and control.

Many fighters who have come from a strong wrestling background have found great success. Just look across the MMA landscape today as it is littered with champion wrestlers making the transition to the sport.

The reason wrestlers have excelled in MMA is not due solely to wrestling itself. Wrestlers are successful because of the drive, determination, and work ethic that they bring with them.

If there is one man who epitomizes wrestling, drive, determination, and work ethic, it is Dan Gable.

After an undefeated prep wrestling career, the three-time Iowa state wrestling champion chose to attend Iowa State University. While at Iowa State, Gable continued his winning ways by capturing three Big Eight Championships, earning All-American honors all three years.

The only defeat that Gable suffered during his collegiate career came at the hands of Larry Owings. That loss came during the NCAA finals his senior year. That loss helped to fuel a fire inside Gable, a fire that would lead him to greatness.

While attending college and after his collegiate career Gable competed in Olympic freestyle wrestling. Gable was a six-time midlands champion and a three-time USA Freestyle National Champion. In 1971 Gable became World Champion, winning the 68kg division in Sofia, Bulgaria.

In 1972, when the Olympics invaded Munich, the goal was simple; bring home the gold. During these historic Olympics Gable would not only win the gold but he did so without surrendering a single point to his opposition.

In Gable’s final 21 Olympic qualification and Olympic matches, he scored 12 falls and outscored his nine other opponents, 130-1; the lone point being scored by Larry Owings.

It is not difficult to imagine that had MMA been an avenue available to the Olympic champion, it would have been something to consider. For many college wrestlers MMA has become the most suitable path to follow the dream of professional athletics.

Gable could have been a force inside the octagon, and would have likely competed at lightweight. The lightweight division has truly become a fan favorite, due to the incredible pace at which the athletes fight. Gable would have surely been at home in that atmosphere.

With an unstoppable shot and flawless transitions, Dan Gable would have ruled the lightweight land. The ability that he possessed to throw and control another human was unreal.

We will never know if Gable could learn to strike, or if he could even take a punch, but we do know that he could wrestle. With his caliber of wrestling, and his work ethic, he would have become a champion.

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By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Former University of Minnesota wrestling All-American Brock Lesnar, the current Ultimate Fighting Champion heavyweight title holder, took a swipe at President Obama in an interview and bragged that he is “built like a black man” as he credited God — and not steroids — for his physique.

Lesnar’s smorgasbord of comments came in an interview with Maxim that was published in May and posted Friday on Fightline.com, a website that covers mixed-martial arts, ultimate fighting and other forms of professional wrestling.

Lesnar was a two-time All-American and 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion for the Gophers. His post-college career took off when he became a star with the WWE for two years, a part of his life that he recalled with some regret.

“You live a double life,” the 285-pound Lesnar said. “I was tired of trying to be who I was in the ring and then coming home for two days to be normal. They didn’t allow you to be. The guys who get out are the smart ones, really and truly.”

Lesnar also took a swipe at President Obama when talking about having money for the first time in his life while in the WWE.

“I acted foolishly,” he said in the interview, noting the he owned four homes (one in western Hennepin County), a private plane, two Hummers and a Mercedes. Asked whether he has saved for retirement, he responded: “That’s private. But if Obama keeps spending our money like this, I’ll have to fight till I’m 50.”

Concerning steroids and his ability to stay ripped, Lesnar said.

“I bet you I’ve taken over 60 steroid tests. In college, I had 15 random drug tests in two years. I’ve taken drug tests for the NFL, the WWE, the UFC. I must be pretty good at masking steroids. God gave me this body: Are you jealous of it or what? Give me a break.

“I got the genetics of–not to get into racism or anything–but I’m built like a black man. Would you say so?”

One day before his 32nd birthday, Lesnar defends his UFC title vs. Frank Mir on July 11 in Las Vegas. Lesnar won the championship from Randy Couture last November.

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“Kid Yamamoto is a champion, and I respect him,” said the 32-year-old American from the winner’s circle, “but a lot of these champions have been on top for a long time, and it’s my job to crush them!”

Yamamoto, who had not fought since New Year’s Eve 2007, got a bye in the Featherweight GP’s first round. His return to action from knee surgery was the big story on tonight’s card – but Warren had his own ideas regarding the ending.

The tone for this one was set during the referee’s pre-fight instructions, when Yamamoto appeared ready to hug his opponent. Warren accepted a handshake, but swatted away Yamamoto’s second hand. This was a hard-fought bout that went the distance.

Warren started light on his feet, and Yamamoto sent him reeling with an early front kick. The American reset, and closed with uppercuts before getting the first of his throwdowns from the clinch. Repeatedly, Warren the wrestler closed for takedowns. Yamamoto, who has a pretty good ground game himself, elected to stand and strike here, and made a strategy of meeting his opponent’s advances with kicks, knees and the clinch. Warren accepted, going into the over-and-under clinch and trading knees with the Kid.

When he did get the fight to the mat Warren was mean – frequently guillotining and mashing Yamamoto’s face then standing to slam. By midway through the first Yamamoto was bleeding from the bridge of the nose, by the end of the bout more blood was flowing from a gash under his left eye.

Yamamoto too often waited for Warren to close then tied him up, and the Japanese fighter was shown a yellow for this. A solid right hook and right straight punch scored points for Yamamoto, but Warren was overall more intrepid; and had the better stuff on the mat, particularly when he managed side mounts to bring the knees in and hammer down punches.

Yamamoto was still very much in this going into the second, but again he let his opponent control the flow and pace. Yamamoto’s dandy right hook might have turned the tide, but Warren shook the blow off, smiled and continued pressing.

One judge did give it to Yamamoto, but the other two went with Warren.

“It’s a win, we’ll take it.” beamed Warren in his post-fight interview. “I’m honored to beat a champion like Kid Yamamoto. This was the Featherweight GP quarterfinal, so now we’ll put this win behind us and concentrate on coming back and winning those other belts.”

He continued, “I know my technique is not as solid as it should be, I need to learn how to stop some kicks, but I’m working hard, and the most dangerous thing is that I get better every single day.”

“It was a split decision,” sighed Yamamoto in his post-fight interview, “but he was on top of me a lot, so I admit I lost the fight. He’s a very good grappler, and I couldn’t punch him as much as I hoped. But I hadn’t fought for a long time, and I learned a lot tonight.”

Warren vs. Yamamoto was one of four elimination bouts in the 63kg/139lbs DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round – the marquee attraction at Tuesday’s event. The Yokohama Arena also hosted four “Super Hulk” David vs. Goliath battles; a Lightweight contest featuring Brazilian MMA star JZ Calvancante; and, in the Main Event, a DREAM Middleweight title match between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Also in the Featherweight tournament, Brazilian jiujitsu master Bibiano Fernandes took on Masakazu Imanari of Japan.

Fernandes, in a crouch, repeatedly went for the leg takedown here. And repeatedly, Imanari dropped to defend with bicycle kicks, which Fernandes grabbed and kicked at some, but was otherwise reluctant to pass. Plenty of tension, but an overall lack of engagement through the first until Fernandes ducked a flying knee and took a side mount with a minute remaining, putting in only a few off-target uppercuts and knees to end the first frame.

A similarly listless second – Fernandes got the win, but the fighters lost the room.

Happily for the crowd of 15,009, there were thrills galore when Japanese grappler Hideo Tokoro took on Abel Cullum, a 22-year-old American with a postmodern penchant for sideburns and cowboy hats.

Spirited sparring to start before a clumsy Cullum leg takedown attempt left the pair tied up in what can only be described as the pretzel position. Plenty of creative twisting and tumbling through an unorthodox first, Tokoro getting close to a triangle choke at one point, Cullum approaching a heel hook when they went north-south for a spell. Neither could finish but both had great chances, reversals and strikes.

Cullum started the second with a single leg takedown but Tokoro ended up with a good rear position that the fatigued Cullum could not break. With Cullum’s corner shouting for a sweep, Tokoro tightened his grip, and when his opponent attempted to stand, brought up the arms for a rear naked choke to force the tapout.

In the final Featherweight GP contests, Yoshiro Maeda of Japan tangoed with compatriot Hiroyuki Takaya.

Maeda took an early half mount here, but Takaya’s defenses were sound and soon the pair were standing and striking, both getting a few punches in on target. Maeda had better results with his second mount, passing with punches and knees. When the boys got back on their feet it was Maeda again with the superior stuff, and now Takaya was bleeding badly from above the eye. With the clock running out on the first Takaya was stuck in the corner and Maeda was pumping in knees – when in a flash everything changed.

Takaya dodged a blow, and, with Maeda going the other way, ducked out of the corner and to his feet. Maeda turned and followed with fists, but Takaya landed a devastating right cross on a counter. Maeda’s knees buckled and he went down in a heap. A revitalized Takaya leapt in to hammer at his unresponsive opponent, bringing the referee forward to stop the fight just 20 seconds before the bell.

With their victories tonight, Warren, Fernandes, Tokoro and Takaya advance to the September Featherweight GP semifinals.

There was plenty of action and excitement in DREAM’s helter-skelter Super Hulk tournament, as none of the four Openweight bouts made it out of the first round.

Bruiser Bob Sapp of the United States brought a whopping 56kg/123lbs weight advantage to the ring for his bout with Japanese pro-wrestler Ikuhisa Minowa. Everybody loves the underdog, and Minowa gave the partisan crowd plenty to love in this short-but-sweet performance.

Sapp charged to wrap around a headlock, and soon had muscled his opponent to the ground for a side then rear mount. However, Sapp could not sustain pressure, and after absorbing a few punches to the side of the head the crafty Minowa made his move, reversing to top position and working an Achilles lock to force the tapout at just 75 seconds.

“I’ve fought the big guys before,” said Minowa afterward. “And I learned that I shouldn’t stay in the ring with them too long – one good strike from them could be very dangerous. So I really wanted to finish the fight early, to avoid that.”

Also wildly heterogeneous were Korean titan Hong-Man Choi and six-time Major League Baseball All Star Jose Canseco, 45. These two faced off in a match that had garnered plenty of media interest stateside.

Alas, Canseco just didn’t have it in him. The Cuban landed a promising right cross during his early hit-and-run strategy, then threw a couple of kicks before pointing to his right knee and wincing. Now Choi caught up with his limping opponent, tossing him to the ground then leaping atop to rain down the punches. The referee had no choice but to step in and call it for Choi. This one went 77 seconds.

Another pair of strikingly dissimilar athletes were K-1 veteran Jan “The Giant” Nortje and Cameroon judoka Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, who fought in the third Super Hulk contest.

Nortje missed with a low kick before the aggressive Sokoudjou closed with a bear hug, looking for the takedown. Nortje however stayed on his feet. Sokoudjou made good with low kicks before taking another bear hug and twisting a takedown to side mount. Nortje’s defense was wanting, as Sokoudjou pounded in enough fists to get the referee to stop it. Sokoudjou however didn’t immediately heed the call to cease, and this did not go over well with K-1 veteran Ray Sefo and the rest of Nortje’s corner. A bit of shoving and shouting between the two teams at the end of this one, and a yellow card to Sokoudjou.

“Nortje was too big, so it was too difficult for me to reach him,” said Sokoudjou in his post-bout interview. “My tactics were to clinch, take down, and strike. I was a little emotional at the end. I never intended to keep punching after the referee signaled a stop, so I want to apologize to my opponent.”

With a mere 31kg/68lbs weight differential and 8cm/3″ of height going the other way, boxers Mark Hunt of New Zealand and Gegard Mousasi of Holland represented – on the Super Hulk card anyway – relatively similar physical specimens.

Mousasi came in quickly with a single leg takedown and took side mount, but Hunt defended well against the punches. Mousasi however soon seized the opportunity to extract Hunt’s left arm and hyperextend for the submission and victory.

Tonight’s four Super Hulk winners – Minowa, Choi, Sokoudjou and Mousasi – advance to the tournament semifinals in September, with the two men victorious there going head-to-head at “Dynamite!” on New Year’s Eve.

Topping off tonight’s card, the Main Event was a title fight. When Mousasi moved up a weight class he had to leave his Dream Middleweight belt behind. Here, Brazilian Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and American barbarian Jason “Mayhem” Miller fought for the right to claim it. This was a rematch between the pair, Jacare won by decision last June.

The two traded hard strikes from the opening bell, Jacare finding his distance and making good with a straight punch combination before a throw left Jacare down in the corner. In a flash, Miller fired in a kick, opening a nasty gash over the Brazilian’s forehead. The foul prompted a time stoppage, doctor check and a yellow card for Miller. Jacare was cleared to continue, and after resumption got a quick takedown. With Jacare pressing hard for a mount, it quickly became clear he was also flooding Miller’s chest with blood. Another stop and this time the ringside doctor decided the cut was too serious and Jacare could not continue. It was announced that under Dream rules the fight would be ruled a “no contest.”

Afterward, Jacare told the media he thought he’d been on the road to victory in the fight, because his punches were landing. Informed of the quip, Miller just laughed. “I’m very disappointed,” he said, “I wanted to give the Dream fans a great show and I think I did, but the wrong way – baka dakara! (I must be stupid!)”

And finally, a highly anticipated Superfight in the Lightweight class saw wrestler Tatsuya Kawajiri of Japan take on popular Brazilian grappler Gesias “JZ” Calvancante.

Kawajiri did a fine job of controlling here. The bout started with Calvancante in a boxing stance, fists far forward, tagging Kawajiri with the one-two before grabbing a kick and firing in a hard left. They then went to the ground, Calvancante locking the head and wrapping the legs, but doing little else to threaten. Some sparring after a re-stand before Calvancante failed with a leg takedown and Kawajiri hooked up the Brazilian and pumped the knee. Kawajiri landed a nice left before they tumbled down and locked up on the mat. No apparent damage to either fighter at the bell to end the first.

The fight went to the mat early in the second, Kawajiri again on top and Calvancante locking him up to stay out of trouble. Back on their feet it was Kawajiri with the better strikes, pounding a right onto his opponent’s chin. Midway through the second, the Japanese fighter landed more tight punches from a side mount. Now Calvancante looked tired, and Kawajiri’s superior stamina allowed his to ride out the round to a well-deserved unanimous decision.

All fights were fought under official Dream rules, with a 10-minute first round and a five-minute second round.

The Olympia DREAM.9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 2nd Round attracted 15,009 to the Yokohama Arena. It was broadcast live in Japan on TBS and SkyPerfect; and in the United States on HDNet.

Press Release by Monty DiPietro (Photo courtesy of Dream)

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Johnstown’s Carlton Haselrig’s first mixed martial arts cage fight in his hometown started the same way countless others have: With a takedown by the former six-time national NCAA wrestling champion.

But Haselrig’s debut in the Cambria County War Memorial Arena got a little more interesting when opponent Chris Larkin managed a vicious headlock and the two grappled intensely until Hasselrig freed his head and took control.

Unlike NCAA rules, punching is allowed in mixed martial arts. The hometown crowd erupted as Haselrig pushed the more-experienced fighter against the cage fence and opened what he later called “a barrage of punches” on Larkin’s head, face and body.

It didn’t take long for the referee to see Larkin had enough.

He stopped the fight at 3:18 in the first round, upping Haselrig’s professional record to 3-1. Larkin drops to 6-6-1.

After the fight, Haselrig took time to greet fans and pose for pictures with former coaches at Pitt-Johnstown, where he earned six national wrestling championships before going on to a pro football career as a lineman for the Steelers.

Home cooking was the icing on his latest victory, Haselrig said.

“As you can see right here,” Haselrig said, extending his arm to the crowd of well-wishers, “you can’t beat this. It’s about love.”

The fight was a learning experience, Haselrig said.

“I had the takedown,” he said. “But he got me in the guillotine position. That was my fault, I let my head down. We’ll work on that in the gym.”

Hasselrig’s fight capped the Iron Will Fighting Championship 11-bout card, which was the first sanctioned mixed martial arts event in western Pennsylvania.

The War Memorial crowd was treated to just about everything the fast-growing sport has to offer.

The night started with another local favorite taking a hard-fought victory in the amateur division.

“South Fork; South Fork” Josh Killinger’s cheering section chanted as he was declared unanimous winner over Kevin Myers, 29-28, 29-28 and

30-27.

Killinger’s fight was primarily boxing and kicking, while others involved more grappling.

Several ended with the loser “submitting” – often with head locked in a choke hold.

In the amateurs, Matt Zupon beat Jon Seiber and Tim Landis outlasted Marc Farabaugh, both winning by submission.

Hollidaysburg’s Charlie Brenneman moved to 8-1 as a pro, beating Chris Thomas with a second-round referee stoppage in the other main event.

Rounding out the professional fights, Joe Demore won by referee stoppage over Brad Pole; Louis Armezzani beat Curtis Hall by submission; Noe Quintanilla received a unanimous judges’ decision over Jason Trzewieczynski; Ryan Lopez choked Joe Lewis to win by submission; Evan Delong defeated Corey Mahon by submission; and Mitch Whitesel won by referee stoppage over Marcus Ajian.

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Despite all the hype, all the questions, all the concerns of safety and regulations heading into the professional MMA debut of congenital amputee Kyle Maynard, the final product failed to answer many questions other than, “What happens if Maynard can’t take his opponent down?”

The inspirational former high school wrestler and ESPY award winner for Best Athlete with a Disability may be forced to recognize his limitations in MMA following a unanimous-decision loss in the main event of Saturday’s Auburn Fight Night in Auburn, Ala.

The card was held at the Auburn Covered Arena and was broadcast live on an internet pay-per-view broadcast.

Described by event commentators as having a “tin roof, barn next to us, a little hay and no poop on the floor,” the venue had a dirt floor, a square cage and a hammer and a metal pipe serving as the official bell.

But when congenital amputee Kyle Maynard made his way to the cage, the focus went from the shortcomings of the facility to the challenges of the main event fighter.

Although not part of the original plan, Maynard did not wear gloves to the cage. Commentators blamed humidity as a potential culprit, citing a difficulty in securing the gloves to Maynard’s appendages. As such, Maynard was left unable to throw strikes with his genetically shortened arms.

Maynard was carried in on the back of his cornerman to a loud ovation from the gathered crowd, but it was the last positive moment for the Georgia resident.

While the crowd in attendance was obviously disappointed at the course of action, Maynard’s opponent, Bryan Fry, stuck to an effective gameplan. Refusing to go to the floor with Maynard, Fry played matador to his opponent’s charging bull – backing away from Maynard’s repeated takedown rushes while peppering his face with jabs.

Maynard’s face showed obvious frustration at the end of the opening round, and Fry refused to back down from the strategy.

Maynard frantically picked up the pace in spots, but he simply could not close the distance on his opponent and work the fight to the mat. Maynard’s inability to strike had little impact on the outcome, and the debuting fighter dropped a unanimous decision.

The two combatants hugged briefly following the announcement, and Fry – understandably competing in a no-win situation – offered a show of support before exiting the cage to a chorus of boos.

Maynard, who will certainly need to go back to the drawing board should he choose to continue an unsanctioned MMA career, held on to his trademark class when addressing the crowd following the contest.

“Thank you guys for coming out and supporting this,” Maynard said. “This was one of my biggest dreams, and I fell short tonight.”

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Herbert plans to compete April 11 in Las Vegas at freestyle nationals, a qualifier for the world team trials May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The freestyle world championships will be held in September in Denmark.

“My immediate goal is to go win nationals and win the world team trials. If you’re not training to win a tournament, why even enter it?” Herbert said after a workout in Naperville, Ill., at the Overtime School of Wrestling, where he is now a staff member.

As a Northwestern junior, Herbert won the 2007 NCAA championship at 184 pounds, going 32-0. He took a year off from college wrestling in 2008 in an unsuccessful try to make the Olympics.

In his return to college wrestling, Herbert recently completed a 34-0 season and won another NCAA title at 184. He did not allow a takedown all season.

Now he is making the fulltime transition to international freestyle wrestling with rules and scoring different from collegiate style.

Herbert hopes to make that transition just as Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson did after winning his third Hodge Trophy in 2002.

“He did it all,” said Herbert. “He was a four-time, undefeated national champion and then won Olympic gold (in 2004).”

Sanderson went 159-0 at Iowa State. Herbert wasn’t perfect, but he finished his college career with a 149-4 record, winning his final 66 matches in a row.

These days, top collegians have the option of trying the mixed martial arts with the potential for big pay days.

“I got a coupe of offers. People are calling and taking about that, but I want to focus on the Olympics,” said Herbert.

He has done some mixed martial arts training.

“It’s a great workout, they get you doing that ju-jitsu and stuff like that. I’ve been picking up things here and there for possibly down the road. You never know what you’re going to do,” he said.

“But if somebody comes up to me and they’re hey like fight this other guy for like 50 grand, I’m not going to fight somebody for 10 minutes for 50 grand. I’m a wrestler. “Heaven forbid if I were to dislocate an arm or leg or do something like that and I couldn’t wrestle in the Olympics or the world team trials.”

The Hodge Trophy is sometimes described as the Heisman Trophy of college wrestling, but there is a distinction.

“Right now, if I was a football player, and I just won the Heisman, I’d know I’d be getting a multi-million dollar contract for doing what I do,” said Herbert.

“Wrestling is not like that. It’s a lot more of a lifestyle and hard work than any other sport can possibly dream of, and that’s what makes it great. … I’ve just got to make the hard work pay off, and it will be even more worth it.”

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Marcus LeVesseur

Following his college career, LeVesseur, a four-time Minnesota state champion, jumped into mixed martial arts (MMA). He is now one of the rising stars in the sport. On Friday night, LeVesseur will be featured on an MMA/boxing fight card put on by Seconds Out Promotions called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre at Epic in Minneapolis. For information on the event or to purchase tickets, click HERE.

RevWrestling.com recently talked to LeVesseur about his record-setting college wrestling career, his MMA career, whether he plans to ever wrestle again, and much more.

While you were at Augsburg, you went undefeated (155-0) and won four NCAA titles. When you reflect on that amazing accomplishment, how much does it mean to you?

LeVesseur: It means the world to me that I was able to accomplish my goal of being the second wrestler ever to go undefeated in college and win four NCAA titles. After I won my title my sophomore year, I was just amazed. I thought, ‘Hey, I could really make this happen.’ It helps me out in life now. It makes me think, ‘What else great can I accomplish? Or what else do I have the passion to accomplish?’

Coming out of high school, you were one of the top recruits in the country. You spent your first year at the University of Minnesota. What was that experience like for you?

LeVesseur: That experience was awesome. Minnesota won the national title that season. I think the most important thing I took from that program was how intense they train. I really got used to their workout regiments. From being in the wrestling room at one of the top Division I wrestling programs in the country, I kind of knew how to train like a champion, which I’ve always done, but I just really took that philosophy my whole entire career. Wear your opponents down and force them to make mistakes. That’s the Gophers motto nowadays. I just bought into it. Even though I transferred, I took that philosophy with me.

The University of Minnesota had a wrestling room full of very talented wrestlers at the time, especially around your weight. Jared Lawrence won the NCAA title that season at 149 pounds and Luke Becker won the NCAA title at 157 pounds. What was it like working out with Lawrence and Becker?

Marcus LeVesseur became the first Division III wrestler ever to win four NCAA titles and finish his career undefeated (Photo/The Guillotine)

LeVesseur: It was awesome. I worked out with Luke Becker a few more times than I worked out with Jared Lawrence in the practice room. Those guys are phenoms. It was their fourth year in college. They really accepted me. And I’m really appreciative of that. It was a learning experience. After being highly recruited out of high school, you’re kind of on cloud nine. And then after practicing in college, you’re like, ‘Man, OK, I had no takedowns today in practice. I almost got some, but Becker is so dang strong.’ I think a lot of people go through that phase coming into a Division I program, especially a program like the U. Those guys are tough and they taught me a lot. As you’re wrestling, some of the guys would just allow things to happen to them … whereas me and a couple guys would always fight through it and be stubborn to the situation. I think a lot of times that pushed the guys that had been there to really exceed their capabilities … and kind of put us back in our place. That was going on a lot and it was awesome.

What caused you to make the decision to transfer to Augsburg?

LeVesseur: One main thing was that I wasn’t happy with everything that was going on at the U and in the wrestling program. And there were a few other key things, like family issues and problems, and then personal and social life problems. Those things just kind of attacked at one time. I just thought, ‘OK, what’s the best case scenario? And what’s the next best scenario?’ I spent a lot of time thinking about it. It really didn’t help too much that my roommate, Cory Cooperman, was in the same position. Obviously, since we were roommates, we talked about whether we should transfer or stay and fight through it. The best choice for me was to cut ties and focus on school. That was my biggest focus my first month and a half there. I was doing superb in the classroom. I was pretty much getting a 4.0. About a month and a half into it, it became a little more challenging. There were a few more parties to attend. School slipped a little bit. So I’m like, ‘Hey, I need to get this in check … because obviously I want to graduate.’ And then I thought, ‘What about transferring across the river to Augsburg?’ Within the rules, I talked to (Jeff) Swenson. He was like, ‘Our door is open if that is what you want to pursue.’ So it just happened that I ended up wrestling for the Augsburg Auggies.

How is your relationship with Jeff Swenson?

Jeff Swenson

LeVesseur: I value our friendship more than just about anything nowadays. I just think about the life lessons we talked about … and how he has sort of sculpted me into being the man I am … and helped me develop some of my characteristics. Maybe in the public’s eye it might not have appeared this way, but I looked at Swenson as like a second father. He really opened up his heart and his arms and was willing to help me with some of the things I was having issues with. But then he was also the coach and helped me get better. He always challenged me to be a better wrestler, a better student, and a better man. And he succeeded in that. We still keep in contact nowadays. He’s a great guy.

I’m sure you heard the critics when you were in college. There were people who said someone with your talent had no business competing in Division III and should have been competing in Division I. Some people even went as far as to stay that if you broke Cael Sanderson’s consecutive wins streak of 159, they wouldn’t recognize it because you accomplished it in Division III and not in Division I. When you would hear criticism like that, did it bother you?

LeVesseur: No, it didn’t bother me. But you would hear it all the time if you went on TheGuillotine.com or TheMat.com. You would see some of the posts. A lot of times, that was my challenge. It motivated me. I was like, OK, we all have our opinions. If saying that is what you feel, I didn’t mind that at all. I just used that as a little bit of fuel for the fire.

Because of what you accomplished in Division III, there were people who wondered how you might have fared against Division I competition. At the time, did you ever think about how you might do against Division I competition?

Marcus LeVesseur won his first three NCAA Division III titles at 157 pounds before moving up to 165 pounds for his senior season at Augsburg (Photo/The Guillotine)

LeVesseur: I always thought about it. A lot of the guys that were at the top of the ranks were the guys I was wrestling with all the way up from middle school and high school. I kind of compared myself to them. There was one tournament that I wrestled in (University Freestyle Nationals) where I wrestled several NCAA Division I qualifiers at 165 and 174. I saw some competition there. Admittedly, probably not the toughest competition, but I wrestled some tough guys. I never let that get to me or bother me. I was just like, ‘Hey, at some point, I will be wrestling some of these top guys … and that’s in the future. When that time comes, then we’ll have something to talk about.’

Did you ever consider wrestling in the Midlands?

LeVesseur: I for sure wanted to wrestle in the Midlands. There was always a conflict with Augsburg’s schedule. Of course, I would have liked to have wrestled in the Midlands.

When you were in high school, you defeated Olympian Ben Askren handily, 13-4, in the finals of the Bi-State Tournament in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Were you surprised by how successful Askren became after high school?

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Askren (1-0), a former University of Missouri wrestler, scored a first-round TKO of Josh Flowers (0-3) at the Holiday Inn Expo Center in Columbia, Mo., at the debut Headhunters Fight League event.

Askren, the head wrestling instructor at American Top Team of Missouri, scored an early takedown and forced an 84-second stoppage after a subsequent ground-and-pound assault.

Askren, a four-time All-American, finished his collegiate wrestling career with a stellar 153-8 record with 91 pins. He went undefeated his junior and senior years with an 87-0 record.

Prior to competing in this year’s Beijing Olympics, where he was knocked out of medal contention by eventual bronze medalist Cuba’s Ivan Fundora, Askren announced his intentions of going pro in MMA.

As he recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Askren knows his past accomplishments don’t necessarily mean success in MMA.

“The thing in MMA is there’s such a large skill set,” Askren said. “I wrestled 17 years fulltime, so I picked up a lot of skills, some I can use still. I know how to get in shape. I know some good ways to work out.

“I know everyone in the room is going to be tough, and nothing’s going to be easy (in MMA). There are no easy days, but it’s like wrestling. You have to depend on yourself. The stronger man, the better man will win.”

Also staking claim to a win at the event was former UFC fighter and “The Ultimate Fighter 4″ cast member Din Thomas (23-8).

Thomas, who dropped from lightweight to featherweight for the fight, stopped Dustin Peiter (1-1) in the first round of the night’s main event.

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170 Lbs Ben Askren Vs Josh Flowers

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Henry Cejudo, the only American to capture a gold medal in wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, recently negotiated with Japanese promoters for a match on that country’s biggest event of the year, the annual New Year’s Eve event on network television that has become almost a cultural institution.

Promoters wanted to throw Cejudo, 21, into the deep end, as they wanted him to face Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Japan’s most popular MMA fighter. The match would have a storyline where Yamamoto would be fighting for national pride, since Cejudo defeated a fellow Japanese wrestler, Tomohiro Matsunaga, in the gold medal match in the 121-pound weight class.

However, Yamamoto, coming off knee surgery, at this point doesn’t look like he’ll be ready.

Rick Bassman, who represents Cejudo, said talks are still ongoing but with Yamamoto out, it makes it less likely Cejudo would be brought in to debut on such a high profile show.

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State College, Pa — LionHeart announces the West Coast MMA debut of 2008 NCAA Wrestling Champion Phil Davis. Davis will face Josh Green at The Palace Fighting Championship in Lemoore, Ca. on Jan 22, 2009.

Richard Goodman of PFC said he picked Davis for the card because he stood out not only as a fighter but as a person. “We’re excited to have Phil out here at The Palace. It’s the place to be if you want to make a name for yourself. We have a great organization with fighters who have worked their way into the UFC and Phil’s the best of the best when it comes to wrestling. We’re looking forward to working with him as he makes his transition into MMA.”

LionHeart Founder Chad Dubin believes the show will be an important step forward for Davis. “A lot of people back East know what’s going on with Phil but it’s important for him to get out West and be seen by the MMA community out there. Palace Fighting Championship has proven to be a great stepping stone for fighters looking to move to the next level and we’re excited about the opportunity for Phil to fight out there.”

Davis will enter the fight 1-0 as a professional. He won the NCAA Wrestling Championships at 197 lbs. in March of this year.

In other LionHeart news Paul Bradley’s fight against Raphael Sapo in Washington D.C. at Battle at the Nation’s Capital has been cancelled due to an injury of Sapo. The fight will be rescheduled at a later date.

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On what will unquestionably be remembered as one of mixed martial arts’ saddest days, former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner – beloved by fans for his fighting ability and by friends for his free spirit – has passed away at the age of 37.

Tanner, on a camping trip in the Palo Verde mountain area, was found by an Imperial County Sheriff’s Department Deputy on Monday. The cause of death is not known at this time. He had not answered friends’ text messages since last Wednesday, and was officially reported missing on Friday.

On his personal Spike TV web blog, Tanner discussed the trip and how a failure of equipment could be fatal, but in a subsequent blog, he downplayed such fears, writing, “It seems some MMA websites have reported on the story, posting up that I might die out in the desert, or that it might be my greatest opponent yet, etc. Come on guys. It’s really common down in southern California to go out to the off road recreation areas in the desert about an hour away from LA and San Diego. So my plan is to go out to the desert, do some camping, ride the motorcycle, and shoot some guns. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. A lot of people do it. This isn’t a version of “Into the Wild”. I’m not going out into the desert with a pair of shorts and a bowie knife, to try to live off the land. I’m going fully geared up, and I’m planning on having some fun.”

His agent, John Hayner, says that Tanner was excited about the trip and in a good place physically and mentally before his untimely death.

“He was in a good state of mind the last time we spoke,” said Hayner. “Everyone that was around him, and even at the gym he was training at, also said he was in a great state of mind. Living in Oceanside (California), he really liked being on the beach. His house was across from the water, he was in beautiful surroundings.”

If one thing was ever clear about Tanner, it was that he loved life, the outdoors, and adventure.

“He was always planning on going on some sort of adventure,” said Hayner. “And he never needed the finer things or made a fuss about them. He just needed enough for gas, shelter, and training.”

A native of Amarillo, Texas, Tanner worked various jobs as a bouncer, a cable TV contractor, a framer building beach houses, a dishwasher, a baker, a ditch digger, and a slaughterhouse worker before stumbling on to mixed martial arts in 1997.

Over the next 11 years, fighting would be a major part of his life, to the tune of 42 professional bouts, but as he said earlier this year before what would be his final bout against Kendall Grove, he never considered himself a fighter.

“I always thought of myself as the poet, the writer, or the philosopher – I never thought of myself as a fighter,” he chuckled. “But here I am. I always had an idea of the flow of my life, but not exactly what I would be doing day to day. And fighting definitely wasn’t something I thought I’d be doing.”

But he was good at it – very good in fact. Over the course of his career, Tanner (34-8) scored wins over Paul Buentello, Heath Herring, Ikuhisa Minowa, Justin McCully, Elvis Sinosic, Phil Baroni (twice), and Robbie Lawler. His biggest win, however, came at UFC 51 on February 5, 2005, when he stopped David Terrell in the first round to win the UFC middleweight championship.

Tanner would lose the belt to Rich Franklin in his first defense four months later, but the fans never abandoned him, and he returned that admiration, both in person and through his internet blogs.

“I wanted to give something back to the fans and let them know that I’m just a regular guy,” said Tanner in early 2008. “Some of the guys forget that and get caught up in the lights, and I never want to forget that and that I’m one of the lucky ones that got a chance to get out there and do this. There are a lot of great athletes out there, a lot of great fighters that never got the chance. I’m one of the lucky ones that did, so writing the blog and telling life as it is helps me stay grounded and it gives me a way to connect with the fans and give them something back.”

His blogs were more than just fight talk and product advertisements though. Tanner spoke frankly about life and his struggles in and out of the Octagon. And when
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he made his return to the UFC in 2008 after almost two years away, it was a triumph of the human spirit and an inspiration, regardless of whose hand was raised at the end of the fight.

“My thought was that I’m in a position where I’ve done some things and some people look up to me a little bit and maybe something in my story can help inspire them or motivate them to get through some things or do something better,” said Tanner before his return against Yushin Okami at UFC 82 in March. “If that’s the case and it helps anybody else out, then it’s worth me facing the embarrassment.”

He fell short in his final two bouts against Okami and Grove, but there was no keeping him down, and his off-time after the Grove bout was filled with more of his adventures, as well as participation in Harley-Davidson’s 105th anniversary celebration.

Sadly, there will be no more adventures, only memories of Evan Tanner.

“Evan was such a unique individual, and he was okay being an individual,” said Hayner. “He was okay with taking the path less traveled, and he often chose that harder path.”

It was simply who he was. Just read the words he spoke to me before I wished him luck for his fight against Grove in June.

“Everything’s been about the journey,” he said. “I never really set out with goals for fighting; it’s been about the adventure along the way. When you’re on your death bed, it’s those stories, those little adventures that are going to be the things that you remember. It’s not so much getting there, but how you got there.”

And he did it his way.

Leave it to me as I find a way to be
Consider me a satellite, forever orbiting
I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me
Guaranteed
—Eddie Vedder, “Guaranteed”. The song playing on Evan Tanner’s myspace page.

Rest in Peace, Evan.

From: UFC Site

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Head assistant wrestling coach Marty Morgan resigned from his position at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon after 16 years with the program. Morgan will go on to train former Gopher All-American wrestler Brock Lesnar, a popular Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) competitor, on a full-time basis.

“I’m going to step back for a year to help Brock [Lesnar] train and I’ll see where I’m at next summer. I’ve been working with Brock [Lesnar] the past few years on his training and now I’ve been offered a unique opportunity to work with him full time.” Morgan said. “This has definitely been a difficult decision, considering that I have been involved with the program for 20 years as an athlete and coach. I am happy to have a great relationship with the University of Minnesota administration, J Robinson, the wrestling staff, past and current team members, and numerous fans around this great wrestling state.”

A native of Bloomington, Minn., Morgan began his collegiate wrestling career at North Dakota State where he won a Division II national championship as a true freshman before transferring to Minnesota. Morgan was a three-time All-American for the Gophers and won a national title at 177 pounds as a senior in 1991. With a 39-0 record during his senior season, Morgan became the first wrestler in school history to finish with an unblemished record and is one of just three wrestlers in Minnesota history to accomplish that feat. He capped off his career with the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is awarded to a Big Ten student-athlete who demonstrates excellence in academics and athletics.

Morgan was the top assistant under head coach J Robinson for 13 of his 16 seasons with the program. During his time at Minnesota, Morgan helped secure Minnesota Wrestling’s status as one of the most storied and successful programs in the nation. Under Morgan’s watch, the Gophers attracted some of the nation’s most sought-after recruits on a regular basis and won national titles in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2006-07. The Gophers have also captured six Big Ten Conference championships under Morgan’s tutelage.

“Marty has been around Minnesota Wrestling for 20 years, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to step away for a year and to see what else is out there,” head coach J Robinson said. “I think it’s important for people to see different opportunities that life has to offer from a different perspective and a year away from the program can provide that perspective for Marty. He will be obviously missed this year with the way we do things, but we look forward to working with him in the future.”

The Gopher wrestling program, which boasts one of the nation’s highest-rated recruiting classes again this year, begins its 2008-09 season with the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. on Nov. 15. Minnesota’s first home wrestling event comes when the Gophers host fellow perennial national power Oklahoma State in a New Year’s Day dual at the Sports Pavilion.

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LionHeat owner, Chad Dubin, who signed NCAA Wrestling Champion Phil Davis earlier this month, believes Bradley will bring an important level of national recognition to his new team. “Signing a fighter with Paul’s reputation and experience is a big step forward for us. With the national exposure of an Elite XC contract, there were plenty of other opportunities available to him. The fact that Paul chose to sign with LionHeart means we must be doing something right.”

Bradley is an Iowa State High School Wrestling Champion and a two-time All-American wrestler at The University of Iowa. “I’m really excited about signing with Lionheart and I am looking forward to representing them in the octagon. This is a great place for me to further my career as a fighter and I really appreciate the opportunity Chad has given me.”

Also signing with LionHeart this week is Lou Armezzani from Scranton, Pa. Armezzani joins LionHeart with a 2-0 record as an amateur and plans to transition into the professional ranks within the year.

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Before an estimated crowd of 2,500 at the Sears Center Arena, the two local fighters, backed by raucous partisans, traded shots before Russow took Guida to the mat with a single-leg takedown. Guida immediately made his way back to his feet but was quickly taken back to the mat. His next attempt to rise off the mat led to the fight-ending submission.

As Guida posted, Russow locked up a guillotine choke and began to squeeze, forcing Guida to tap out.

In other fights, Terry Martin  landed right hand after right hand in his bout with Daiju Takase . Unfortunately for Martin, Takase landed kick after kick to his groin. Midway through the second frame, referee Rob Hinds had seen enough and called the bout after Takase landed his third kick to Martin’s groin. The stoppage came at 3:35 of the second round.

After being floored with a left hook, Forrest Petz  seemed to be within seconds of having his bout with fellow UFC veteran Brian Gassaway  stopped in the first round. However, utilizing his experience, Petz was able to shimmy and grapple to the end of the round. That perseverance paid off as Petz found himself on the winning end of a unanimous decision after taking the final two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards. Sherdog.com scored the bout 29-28 for Gassaway, giving him the first and second periods.

IFL veteran Bart Palaszewski  looked as if he might be on his way to a fourth-straight defeat when Jeff Cox  buckled him with a right cross. But Jeff Curran ’s pupil survived the early knockdown to reach the second round. In the second, Palaszewski finished a combination with a right-round kick to the head and left Cox prone on the mat. Referee Herb Dean  called a halt to the bout at 3:07 of the second frame.

With an almost 20-pound weight advantage, former IFL standout Rory Markham  had an easy time with Jay Ellis . After dodging Ellis’ aerial attack to start the fight, Markham took control on the ground, locking up a weak triangle choke that forced the tap nonetheless at 1:57 of the opening round.

In other action:

Clay French  def. Jameel Massouh  by submission (rear-naked choke) 3:18 R2
Joe Jordan  def. Ryan Williams  by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mike Stumpf  def. Dom O’Grady by TKO (referee stoppage) 3:52 R2
Tom Belt  def. Marcus Levesseur by TKO (referee stoppage) 4:10 R1
Herc Hayes def. Kerry Schall  by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Aaron Rosa  def. Ron Fields  by TKO (referee stoppage) :34 R2
Hector Urbina  def. Dave Kleczkowski by TKO (referee stoppage) 1:19 R2
Louis Taylor  def. Adam Maciejewski  by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Joe Pearson  def. John Hosman  by submission (triangle choke) 1:42 R1

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Thanks to the Yahoo group Fight_Planet for providing the information seen here…

C B Dollaway – known as The Doberman, is the favorite in this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” and with good reason. The former All-America wrestler at Arizona State already has a perfect 6-0 record.

Cain Velasquez – The former Arizona State wrestling standout looked good in his UFC debut, and so far hasn’t shown any of the lay-and-pray tendencies of other wrestlers-turned-MMA fighters. He’s talented and explosive, and may be more so if he considers a drop to light heavyweight.

Jake Rosholt – The Team Takedown member and former three-time wrestling champ at Oklahoma State owns an impressive 4-0 record since turning pro in July 2007. After turning down the chance to be on The Ultimate Fighter, Rosholt’s moving rapidly along the path to stardom.

Johny Hendricks – Another member of Team Takedown, Hendricks was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Oklahoma State. So far, he’s continued his dominant ways in MMA, claiming an early 3-0 pro record, including two TKOs.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira took the UFC interim heavyweight title, forcing former two-time champion Tim Sylvia to tap in the third round on Saturday night.

In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir spoiled former NCAA wrestling champion Brock Lesnar’s UCF debut, grabbing Lesnar’s leg and securing a kneebar that forced him to submit at 1:30 of the first round.

Nogueira took the title vacated when Randy Couture suddenly retired from the organization.

Sylvia showed superior striking, repeatedly landing punches throughout a dominant first round. Sylvia defended Nogueira’s takedown attempts and landed effective punches in the second round.

But in the third round, Nogueira reversed a Sylvia takedown and gained side control. Sylvia was able to escape side control, only to fall directly into a guillotine choke which forced him to tap 1:28 seconds into the round.

Nate Marquardt beat Jeremy Horn, finishing off the veteran of more than 100 MMA fights by guillotine choke 1:37 seconds into the second round, and Ricardo Almeida defeated Rob Yundt by guillotine choke at 1:08 in the first round.

Tyson Griffin and Gleison Tibau stood toe to toe and exchanged punches throughout the majority of their three-round fight, with each fighter landing numerous shots.

Neither fighter appeared to be hurt in the match and Tibau was able to take down Griffin on numerous occasions. However, Griffin landed the more effective strikes and took the decision with all three judges scoring the bout 30-27.

In the preliminary bouts, Chris Lytle wasted little time in finishing off Kyle Bradley. Lytle stunned the UFC newcomer just moments into the fight and never let up, knocking out Bradley just 33 seconds into the first round.

Tim Boetsch made an impressive UFC debut, defeating David Heath by TKO at 4:52 of the first round; Marvin Eastman earned his first victory inside the octagon with a decision over Terry Martin; and “The Ultimate Fighter Five” cast member Rob Emerson gained his first UFC victory, defeating Keita Nakamura by split decision.ncaa

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Brock Lesnar’s notoriety as a World Wrestling Entertainment champion and headliner has created great interest in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on Saturday night against former UFC champion Frank Mir.

But because his fame comes from scripted entertainment, many aren’t aware of his successes in legitimate athletic competition.

Lesnar was 106-5 in four years of college wrestling, winning the junior college national championship in 1998 and the Division I championship for the University of Minnesota in 2000, both as a heavyweight.

High-level amateur wrestling is a great asset in mixed martial arts, as many of UFC’s biggest stars all have a substantial wrestling background, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, Clay Guida, Keith Jardine, Roger Huerta, Jake O’Brien, Frankie Edgar, Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera, Gray Maynard, Corey Hill, Matt Grice and others.

But wrestling success is no guarantee of MMA success. For every Couture or Dan Severn, both of whom competed on the U.S. national team in international competition and are among only a few fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame, there are great wrestlers, including national champions and Olympians, who have gone nowhere in MMA.

Arguably the best wrestler to ever enter MMA at his peak was Karam Gaber Ibrahim of Egypt, who not only won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Greco-Roman at 211 pounds, but destroyed everyone in his path, tossing around world champions like they were high schoolers. He was universally considered the best wrestler of any style or weight class in Athens.

A few months later, Ibrahim debuted in MMA against Kazuyuki Fujita on a New Year’s Eve show in Japan. Fujita was a well known pro wrestler who switched to MMA. Ibrahim had only a few weeks of training for MMA. Instead of trying to wrestle Fujita, he decided to come out and box, which he had no experience in. It was a bad idea, as he was knocked cold in 1:07 and never fought again.

On the flip side, there was Rulon Gardner, the superheavyweight Greco-Roman gold medalist in the 2000 Olympics who retired as an amateur after capturing a bronze medal in 2004. On that same New Year’s Eve show in Japan, he debuted in MMA in “the battle of the gold medalists,” facing Hidehiko Yoshida, who had won a gold medal in judo, and years later, became a famous MMA star for the Pride Fighting Championships.

It’s a routine Japanese promotional trick to take Olympic medalists out of their sport, and put them in with Japanese favorites, who have experience in MMA fighting. The idea was that Gardner would get Yoshida to the ground, but with no knowledge of submissions, he would then get submitted – similar to what many MMA fans expect to happen to Lesnar on Saturday. Instead, Gardner decided to stand and box. He was taller and about 75 pounds heavier. It was an ugly fight because Gardner was no boxer, but just through size and power, he battered Yoshida and took a unanimous decision. Gardner never fought again.

Perhaps the closest equivalent to Lesnar in the MMA world is Sylvester Terkay. Like Lesnar, he took second in the heavyweight division as a junior, losing to an American wrestling legend — Lesnar to current New England Patriot Steve Neal and Terkay to Kurt Angle. Like Lesnar, he was a dominating powerhouse as a senior, winning the 1993 national championship as a 6-6, 275 pounder. Like Lesnar, after winning the NCAA title, he burned out on the sport, and never wrestled another amateur match. They even had the pro wrestling similarity after college, although Terkay was never a star in the U.S.

Terkay had been out of competitive wrestling for 10 years, and was 33 when he debuted in MMA for K-1 in Japan. Lesnar was 29 and out of wrestling competition for seven years when he debuted last year, although he was less than two years out of NFL camp with the Minnesota Vikings.

There have been 14 NCAA champions, including Lesnar and Terkay, who have gone into MMA. Here are the other 12:

Royce Alger: The 1987 champion at 167 pounds and 1988 champion at 177 for Iowa, Alger had a 3-2 MMA record, but his two losses were in UFC during its early days, being submitted by Enson Inoue quickly, and knocked out by Eugene Jackson.

Mark Coleman: The 1988 champion at 190 pounds, Coleman was UFC’s third champion, winning two tournaments and then beating Dan Severn for the title. He left UFC for Pride, where he won the first Grand Prix tournament in 2000. Coleman, 15-8 in MMA, was a wrestler who was still at the world class level when he started in MMA in 1996, and his simple takedown and ground-and-pound style worked early on. But as the game changed, he was less successful.

Johny Hendricks: Hendricks captured the 165 pound title in 2005 and 2006 for Oklahoma State, and placed second in 2007. He is currently affiliated with Team Takedown and is 2-0 in shows in Oklahoma, training out of Couture’s gym in Las Vegas.

Rex Holman: The 1993 champion at 190 pounds from Ohio State, where he was a teammate with Kevin Randleman and coached by Coleman, Holman had long since retired as a wrestler when he went into MMA. He’s 4-2, with his only UFC appearance a loss last year to Matt Hamill.

Mark Kerr: The 1992 champion at 190 pounds for Syracuse. Kerr was considered the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA in 1998 and 1999, and his fall from grace was documented in the HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine,” which vividly displayed his drug addiction issues. He is still active today with a 14-6 record. In a trivia note, the person he defeated in his championship win was Oklahoma State’s Couture.

Josh Koscheck: The 2001 champion at 174 pounds for Edinboro College. He’s currently 9-2 and one of UFC’s top-rated welterweight fighters. He came out on the short end of what was largely a wrestling battle on Aug. 25 in Las Vegas with Georges St. Pierre.

Kenny Monday: University of Oklahoma 1984 champ at 150 pounds, and later a gold medalist in the Olympics. Monday fought once in 1997, beating John Lewis, and later lost a submissions-only match to Matt Hume.

Mark Munoz: The 2001 champion at 197 pounds at Oklahoma, Munoz debuted this last year and has a 3-0 record fighting in California. He coaches wrestling at Cal-Davis, the alma mater of Urijah Faber, and trains with Faber’s camp.

Kevin Randleman: Randleman took the 1992 and 1993 championship for Ohio State at 177 pounds. Randleman was an MMA pioneer who is still active, with a 16-12 record. He has held the UFC heavyweight championship and was a top star for years with Pride, both winning and losing fights with major names including losses to Couture, Liddell, Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Mirko Cro Cop (who he also beat in one of Pride’s most famous moments) and Fedor Emelianenko.

Jake Rosholt: A three-time champion at Oklahoma State, winning in 2003 at 184 and 2005 and 2006 at 197, Rosholt is also a member of Team Takedown and training at Couture’s gym. He has a 3-0 MMA record and is expected to be a major star before long.

Mark Schultz: A three-time champion for Oklahoma from 1981-83, and a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, he was in Detroit for a UFC show in 1996 to work the corner when there was a pullout. The night before the show, on almost a lark, he agreed to fight Gary Goodridge, and used his wrestling to beat Goodridge. But he never fought again. At the time, he was head wrestling coach at Brigham Young University and UFC was being savaged by the media. The college told him he couldn’t be associated with MMA.

Mike Van Arsdale The 1988 champion at 167 pounds for Iowa State. Van Arsdale, who competed for years internationally for the U.S., went 4-1 in 1998, losing a brutal match in Brazil to Wanderlei Silva. He came back years later and although in his early 40s, still competes and has a 9-5 record, including a high profile loss to Couture.

Dave Meltzer covers mixed martial arts for Yahoo! Sports. Meltzer, who has published the pro wrestling trade industry publication the Wrestling Observer Newsletter since 1982, began covering MMA with UFC 1 in 1993. He is a graduate of San Jose State University, and has written for the Oakland Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and The National.

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