Logan Storley finished fourth at the NCAAs this past season at 174 to conclude his college career as a four-time All-American (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)"I had three amateur fights in high school, but this is different getting a real training camp in and working with some of best guys in the country," Storley told the Argus-Leader. Since announcing his plans to compete in MMA as a professional, Storley has been training with Power MMA & Fitness in Phoenix, working with UFC veterans -- and former Arizona State wrestlers -- Ryan Bader and C.B. Dolloway.
"In college wrestling, the thing that worked well for me was keeping a pace and making them scramble on me -- make them make the mistake," Storley said. "I think I can take down about anybody at 170 and grapple with them and all that. But I've got to be able to strike and put it all together."
The August RFA 29 event will be something of a homecoming for Storley. A native of Roslyn, S.D., Storley shares the same hometown -- and high school, Webster High -- as another former Minnesota wrestler who went on to find fame and fortune in UFC.
"I grew up in the same town as Brock Lesnar," Storley told FoxSports.com back in April. "We had the same high school coach. I grew up watching him wrestle and then watching him fight, so I grew up around that. Then I had three amateur fights in high school and I've wanted to fight since my freshman or sophomore year of college. Now getting done with the NCAA tournament, it's time to actually get to it."
After graduation from Webster High, Storley enrolled at Minnesota, where he compiled an overall record of 119-27. Storley was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American -- only the tenth Golden Gopher to do so -- racking up four top-six finishes in the 174-pound weight class. He placed sixth as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore, third as a junior and, fourth as a senior at the 2015 NCAAs in St. Louis. He also was a four-time placer at the Big Ten conference championships, placing fourth in 2015 and 2014, seventh in 2013, and runner-up in 2012.
Storley isn't the only former college wrestler to enter pro MMA competition. Just a week before Storley's announcement in April, Ed Ruth, three-time NCAA champ for Penn State and top-ranked US men's freestyle wrestler at 86 kilos/189 pounds, told BleacherReport.com that he plans to start his fight career immediately after wrestling freestyle at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A number of other former NCAA champs and All-Americans now compete as professionals in MMA, including Chris Honeycutt, 2012 NCAA finalist for Edinboro University, Paul Bradley, two-time All-American at University of Iowa, Bubba Jenkins, 2011 NCAA titlist for Arizona State, and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ Steve Mocco.
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