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Typically, when we’re highlighting must-watch duals during the second half of the season they turn out to be Big Ten clashes. Not this week, as there’s a colossal, top-five matchup on tap for the Big 12. Fifth-ranked Iowa State goes on the road for the second leg of their visit to Oklahoma to take on the fourth-ranked Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State was also in action last night against a team from Iowa. Though Friday and Saturday’s duals were scheduled ahead of time, they’ve turned into a de facto mini-tournament. The Cowboys got by Northern Iowa and Iowa State thrashed Oklahoma, so now they’ll meet in one of the most-anticipated duals of the season. At the beginning of the year, we may not have guessed that Iowa State/Oklahoma State would turn out to be a top-five clash; however, both teams have been slightly better than expected by the outside world. Should all starters wrestle, this could be a dual that features ten bouts between ranked wrestlers. Half of those could feature top-ten wrestlers from both squads squaring off. Even though both teams attended the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (won by Iowa State), none of the wrestlers met at the event. With transfers in both lineups and some weight shifting in the offseason, we’ll have ten fresh, new matchups. The action goes down at 7pm Eastern/6pm Central, so be sure to tune into ESPN+ . Below is a weight-by-weight look at the dual with predictions for each match and a projected team score. 125 lbs - #25 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) vs. #20 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) Right off the bat, we have a toss-up bout. Kysen Terukina started the year the same way his 2022-23 campaign began, with an impressive win over two-time All-American Eric Barnett (Wisconsin). Since then, he’s been good, not great, going 6-4 and 1-2 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Terukina comes into Oklahoma on a four-match winning streak, a span that includes a solid win over Midlands runner-up Eli Griffin (California Baptist). Troy Spratley is in his first year at Oklahoma State after redshirting in 2022-23 as a freshman at Minnesota. Spratley has been fairly consistent for the Cowboys this season with a 13-4 record. He is responsible for the only blemish on second-ranked true freshman Luke Stanich’s (Lehigh) record. Spratley also has a win over Jakob Camacho (NC State) who spent some time ranked number one at this weight. He’s looking to bounce back this week, as he was caught and pinned by Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) last weekend. Prediction: Spratley by decision (3-0 Oklahoma State) 133 lbs - #7 Evan Frost (Iowa State) vs. #3 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) Nationally, expectations weren’t very high for the Cyclones at 133 lbs during the preseason. Evan Frost quickly erased those doubts by winning his wrestle-off and his first seven bouts. That stretch includes a Cy-Hawk win over Brody Teske (Iowa) and a run that took him to the CKLV finals. Frost’s prowess from the top position was instrumental in the Teske win and has helped him rack up bonus points in six of his 13 wins thus far. Frost will have his stiffest challenge to date with three-time NCAA finalist Daton Fix. Fix is 7-0 on the year with all of his wins coming in dual competition. His only non-bonus point win of the year came against former teammate Cooper Birdwell (Wyoming). Fix was able to amass bonus points (11-3 major decision) in the Cowboys dual upset of NC State at the expense of 2023 All-American Kai Orine. Orine is responsible for one of Frost’s two losses this year; a major decision in the CKLV finals. Though Fix only has six matches this year, four have come against ranked competition. Last night, Fix was a point short of a tech fall over #23 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa). With an anticipated tight dual, getting bonus from Fix here is essential. Prediction: Fix by major decision (7-0 Oklahoma State) 141 lbs - #9 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) vs. #10 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) Once a highly-coveted recruit who was dominating his way through Fargo, Anthony Echemendia resurfaced at Iowa State with relatively little fanfare. His addition has really solidified the Cyclone lineup with Casey Swiderski moving up to 149 lbs in the offseason. Early in the season, Echemendia pushed top-ranked Real Woods (Iowa) into sudden victory and showed that he could be a key player at this weight. A week later, Echemendia was seventh in a loaded CKLV weight class. Since Vegas, Echemendia has been a perfect 7-0 and has earned bonus points in all seven contests. Two of the wins came at the Collegiate Duals, where he downed 2022 All-American Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) and 2023 EIWA champion Vance Cornella (Cornell). Like teammate, Troy Spratley, Tagen Jamison came to Stillwater after initially attending Minnesota. Jamison has a breakout performance at the CKLV Invitational taking fifth place. In his final match, Jamison majored 2023 All-American Brock Hardy (Nebraska), an opponent who was responsible for Jamison’s loss on the top-side. Since then, Jamison has handed #10 Jordan Titus (West Virginia) his only loss of the year, but has been defeated late by Ryan Jack (NC State) and was recently upset by Cleveland Belton (Oregon State). Last night he lost a tough one to #6 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa). Getting back on the right foot doesn’t get much easier with Echemendia across from him. The two did not meet in Vegas though they both were podium finishers. Prediction: Echemendia by decision (7-3 Oklahoma State) 149 lbs - #10 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) vs. #17 Sammy Alvarez/Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State) It appears as if we’ll see Casey Swiderski back on the mat for Kevin Dresser’s team against Oklahoma State. He returned last night to down Oklahoma’s NCAA qualifier Willie McDougald, 8-3. Swiderski had not been in action since Vegas in early December and Dresser recently said that he underwent a minor knee procedure. Swiderski finished fifth in Vegas and showed that he has the goods to challenge for a podium spot this season. His best win at CKLV was a 14-11 barnburner over 2021 All-American Jaden Abas (Stanford). Swiderski was deemed the third-best recruit in the Class of 2022 and his early-season performance indicates he could be wrestling up to that level. Should Swiderski not be able to compete, Iowa State has a good alternative option in NCAA qualifier Zach Redding. Another transfer in the Oklahoma State lineup is Sammy Alvarez who came to the Cowboys midway through the 2022-23 season from Rutgers. Lately, Alvarez has gotten the call from John Smith and has responded with wins in two of his three dual starts. His lone loss came to West Virginia’s seventh-ranked true freshman Ty Watters, while beating two other solid freshmen, Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) and Nash Singleton (Oregon State). Throughout his career, Alvarez has shown flashes that lead you to believe he could be a high NCAA finisher. Should the Oklahoma State staff be able to help him find consistency, that might be a possibility. Redshirt freshman Jordan Williams got the first crack at this weight class and could get the call if the OSU staff decides to go in a different direction. Williams looked excellent last night during a 21-5 tech fall win over Northern Iowa’s Adam Allard. Prediction: Swiderski by decision (7-6 Oklahoma State) 157 lbs - #13 Cody Chittum (Iowa State) vs. #18 Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) 157 lbs is an incredibly loaded and deep weight class. That’s evident by looking at the rankings for both Cody Chittum and Teague Travis. Chittum went 2-2 in that legendary CKLV weight class, but hasn’t tasted defeat since then. His biggest win during that stretch was a 9-5 decision over Arizona State’s two-time All-American #4 Jacori Teemer. Chittum could be gaining momentum at the right time and, looking at his record, none of his three losses are what you’d classify as “bad.” Each came to a top-ten opponent. Chittum did not wrestle for Iowa State last night against Oklahoma. In that dual it was 2023 NCAA qualifier Jason Kraisser that got the call and responded with a 2-0 victory. Coming into the season, 157 lbs appeared to be the most unsettled weight class for the Cowboys. Almost three months later, and with Teague Travis unbeaten at 157 lbs, it’s safe to say it’s settled. Travis’ debut at 157 lbs featured a win over a ranked opponent in Max Brignola (Lehigh). Three matches later, he would notch a signature win over dangerous, All-American Ed Scott (NC State). Travis is a redshirt sophomore who went 11-2 while competing unattached. Travis’ unbeaten run at 157 lbs came to an end last night against a tough competitor in Northern Iowa’s Ryder Downey. That doesn’t lessen the importance of this bout for the dual competition or for rankings purposes. Prediction: Chittum by decision (9-7 Iowa State) 165 lbs - #3 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. #4 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) The most anticipated bout in this dual full of good matchups will take place at 165 lbs. 2021 national champion David Carr is in the midst of his final season in Ames and is looking to go out on top. He suffered a rare upset in the semifinals of the CKLV Invitational. He rebounded to defeat multiple-time All-American Cam Amine (Michigan) to secure third place and hasn’t lost since. The Amine win and a 2-0 shutout over another AA, Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), account for the only regular decisions among his 15 wins this season. Should Carr win he would already have four wins this season over past All-Americans. Izzak Olejnik and Carr have never met despite both wrestling at this weight class in 2022-23 and each making the NCAA podium. Olejnik also won the CKLV tournament where Carr finished third. Olejnik was very good at Northern Illinois, evidenced by his 2023 NCAA eighth-place finish; however, he’s taken the next step at Oklahoma State. His CKLV title run featured wins over Amine and Julian Ramirez (Cornell). Two weeks ago, Olejnik fell from the ranks of the unbeaten after a 5-1 loss to Peyton Hall (West Virginia). While there’s plenty of action before the postseason, the winner of this match still has hopes alive for that all-important top-seed at the Big 12 Championships. Prediction: Carr by decision (12-7 Iowa State) 174 lbs - #23 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) vs. #25 Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) The future of the 174 lb weight class will be on display with these two freshmen; MJ Gaitan, a redshirt freshman, and Brayden Thompson who is straight out of the high school ranks. Gaitan managed to finish eighth in Las Vegas and has been even better since then. He’ll come into Saturday night a winner of his last six matches. The most recent was a fall over Oklahoma’s #29 Tate Picklo. Picklo was the second past national qualifier that Gaitan has taken out during his winning streak. Like Gaitan, Thompson has really come on off late. The number five overall recruit in the Class of 2023 missed some time early but has gotten on a roll. With a still-developing offense and a stout defense, Augustine has tended to keep himself in almost every matchup. Three of his last five bouts have gone into sudden victory (two wins). Last weekend, his sudden victory takedown defeated 2023 Pac-12 champion Matthew Olguin (Oregon State). On Friday night, he scored a 6-3 win over #30 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa). This has the potential to be a good stylistic clash as Gaitan is pretty wide-open offensively and Thompson is sound defensively. Prediction: Gaitan by decision (15-7 Iowa State) 184 lbs - #10 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) vs. #2 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) With the loss to two-time All-American Marcus Coleman to graduation, it appeared as if there would be a significant hole at 184 for the Cyclones. Graduate transfer and 2023 All-American Will Feldkamp came over from Clarion and has been as good as advertised for ISU. Feldkamp navigated a difficult CKLV bracket and found himself in the finals, where he fell to top-ranked Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). Feldkamp has an array of throws, trips, and big attacks from his feet, so he can either end a match in an instant or put it out of reach quickly. Though Dustin Plott finished a step below Feldkamp on the CKLV podium, the two did not meet at that tournament and they don’t have any past history with each other. Plott is coming off a loss to Keckeisen on Friday night, in a one-versus-two match that went back and forth and lived up to its eye-catching billing. The two-time All-American moved up to 184 from 174 lbs in the offseason and has looked as good as ever. Last weekend, Plott solidified his lofty ranking with a solid 4-2 victory over 2023 All-American and NCAA semifinalist Trey Munoz (Oregon State). Plott will be looking to start a new winning streak as he had an 11-match streak snapped by Keckeisen last night. Despite both wrestlers holding top-ten rankings, there is the potential for bonus points here. If Feldkamp hits a big more or if one goes awry, it could provide a huge swing in either direction. Prediction: Plott by decision (15-10 Iowa State) 197 lbs - #30 Julian Broderson/Caleb Helgeson (Iowa State) vs. #16 Luke Surber/Jersey Robb (Oklahoma State) As can often be the case in dual meets, someone at 197 lbs could turn out to be the unlikely hero. When a pin from a national champion can be equal to a pin from a second-string wrestler, funny things can occur. There’s a bit of uncertainty surrounding who both teams will send out at 197 lbs. Julian Broderson is the veteran for Iowa State and is currently ranked 30th in the nation with a 6-4 record. Broderson is recently coming off a loss in his last appearance, the Cyclones win over Utah Valley. Last night, it was Caleb Helgeson who got the call against second-ranked Stephen Buchanan. Iowa State has plenty of options at this weight, so they may look further than Helgeson if Broderson isn’t the guy. Oklahoma State is more stable at 197 lbs with 16th-ranked Luke Surber a two-time national qualifier (once at 285 lbs). However, Surber has dealt with injuries this season and has been in-and-out of the Cowboy lineup. Jersey Robb got the nod last night and lost a 5-1 decision to Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa). Surber answered the bell last weekend and got a ranked win over Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) in sudden victory. Prediction: Surber by decision (15-13 Iowa State) 285 lbs - #3 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) vs. #9 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) What an ace-in-the-hole Yonger Bastida has been for Iowa State competing up at 285 lbs this season! Bastida is fresh off a 14-4 major decision over a much-improved #11 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) last night. For comparison’s sake, his likely opponent, Konner Doucet held off Heindselman 2-1 in tiebreakers during their first Bedlam Dual. Bastida has been one of the more dynamic and explosive offensive heavyweights in the nation this year. Six of his 16 wins have come via tech fall, which is remarkable for the 285 lb weight class. Bastida has also been battle-tested at his new weight, logging wins over four of the top-12 wrestlers in the nation, coming into this matchup. Doucet qualified for nationals for the first time in 2023 by finishing fifth in the Big 12 and amassing an 18-12 record. This year he’s taken the next step and has been much more consistent. Though he has two losses on his ledger, one of them was an injury default that came in the opening seconds of a match in Vegas. He’ll come into Saturday night’s match sporting a seven-match winning streak. During that span, he’s only allowed three points once. His stingy defense will certainly be tested by the offense-minded Bastida. Should extra time be required, Doucet is extremely comfortable and effective going past the seven-minute mark. Three of his wins during his current winning streak have come in tiebreakers. Prediction: Bastida by major decision Team Score Projection: Iowa State wins 19-13

Welcome to a new running feature that we'll use to keep track of ex-wrestlers who are now competing in MMA. As more fights are agreed upon, they will be added to this article. Jan. 27 BKFC Prospect Series 3 (TrilerTV) Juan Adams (VMI) vs. Matt Adams* *Bare knuckle boxing fight Jan. 28 ONE 165 (YouTube) Gustavo Balart (Greco Olympian for Cuba) vs. Hiroba Minowa Feb. 2 Tuff-N-Uff 135 (UFC Fight Pass) Tyler Ray (Mount St. Joseph) vs. Eric McConico Feb. 3 Chosen Few FC 24 Alex Gilpin (Wisconsin) vs. Erik Vo Garrett Carlson (Wisconsin La Crosse) vs. Nelly Thompson J.T. Schulte (Wisconsin Stevens Point) vs. Aaron Smith Feb. 3 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Thomas Petersen (North Dakota State) vs. Jamal Pogues Feb. 4 Road to UFC (UFC Fight Pass) Shin Haraguchi (Japanese national team) vs. Rongzhu Rei Tsuryua (Cadet Japanese national team) vs. Jiniushiyue Feb. 9 CFFC 129 (UFC Fight Pass) CJ LaFragola (Brown) vs. Ernesto Zarate Feb. 9 LFA 176 (UFC Fight Pass) Mansur Abdul-Malik (Maryland) vs. Allan St-Gelais Feb. 10 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Michael Johsnon (Meramec Community College) vs. Darrius Flowers Devin Clark (Rochester Tech) vs. Marcin Prachnio Feb. 17 UFC 298 (ESPN Pay Per View) Henry Cejudo (Olympic gold) vs. Merab Dvalishvili Rinya Nakamura (U23 gold) vs. Brady Hiestand Feb. 24 PFL vs. Bellator: Champs (ESPN Pay Per View) Ryan Bader (Arizona State) vs. Renana Ferreira Johnny Eblen (Missouri) vs. Impa Kasanganay Yoel Romero (Olympic silver for Cuba) vs. Thiago Santos AJ McKee Jr (Notre Dame College) vs. Clay Collard Aaron Pico (Junior world silver) vs. Gabriel Alves Braga March 2 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Muhammad Mokaev (English national champion) vs. Alex Perez (West Hills) March 9 (ESPN Pay Per View) Curtis Blaydes (Harper College) vs. Jailton Almeida March 30 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Chris Weidman (Hofstra) vs. Bruno Silva Loopy Godinez (Sister of Karla and Ana Godinez) vs. Virna Jandiroba Andre Petroski (UNC/Bloomsburg/Kutztown) vs. Jacob Malkoun April 6 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Damon Jackson (Missouri Valley) vs. Alexander Hernandez April 13 UFC 300 (ESPN Pay Per View) Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado) vs. Max Holloway Aljamain Sterling (Cortland) vs. Calvin Kattar Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Cody Brundage (Newberry College) Cody Garbrandt (Newberry College) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo Jim Miller (Virginia Tech) vs. Bobby Green