InterMat Staff

NEW YORK -- Former Columbia All-American Steve Santos was promoted to assistant coach for the 2015-16 season, announced today by head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer. Steve SantosFronhofer welcomed Santos back to Monringside Heights as a volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2014-15 season. At Columbia, Santos primarily works with the lower and middle weights. The news comes after former Lion assistant Adam Hall recently joined the coaching staff at NC State. A 2013 graduate of Columbia, the financial economics major had one of the most successful careers in the history of the storied program. In his senior season, Santos finished third at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, which was the highest finish ever by a Lion. The 149-pounder started strong that season, winning his first 15 matches while going 31-3 on the season and 4-0 in Ivy League matches. Santos earned first team All-Ivy League honors during his final season for the second time in his career. Santos also qualified for the NCAA Championships his junior year of 2012, after going 26-11 and becoming a first team All-Ivy League wrestler. Throughout his four years, Santos compiled an overall record of 91-37, while going 12-4 in Ivy League matches. A native of Englewood, N.J., Santos is the son of Lisa and Aurelio Santos.

A former wrestler at Missouri's Lindenwood University and Lincoln College in Illinois was sentenced to 30 years in prison for infecting one sex partner to HIV and risking the infection of four others, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday. Michael JohnsonIn May, jurors in St. Charles, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, found Michael L. Johnson, 23, guilty of five felony counts after two hours, 20 minutes of deliberations. At that time, jurors had recommended a 30-year sentence for the most serious charge, and an additional 30.5 years for the other four lesser charges. At the sentencing hearing Monday, St. Charles County Circuit Judge Jon Cunningham decided to have the sentences run concurrently -- at the same time -- for a total of 30 years. Johnson's defense attorney had argued for a 10-year sentence. Judge Cunningham told Johnson he had committed "very severe" crimes for not telling sex partners he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. "The main thing is the profound effect your actions have had on the victims and their families," the judge told the former college mat champ. Johnson had been accused of having unprotected sex with men while knowing he was HIV-positive, yet when his sexual partners asked him about his status, he lied to them and said he was disease-free. Johnson had testified that he had disclosed his status to his partners before engaging in sex with them, required by law in Missouri. Johnson had been arrested in October 2013 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. Once the story broke of the college wrestler who had unprotected sex while reportedly knowing he had been infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, St. Charles police reported that they had heard from more than a dozen men who had sex with Johnson. Johnson had an impressive mat career in high school and college. As Michael Johnson-Jones, he wrestled at Warren Central High in Indianapolis, winning the 189-pound title at the 2010 Indiana state wrestling championships by defeating future Purdue wrestler Braden Atwood in the finals, 4-2 OT, avenging his only loss of his senior season. Johnson then attended Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill., where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American. As a freshman, Johnson placed seventh in the 184 bracket at the 2011 NJCAA championships. The following year, he won the 197-pound crown at the 2012 NJCAA wrestling championships in Rochester, Minn., beating Zach Anderson of Labette Community College in the title match, 3-1. The Indianapolis native capped off his career as a Lynx with a 73-13 overall record. After graduating with an associate degree in physical education from Lincoln, Johnson came to Lindenwood University, a private, four-year NCAA Division II school located just west of St. Louis, where he was a member of the wrestling team. He was expelled from Lindenwood after charges were filed, which concerned incidents in 2013. Despite on-the-mat success, Johnson battled some serious issues outside the sport. An in-depth profile for BuzzFeed.com pointed out that the wrestler dealt with learning issues, with some friends describing him as "barely literate." The article also said Johnson wrestled with a deeply closeted sexuality that was pretty much unknown to his teammates and classmates; however, Johnson was well-known by some in the gay community as "Tiger Mandingo" who filmed some of his sexual encounters in his dorm room.

Two-time state champion Kellen Devlin (Amherst, N.Y.) verbally committed to North Carolina State on Monday evening. He became the fourth top 100 commit for the Wolfpack in their 2016 recruiting class. Devlin is ranked No. 92 overall, after winning the NHSCA Junior Nationals this spring. Devlin projects as a 133/141 in college. He joins No. 20 Hayden Hilday (Mifflin County, Pa.), No. 26 Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga.), and No. 70 Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) as North Carolina State commits for the Class of 2016.

NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Chris Mauriello (Hauppauge, N.Y.) verbally committed to Old Dominion on Monday afternoon, becoming the second commit for the Monarchs in their 2016 recruiting class. Mauriello won that tournament at 145 pounds, after placing sixth in his state tournament at 160 pounds. The projected 157-pound wrestler in college also won state as a sophomore in the 132-pound weight class. Mauriello joins No. 88 Kevin Budock (Good Counsel, Md.) as Old Dominion commits for their 2016 class.

Former college wrestlers went three-for-four at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday night, with University of Nebraska-Kearney mat champ Kamaru Usman, Oklahoma State All-American Jerrod Sanders and former Iowa State wrestler Trevor Smith winning their matches, while former University of Nebraska-Omaha wrestler Jake Ellenberger was knocked out in the first round of his top-of-the-card fight. Kamaru Usma Usman submitted his opponent Hayder Hassan via arm triangle choke at 1:19 of the second round, while Sanders and Smith each earned unanimous decisions over their respective opponents. In the main event, Stephen Thompson KO'd Ellenberger at 4:29 of the first round. In the welterweight co-main event, Usman -- an NCAA Division II champion in 2010 -- used repeated takedowns on Hayder Hassan throughout the first round of their bout. Early in the second round, Hassan scored an uppercut, but then surrendered a takedown from the former UNK Loper who then advanced to full mount, locked on a choke, and forced Hassan to tap out less than a minute-and-a-half into Round 2. Usman, who has won five straight fights, is now 6-1 overall in his mixed martial arts career, and 1-0 in UFC fights. With the loss, Hassan is now 6-2 in his MMA career, and 0-1 in UFC. MMAJunkie.com described Sanders as "one of the bigger underdogs" vs. Doane, but "he had great moments on the ground and in the standup game to get the nod with a pair of 29-28s and a 30-27" in their bantamweight bout in the preliminary portion of TUF 21. "A back and forth fight that was a hard call for the judges," reported LowKickMMA.com. "Both men had their moments in another top notch wrestling match. At the end of the day, Sanders won by unanimous decision." With the win, Sanders -- 2003 NCAA Division I All-American for Oklahoma State at 149 pounds -- is now 15-3 overall in MMA, and 1-2 in UFC competition, while Doane drops to 14-5 in MMA, and 2-2 in UFC. Trevor Smith, a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American at Highline Community College who later wrestled at Iowa State, earned a unanimous decision over Dan Miller, 30-25, 30-25, 30-26, in a middleweight match-up. "For the first five minutes of his fight with Trevor Smith, Dan Miller looked like he hadn't missed a beat after two years away from the UFC's octagon," MMAJunkie.com reported."Then reality set in. As the fight went into the second and third rounds, Miller found out just how taxing it is to fight on the world's most competitive MMA stage, and Smith did him no favors." With the win, Smith climbs to an overall MMA record of 13-6 and 3-3 in UFC, while Miller drops to 14-8 overall MMA, and 6-7 in UFC fights. As for the main event ... MMAMania.com painted a "Tale of Two Fighters" whose careers are on completely different trajectories, writing, "On one side the rising star of Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, a fighter with a 10-1 professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record and four fight winning streak, took on Jake Ellenberger, a 30-9 veteran who had dropped three of his last four outings. This fight did nothing to reverse the fortunes of either man as Thompson used his vastly superior stand up to obliterate the normally durable 'Juggernaut' inside of a single round." Sherdog.com completed the picture in its report: "(Stephen) Thompson wiped out Jake Ellenberger with a spinning hook kick and follow-up punches." With his loss to Thompson -- his fourth in five outings -- Ellenberger, who wrestled one season for the now-defunct NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha mat program, is now 30-10 in his MMA career, and with a 9-6 UFC record. By contrast, Thompson is now 11-1 overall, and 6-1 in UFC, and has notched six straight wins in the past three years.

Jeff Bradley will host a special edition of "On the Mat" is this Wednesday, July 15. His featured guest is Northern Iowa head wrestling coach Doug Schwab. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. Schwab is the current head wrestling coach at the University of Northern Iowa. He was a 2008 Olympian and an 1999 NCAA champion for Iowa in 1999. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Wesleyan University announced today that wrestling will be added as a sport beginning in the 2016-17 school year. "Nebraska Wesleyan takes a lot of pride in sponsoring a broad based athletic program," said Ira Zeff, director of athletics. "With the addition of wrestling we will enhance the opportunities for students to use athletics as part of their NWU educational experience. I am confident that our wrestling team will add to the rich tradition of excellence that Nebraska Wesleyan athletics is known for." A search for a head coach is currently underway with competition scheduled to begin with the 2016-17 winter sports season. NWU will wrestle in NCAA Division III competitions and will be able to host home duals and tournaments in Snyder Arena. NWU previously offered wrestling as a sport from 1962-82, winning three conference championships. "The addition of wrestling provides yet another opportunity for our students to compete in intercollegiate athletics while experiencing a fine liberal arts education," said President Fred Ohles. "Our student-athletes are part of a strong tradition for excelling both inside and outside the classroom and I look forward to seeing their success continue in our new wrestling program." The addition of wrestling brings the total number of NWU varsity sports to 21, with approximately 30 percent of the student body participating in intercollegiate athletics. NWU athletes have earned numerous academic and athletic honors including 153 Academic All-America Awards " ranking eighth among all schools at all levels -- and 49 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Nebraska Wesleyan University, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is dual affiliated with both NCAA Division III and NAIA. NWU is the only school in the nation with dual affiliation.

George Hobbs, Michigan State Big Ten finalist wrestler and former wrestling coach of the now-defunct mat program at Western Michigan University, died at Courtney Spring Hospice in Merritt Island, Fla. after battling cancer, InterMat learned this weekend. He was 74. George HobbsGeorge William Hobbs was introduced to wrestling at Battle Creek Central High School, where, according to the 1958 Paean yearbook, won the 112-pound title at the Michigan state wrestling championships. After graduating from Battle Creek in 1958, Hobbs then headed north to East Lansing, where he continued his mat career on a wrestling scholarship to Michigan State University. As a Spartan, Hobbs was a three-time runner-up at 123 pounds at the Big Ten conference championships from 1960-62, and placed fifth in the same weight class at the 1962 NCAA championships. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree from Michigan State, Hobbs then earned his masters at University of Michigan. After a stint as teacher and coach at North Farmington High School outside Detroit, Hobbs launched his collegiate career as an instructor and coach at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo in 1965. He was first hired as the Broncos' head golf coach, but then also assumed the role as assistant wrestling coach at WMU, working alongside head coach Roy Wietz until his retirement in 1969. In 13 seasons at the helm, Hobbs and his wrestlers posted a career record of 76-57-1, leading the team to a second-place finish in the Mid-American Conference in 1971. The 1980 Broncos were arguably his most successful team, scoring a program-record 11 wins that season. Hobbs coached 14 individual MAC champs, and two NCAA All-Americans: Rich Bacon (1971) and Doug Wyn (1972-74). "It is with a great sadness that we pass on our condolences to the family and friends of George Hobbs," said WMU Director of Athletics Kathy Beuregard. "Having spent decades as part of the Bronco family, he touched a number of young peoples' lives in our golf and wrestling programs, as well as countless others as a professor. He was and will always be remembered as a true Bronco." Hobbs was an inductee into the State of Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame. Memorial services have already been held in Florida where he and his wife Janeene had their winter home, and in June at Southridge Reformed Church in Portage, Mich. where they resided the rest of the year.

Conor McGregor won the Ultimate Fighting Championships interim featherweight title with a second-round TKO of former Cal Poly wrestler Chad Mendes in the main event at UFC 189 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night. "For the better part of two rounds, McGregor took all Mendes could dish out," wrote Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com. "Then he showed the heart of a champion, rallying late in the second round to finish Mendes via TKO." Second referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight at 4:57 of the second round. Conor McGregor"After spending much of the frame on his back, McGregor eventually escaped to his feet and had Mendes reeling with a barrage of accurate punches," is how Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com described the bout. "A straight left sent the fading Team Alpha Male product to the canvas, and a series of unanswered rights brought an end to the contest." "The pressure clearly took its toll on the conditioning of Mendes, who had but two weeks to prepare for the fight," said Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie, referring to Mendes' willingness to step in to replace injured UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo on short notice. "By the end of the first frame, he looked winded, while McGregor looked no worse for the wear. 'Don't get me wrong, the weight cut is tough, but I can go all f-cking night,' said McGregor afterward." Weighing in on critics' comments that he had yet to face a fighter with wrestling credentials such as Mendes -- while also aiming a shot at Aldo, who had pulled out of the bout because of a rib injury -- McGregor said after the fight, "I've been hearing all the time that I'm protected from this style of opponent, that I've been gifted a title shot. So my title shot went running, and they gave me a guy who I was supposed to be protected from. I knew I was going to prove to people that I'm a true fighter. It doesn't matter who it is. I show up and I'm a professional and I'm confident in my abilities." "In my opinion, Jose went running," McGregor continued. "I had bigger injuries leading up to this fight than that bruised rib. I still showed up here and performed. So in my eyes, Jose's gone running. If he wants to come back, he can come back. But I swear to God, his day will come." After the match, McGregor said of his opponent Mendes, "I didn't feel threatened. Besides me, he's probably the No. 2 heaviest hitter in the division. He's certainly the best wrestler in the division. They try and find holes. They try and find questions that I've yet to answer. They try and find something that's gonna break me: the weight cut, the wrestler. There's always something but I always prevail, and I am always confident that I can take whatever these people give. I can walk through everything." For his part, Mendes said, "I felt like I was doing great in the first two rounds, especially in that second one. I was controlling the fight the whole time. I took a risk, I went for the submission. I probably should have stayed there and kept throwing elbows. I'm trying to finish the fight. That's a risk you take and that's the fight game." With the win, McGregor is now 18-2 overall in his MMA career, and 6-0 in UFC competition, while Mendes falls to 17-3 in MMA, 8-3 in UFC events. Mendes was a two-time NCAA All-American at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He placed sixth in the 125-pound bracket at the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships ... then, two years later, made it to the 141-pound finals at the 2008 NCAAs, falling to Ohio State's J Jaggers in the title match. That year, Mendes also earned Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year honors. As a Mustang matman, Mendes compiled an overall record of 64-14.

Thomas and Daniel Bullard, twins and both three-time state champions for Archer, Ga.,verbally committed to North Carolina State on Sunday evening. Thomas is ranked No. 26 overall in the Class of 2016, while Daniel is ranked No. 70. They join No. 20 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) as members of the upcoming recruiting class for the Wolfpack. Thomas is also a three-time champion at the NHSCA grade-level nationals, and was champion at the Super 32 Challenge this past fall at 152 pounds. He projects to compete as a 165 in college. Daniel placed third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this past year after winning titles at the freshman and sophomore versions of the event in previous years. He placed fifth in the 160-pound weight class at the Super 32 Challenge this past fall, and projects to the 174-pound weight class in college.

It's All-Star Game time ... the mid-summer Major League Baseball classic featuring the top players from the National League taking on the best from the American League, as voted by the fans. This year's All-Star Classic is being held this Tuesday, July 14 at Great American Ball Park, home to the Cincinnati Reds. Legendary OSU coach Ed Gallagher conferring with unidentified Cowboy wrestler (Photo/1939 Redskin yearbook)Tuesday's All-Star Game is the capstone of nearly a week of special events for players and fans throughout Cincinnati. One of those events: an old-fashioned, vintage baseball game. Participants will be playing by the rules of more than a century ago; for example, fielders can't use gloves. And they'll be wearing uniforms much like those players wore circa 1869, when the Cincinnati Red Stockings, considered to be the nation's first professional baseball team, first took to the field. Perhaps college wrestling could steal this idea from the All-Star Classic weekend, and make it its own ... with a special dual meet, wrestled under the rules of, say, the 1920s or 30s, with grapplers wearing the gear their grandfathers would have worn decades ago. For those who assume that Jacob wrestled the angel wearing a singlet and headgear -- and, therefore, so did wrestlers of 80 or 90 years ago -- let's set the record straight. There have been significant changes in terms of rules and gear over the years that would make an old-school-style college wrestling event an eye-opening experience for fans and participants alike. College matches lasted nine minutes, not today's seven. Rules were much simpler; many holds that are now restricted were perfectly legal. Up until the late 1930s, there was no actual point scoring system; matches were won by pin (which, by the way, required a wrestler to hold his opponent's shoulders to the mat for a full three seconds, not just one second, like today), or by who the referee thought was in control the greatest amount of time. As for uniforms ... no singlets. Wrestlers in the 1920s and 30s wore wool trunks, sometimes with tights ... often without a shirt, or headgear. And, perhaps the most mind-blowing aspect for today's wrestlers and fans: many college wrestling programs conducted their matches in a roped-off wrestling ring, much like we associate with boxing or pro wrestling. As you can imagine, the old-school rules and gear had a direct impact on wrestlers and how they wrestled. Years ago, this writer wrote a story for InterMat titled "Old-School Stratagy" which sprang from a statement made by Jack Marchello, University of Michigan champ in the late 1950s, during an interview where I was gathering information for another article. In my "Old-School Strategy" story, I talked to other wrestlers of the late 1950s and into the 1960s, many who wrestled bare-chested, without headgear, in sneakers (not wrestling shoes), on cotton-canvas mats (not today's Resilite foam-core mats with a bonded vinyl surface). They echoed Marchello's comments that the rules and gear of that era had a direct impact on how matches were wrestled ... especially those who experienced the changes during their careers. One by one, the old-school ways of doing things in college wrestling have vanished. The first point-scoring system was installed in the late 1930s. Wrestling rings were outlawed by the NCAA during World War II. Today's wrestling mats started appearing in the late 1950s. The NCAA required shirts by the mid-1960s; wool was replaced by cotton, then by synthetic fabrics. Singlets were OK'd by the NCAA about 45 years ago. These changes certainly have made college wrestling safer than it once was. For instance, it's much rarer for a wrestler to deal with mat burns or skin rashes that were pretty common back in the days of wrestling without shirts on cotton-canvas mats. One could argue that safety improvements regarding gear, mats and rules have made wrestling better, certainly for the participants. That said, having an old-fashioned wrestling match conducted under old-school rules using vintage-style gear and wrestling ring -- like that old-time, 1869-style baseball game as part of this year's All-Star Classic -- would give today's wrestlers, coaches and fans a new appreciation of just how rugged college wrestlers of decades past truly were. Until that happens, we'll have to be content with reading about the old ways of wrestling ... and watching old-time films, like the 1962 NCAA finals, available for viewing online.

Gabe Moreno, a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier for Iowa State, has been suspended indefinitely from the Cyclones after being arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated on Friday, according to multiple media reports. Iowa State's Gabe Moreno is a two-time NCAA qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"We are aware of Gabe Moreno's arrest," Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Jackson said in a statement. "We are disappointed in his actions and take these matters very seriously. Gabe has been suspended indefinitely from the team under the student-athlete code of conduct policy." There is no mention of the suspension at the official Cyclone wrestling website nor at the program's Facebook page, nor at Moreno's own Facebook page. According to the Story County online arrest records, Gabriel James Moreno was arrested July 10, 2015 for first-time OWI. (The Iowa State campus is located in Story County.) Bond was set at $1,000. The Des Moines Register reports that the arrest took place at 12:35 a.m. Moreno, who just finished his redshirt sophomore season, was a two-time NCAA qualifier in 2014 and 2015, and was a runner-up at 149 pounds at the 2014 Big 12 conference championships. This past season, the Urbandale, Iowa native was 26-7. Gabe Moreno is the younger brother of Michael Moreno, 2014 NCAA All-American at 165, and the son of Mike Moreno, who was an NCAA All-American in 1992, both for Iowa State.

Victor Glover, NASA astronaut who wrestled for Cal Poly in the 1990s, will return to his alma mater for an on-campus presentation next Thursday, July 16, the "Cal Poly News" reported Thursday. Victor GloverGlover, who graduated from California Polytechnic University-San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in general engineering in 1999, gives credit to his experience as a member of the Mustangs wrestling program with helping prepare him for work as an astronaut. "Wrestling was one of the most indelible influences in my life," Glover said. "Someone asks me about being in the pool at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and doing the EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) training. I compare it to wrestling and how you have to be able to think in 3-D and think moves ahead if you want to go from good to great. "Wrestling had just as much of an impact on me as the things I was learning in the lab or in engineering." The 37-year-old Navy lieutenant commander was among eight candidates named to NASA's 21st astronaut class in 2013, and the only African-American in that group. Glover and his classmates completed their initial astronaut training and are now active NASA astronauts eligible for mission assignments. Glover was selected from the second largest number of applications NASA had ever received -- more than 6,100. Glover will present his talk, titled "Engineering Possibilities", to discuss the benefits of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education as part of Cal Poly's Engineering Possibilities in College summer camp, said Teana Fredeen director of the EPIC program. "Cal Poly launched Victor on his quest to work in space," Fredeen said, "so we're excited to have him speak at Cal Poly." The presentation is free and open to the public. Spanos Theatre is between the University Union and the Performing Arts Center in the center of campus. Cal Poly wrestling has been in news recently, thanks to former Mustang matmen, and a just-announced recruit. In addition to astronaut Glover, another former Cal Poly wrestler in the news is Chad Mendes, two-time NCAA Division I All-American in 2006 and 2008 who will be fighting at UFC 189 this weekend in Las Vegas. As for the future Mustang ... Alec Donovan, 2015 New Jersey high school state wrestling champion who publicly revealed he is gay on a wrestling recruiting trip in May, recently signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Cal Poly. Donovan is believed to be the first openly gay college wrestler in the US. (In late March, Mike Pucillo, 2008 NCAA 184-pound champ for Ohio State, revealed his sexual orientation in an interview with wrestling journalist Jason Bryant.) Donovan plans to major in animal sciences, with the career goal of becoming a veterinarian.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Purdue University graduate Brandon Nelsen will join the UIndy Wrestling team for the 2015-16 season, coming on as a graduate assistant under six-year Head Coach Jason Warthan. "We are excited to add Brandon to our staff," Warthan said. "Brandon's talent and experience in the sport will bring a lot to our room. Him also being a local guy will bring a lot to our recruiting with his knowledge of Indiana wrestling." Nelsen wrestled four years as a Boilermaker, amassing a record of 84-55. He was a two-time Division I National Qualifier, and placed three times in his career at the B1G championships. The Indianapolis-native closed out his career in fourth on Purdue's career reversals list with 45, sixth all-time in career falls with 30, 17th all-time in career back points with 124 and was the 25th three-time B1G placewinner in program history. He was also an All-American at University Nationals during his career. As a redshirt freshman wrestling 141, Nelsen placed eighth at the B1G Championships. He followed that up with a fourth place finish at the B1Gs as a sophomore, also qualifying for Nationals. After bumping up to 149 for his final two seasons, Nelsen placed seventh at the B1G Championships as a redshirt senior, and again made the trip to Nationals. The Lawrence North graduate holds a degree in Law and Society from Purdue, and will pursue a master's degree in Leadership and Strategic Design from UIndy. He was an Indiana state champion at 119 as a senior in high school, and finished third at the state tournament as a junior and sophomore and fourth as a freshman. "Brandon has competed at the highest levels within our sport," Warthan said. "This wealth of experience will translate well into his new role on our staff." Nelsen joins former Greyhound Alex Johns and Assistant AD Bob Brubeck on Warthan's staff.

Leading up to UFC 189 Conor McGregor has been hyper vocal that he is the greatest fighter in the world. The lanky Irishman has gabbed about his significance and he's had others write about his journey. To his credit he's seemed genuine McGregor has also proven that he truly doesn't care if you love him or hate him, so long as you talk about him. McGregor has a surplus of chutzpah, but he also has an astonishing lack of a ground game. Having never fought a collegiate wrestler McGregor is a throwback to four years ago when the fighting public still bet hard on the strikers of MMA. That changed when those who owned flashy knockouts and cage-rattling theatrics were being taken down, beaten and submitted by a legion of collegiate wrestlers. There is a simple philosophy as to why this happens. You can teach someone to duck a punch and block a kick because that's a skill, that's a technique. You can't teach just anyone to wrestle because that's a lifestyle. It's measured in years not "classes." Like Chris Weidman beat Anderson Silva and T.J. Dillashaw destroyed Renan Barao, Chad Mendes will defeat Conor McGregor on Saturday using his wrestling, aggression and heart. And it won't be close … Q: Future UFC champion and 2014 Greco bronze medalist Bilyal Makhov just made a successful return to freestyle wrestling at the very tough Ali Aliyev tournament, beating his fellow transplant from Kabardino-Balkaria in the finals, former Russian national champion Muradin Kuskhov. Do you think three-time World champion in freestyle will attempt to wrestle both styles in 2015 or 2016? He says he wants to but his coaches seem to want him to focus on one style. Is it even a possibility to do both under UWW rules? -- Coleman M. Foley: I like the "future UFC champion" introduction. The man is one of the most gifted big men on the planet. A UFC title wouldn't fall outside the realm of possibilities. The only issue would be the UFC's acceptance of another dominating Russian. They already have their hands filled with Khabib Nurmagomedov Makhov may compete in both styles. United World Wrestling certainly doesn't have any regulations against it, and I assume that if the Russians really think that he'd win both styles then they wouldn't hesitate. That said I doubt the Russians would blow past Gatsalov for a guy who will then need to compete in two styles. Doubtful, but not impossible. Gatsalov had a tough European Games, which I realize forces some questions about the starting position. Semenov, a Junior World champion, also performed poorly in the Greco-Roman portion of the European Games, failing to place. That also adds a bit of intrigue to the possibility of Makhov stepping up. As for Makhov's viewpoint it seems that he'll be focused on Greco-Roman, but will take the call up to freestyle if the coaches request. That's unlikely, but to know that he's ready is certainly appealing. Mark Hall won his fifth state championship this past season (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Q: Is there any chance Mark Hall doesn't sign with the University of Minnesota? Seems like a done deal from everything I have heard from those very close to the situation. -- Mike C. Foley: Of course there is a chance Mark Hall won't sign with Minnesota. He's an 18-year-old boy being wooed by every major college wrestling powerhouse. Most 18-year-old's I've known are predictably unpredictable, and while Hall may be the best wrestler in all the land, I doubt that title precludes him from making a shocking choice for his college career. Still, you are right that the rumor mill has been chirping with the idea that Hall will head to Minnesota. That's as excellent a choice as the Minnesota native could make. Q: Any chance Jake Varner hangs up the shoes before the year before the Olympics, just like his coach Cael did in 2011? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes. If he loses at the Olympic Team Trials then he would almost certainly retire. I don't think that there is much motivation to give up before the Trials being that it's so close to the Olympic Games. Also, consider that he sells a popular shoe and has the support of the Penn State wrestling community. Also, he's an Olympic champion and though he's struggled, there is nothing like disappointment to motivate a return run to gold. Cael was a much different circumstance. He'd been out of serious competition for seven years before the 2011 cycle and whatever urge he was looking to scratch seemed to find relief from that tournament. Multimedia Halftime Boston youth wrestling Quick look at one of the rising stars of jiu-jitsu who also happens to love wrestling Link: Wonderful feature on Conor McGregor with video embed too Q: I heard a rumor a while back that Russian bear Khadzhimurat Gatsalov was contemplating an MMA career. Have you heard anything lately? -- Mike C. Foley: Nothing as of late, but with the end of his wrestling career in sight, I'd imagine he'd start training for a career in the cage. There are plenty of training opportunities around the world, but with the high numbers of Russians training in Thailand, I'd see him bolting to Asia. Q: Which five wrestlers after they are currently wrestling could join Ben Askren and Henry Cejudo and make an easy transition into MMA and why? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Easy? Meh. I don't think there is ever an easy transition to MMA. There will be a flood of interest after the 2016 cycle and I'd imagine these five could be among that group that tests the cage after a life on the mat. 1. Dustin Kilgore 2. Daniel Dennis 3. Jordan Oliver 4. Ed Ruth 5. Kyven Gadson Q: I follow mostly college wrestling throughout the year. When following freestyle and Greco internationally, I enjoy seeing the names I recognize from the NCAAs. While most of the non-American wrestlers are usually unknown to me, it is cool to see a wrestler from another country with a familiar name. Franklin Gomez would always pop up for Puerto Rico and I recently spotted Boris Novachkov (Bulgaria) and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) in the UWW rankings. Who are some of the most recent/notable NCAA wrestlers to find success internationally with another country? Any wrestlers rumored to be going this same route eventually? -- Matt F. Foley: Former Northern Iowa wrestler Alex Dolly placed fifth for Ireland at the 2014 European Championships, which was that country's highest finish ever at a major tournament. Those you named are kind of the top names and were already citizens of said country. There are others lingering about like Turtogtokh Luvsandorj and Ganbayar Sanjaa of Mongolia who need to settle into a country affiliation and get more mat time. For the serious American wrestler there is the opportunity to transfer. However, most associate Olympic glory with national pride, but for those who might find separation there are countries that would love to welcome more talented wrestlers to their roster. Q: Why won't UWW award one point past the 30-second shot clock and let the action continue during a shot? -- @kreat30D Foley: I don't know why this rules has become so confusing to follow. Think of it like basketball and you'll better understand. There are 30 seconds to SHOOT, not 30 seconds to score. In about 1/50 cases a shot at the end of the 30 seconds continues for a few moments after the clock, but only when the attacking wrestler is pressing. In your scenario there is a reduced incentive to wrestle hard for 30 seconds since the action will continue after the whistle. This rule, along with the pushout rule, has been a keystone to the success of freestyle wrestling the past two years. Matches are high scoring, wrestlers are aggressive and the over-tactical gamesmanship has been eliminated. Tweaking that now would only cause unnecessary confusion, and almost certainly a return to hyper gamesmanship. Q: What are your thoughts on redshirting after a year or more of experience? Any stats on doing better/worse after the redshirt year? -- @dmarble33 Foley: There are a variety of reasons for starting a freshman. There are an equal number of motivations for sitting them out. One of the best reasons I've heard for starting a freshman is that most will stay as serious in college as they had been in high school. Drop off in college happens when wrestlers find drinking, dining hall food and robust social calendars. For some it's a side distraction, while for others it becomes a main focus. In my opinion there are many more wrestlers in need of a year on the mat as a freshman than in need of a year in the bars. College is about learning how to learn and one of the great benefits to competing young is that it reduces the amount of time youngsters have to goof off, and when they do it comes at a cost. Time management and learning the true consequences of partying, staying up late and eating unhealthy are best witnessed under pressure. Unless you're certain that the redshirting freshman will stay out of trouble and on the mats I'd recommend that most join the team in year one and feel the pressure of a season as a college wrestler.

The UFC's top draw isn't Anderson Silva or Conor McGregor. The top draw is Ronda Rousey, the ferocious and photogenic bantamweight champion. From a declaration to never having women in the octagon to a promotion with a future tied to Rousey, the UFC is always looking to expand their offering, and for a fast depleting roster of bantamweights, that includes a valid challenger to Rousey. Kaori Icho, Japan (58 kilos) Lighter than Rousey, Icho had wrestled 60 kilos for several years before making the drop to 58 kilos. No matter the weight there is no question that Icho will go down as arguably the greatest women's wrestler in history. Her nine World championships and three Olympic gold medals place her in the top echelon of all international athletes. She's agile and has an instinct on the mat that leads her to widen scores and find the fall. Icho's UFC future is pretty bleak. She recently turned 30 years old and with Tokyo 2020 five years away -- and assuming she seeks a fifth gold medal -- Icho could be well past the age to enter the octagon when she finally hangs up the boots. But then again Icho has always thought outside conventional wisdom. She's traveled the world to not only wrestle, but learn English, study and spend time with friends. Her approach to the sport is one of technical greatness rather than placing herself above others. Maybe the challenges of striking and jiu-jitsu could appeal to her intellectual appetite. Joice Silva of Brazil claimed a gold medal at the Pan American Championships (Photo/T.R. Foley)Joice Silva, Brazil (58 kilos) The Pan American champion is Brazil's fastest rising star on the mats. She's shown dramatic improvement over the past two years and is now a staple in the top 20 internationally. Silva is longer than others on the list and coming from a nation known first for soccer and second for jiu-jitsu, she'd have ample opportunity to utilize those physical gifts from a quick introduction to choking out opponents. Should Silva fail to reach the Olympics, she is still young enough to make a pivot to the cage that could see her line up across the octagon from Rousey in under three years. She's really just that talented. Jackeline Rentaria Castillo, Colombia (63 kilos) The sixth-ranked wrestler at 63 kilos, Castillo is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and legitimate public persona in Colombia. She's extraordinarily gifted as an athlete and has a media sparkle that can attract big numbers for the UFC in Latin America and in the states. As with Rousey, Castillo is also attractive to magazine publishers and already has an established and large social media following. Technically she's not too far from learning some basic striking and jiu-jitsu, through the former would seem to suit her brawling form of wrestling quite well. Her strength is what could give her the edge in a matchup with Rousey -- just look at her gams. Katherine Vidiaux Lopez, Cuba (63 kilos) The Pan American champion at 63 kilos, Lopez made the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, though she failed to place. Strong as an ox and with a background in the Russian system of wrestling, you can track her potential success to that of countryman and former Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero. Lopez's secret weapon is that she, like many on the small but successful Cuban roster, once trained in judo. That background will be a key element in understanding, defending and hitting her own arm bars against Rousey in the octagon. Sukhee Tserenchimed, Mongolia (60 kilos) A long shot in terms of geography and her insistence on training in Mongolia rather than accepting a scholarship to train at a college in Japan, Sukhee Tserenchimed, known as Chimdee, is one of the most impressive young athletes in the sport of wrestling. Mongolia's Chimdee won a World title last year at 60 kilosThe defending World champion at 60 kilos, Chimdee uses brutal defense and creative counter attacks to give opponents fits on the mats. Her strength is also disproportional to her size, often crumpling opponents with whizzers whip overs, bear hugs and a variety of throws. That could be a technical advantage worthy of note when looking at a matchup with Rousey. The judoka has found a lot of forgiveness with her bad techniques in the octagon and similar errors would almost certainly result in a loss of position, if not worse, against a wrestler as balanced and strong as Chimdee. Chimdee also possess the type of local and regional fame that might be marketable within Asia. There is no secret that much of the regions still dislikes the Mongolian people, and though playing the heel would seem out of character for the genuinely kind wrestler, it's a promotional option that shouldn't be ignored.

Matt Gentry competed for Canada at the World Championships and Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Matt Gentry, NCAA wrestling champ, two-time Olympian and former coach, is one of eight Stanford grads to be welcomed into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2015 this fall, the California-based university announced Tuesday . Gentry holds the distinction of being Stanford's only NCAA Division I wrestling champion, winning the 157-pound title in 2004 to cap off a perfect 42-0 record his junior year. He was also named Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year in 2004. A A three-time team captain and three-time NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) Academic All-American, Gentry can claim unique spots within the Stanford wrestling book, including longest winning streak (64 matches), and second in all-time career (138) and single- season (42) victories. After graduating from Stanford in 2005 with a degree in human biology, Gentry was a member of the coaching staff for five seasons. Gentry's impressive mat resume includes accomplishments beyond "The Farm" (the nickname many at Stanford use for to the campus just south of San Francisco). As a freestyle wrestler, he was a two-time qualifier for the Olympics, wrestling for Canada in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games. (Gentry has dual citizenship in the US and Canada.) In addition, Gentry is a three-time Canadian Senior National Champion (2006, 2007, 2011), and a two-time Pan-American Games bronze medalist (2007, 2011). Gentry now lives in the Chicago area with his wife, Emily, and young son, Lucas, and runs a youth wrestling program. In addition to Gentry, other Stanford grads to be inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2015 include Alex Karakozoff '77 (football), Ogonna Nnamani '05 (women's volleyball), Kyle Peterson '97 (baseball), Nicole Powell '04 (women's basketball), Rick Schavone (diving head coach), Tara Kirk '04 (women's swimming) and Dana Sorensen '04 (softball). The eight inductees will be honored at a private reception and dinner at Bing Concert Hall on Friday, Oct. 16. The class will also be introduced to the public at halftime of Stanford's football game against UCLA on Thursday, Oct. 15.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State associate head coach Lou Rosselli has been named to the USA Wrestling coaching staff for the 2015 World Championships, which take place Sept. 7-12 in Las Vegas, Nev. Rosselli, who is the head coach of the Ohio Regional Training Center, will be part of a strong contingent representing the Ohio RTC, as three of the eight wrestlers competing train in Columbus – Reece Humphrey (61kg/134 lbs.), Kyle Snyder (97kg 213 lbs.) and Tervel Dlagnev (125kg/275 lbs.). Humphrey, Snyder and Dlagnev all won titles at the U.S. World Team Trails in Madison, Wisc. last month to qualify for the World Championships. A nine-year veteran on the Ohio State coaching staff, Rosselli was an integral part of bringing home the team's first-ever national championship. Hired by Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan in the spring of 2006, Rosselli was promoted to associate head coach following the 2008-09 season. The 2009 National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year and 2014 USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year, Rosselli helped guide Ohio State to a pair of NCAA runner-up finishes (2008, 2009) before the 2015 national title. As well, Rosselli was instrumental in mentoring two-time NCAA champion J Jaggers in 2008 and 2009 and has been behind the success off four-time NCAA champion (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Logan Stieber. Since 1997, the Ohio RTC has produced 15 World Team members, a 26 percent success rate. Dlagnev, Humphrey and Snyder have all had summers that produced multiple titles, including U.S. Open and World Team Trials championships. Dlagnev, a two-time Division II national champion and four-time All-American at Nebraska-Kearney, was recently named the John Smith Award Winner as USA Wrestling's Freestyle Wrestler of the Year. He won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and has competed in medal matches at the World Championships and Olympics five times, placing fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2011 and 2013 World Championships. Humphrey, a two-time All-American during his career for the Buckeyes (2005-10), is a three-time U.S. Open champion and three-time World Team member. He easily disposed of Daniel Dennis in the 61 kg/134 lbs. finals at the World Team Trials last month, easily defeating him 12-1 by technical fall in the first match and then completing the sweep with a 4-1 decision in the second match. Snyder, who concluded his freshmen season this past March for the national champion Buckeyes as the Big Ten and NCAA runner-up at 197 lbs., is the first collegiate athlete in NCAA history to win the U.S. Open and make the World Team as a freshman. He earned a victory over 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner in the finals of the U.S. Open championships and topped the 2014 World bronze medalist in Times Square. At the U.S. World Team Trials, Snyder defeated Varner twice and punched his ticket to the World Championships.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- United World Wrestling has announced a handful of scoring modifications for freestyle and women's wrestling. The reforms follow the recent success of similar changes in Greco-Roman wrestling. The revisions state that all turns are now two points regardless of where they occur on the mat or how far an opponent is from danger. Previously hand-to-hand exposures were counted as one point each. The auto touche -- a rule that had previously sought to encourage technical proficiency from the top position -- has also been eliminated. The rule had caused some scoring confusion among wrestlers and fans. Step-out rules were also improved. Wrestlers who have lift an opponent, but who step in the protection area during such an action are no longer penalized for the infraction. The situation rarely occurs in freestyle wrestling, but United World Wrestling wanted to clarify the ruling while also encouraging attacking wrestlers. "These were reasonable improvements that have passed through several commissions and were approved by the executive board," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "These changes will ensure a much better experience for the wrestlers and the fans of the sport."

Kyven Gadson, who claimed an NCAA title this past season for Iowa State, wrote an open letter announcing his decision to wrestle freestyle and train for the 2016 Olympic Games. Open Letter to the Gadson Strong Family! I am taking this time to announce that I will be training as a 2016 Olympic Hopeful at 97 kilos. Now, some people may ask why and I will tell you why. Growing up, when I wrote down my goals I'm pretty sure I skipped right to Olympic champion. That was and still is the pinnacle of wrestling. I will always remember seeing a poster of 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson on my brother's door. KJ looked like a "BAD MAN" in his USA gear and the gold medal. At that time, I didn't know I would wrestle for him when I grew up. As a child, I read books and heard stories about Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, the 1992 Dream Team; and I even watched Michael Johnson in 2000 at Sydney tear across the track. At a tender 8 years old, I knew that I wanted to become an Olympic champ. And besides, freestyle is just so much fun compared to some other styles! Haha. Just the other day, I was watching a home video of me and my dad having our first practice on December 31, 1998. I was six and a half at that time. I wasn't a very seasoned wrestler nor did I listen very well, as my dad commented during the video as he showed me a standup on our living room carpet. However, at the end of the video my dad proudly says, "That's Kyven's first lesson baby. …We have a long ways to go, but we'll get there buddy!" (Willie Gadson) Some people might ask, "Well, wasn't the NCAA Championship getting 'there'?" And for some people, the answer would be, yes. The NCAA title was definitely a form of getting "there." I am very proud of the way it ended. But, as I stated earlier, the dream has always been to become an Olympic champion. I attribute my thoughts of being finished in March to just plain exhaustion. After the NCAA Championship, I was very tired! Throughout my life I have dealt with adversity and setbacks, but I have learned to overcome them with my faith as my foundation and Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of my life! God has blessed me with talent, skills, and semi-good genetics (thanks Mom and Dad) :), as well as a mind to serve the Lord in all that I do and much much more. Ultimately, I am going to do this because this is something that I want for me, not because of outside pressure or anything like that. As I was contemplating the reasons to live out this Dream, I came to three very important why's: 1. To give Glory to God 2. I want to be the best in the World and you do that by becoming an Olympic Champion! 3. I want to KNOW! To be the BEST, what else is there?? I don't want to live with regret or have the thoughts in the back of my mind that I could've, I should've, or I would've…down the road. Therefore, the only way to not have those thoughts is to become a "Dream Catcher" sponsored by the Cyclone Wrestling Club out of Ames, IA. The Cyclone Wrestling Club has a rich and powerful history of producing Olympic gold medalists with their Legacy of Gold and Greatness at the Olympic Games. The other day while doing some reading I came across a picture of 2004 Olympian Paul Pierce and a quote that read, his entire life I know that both of these hurt, but the PAIN that lingers with regret is much more difficult to face than the pain of hard work! And just like Coach Jackson would say, "When has anyone ever said they regretted working hard?" Then Coach would answer his own question, "I never heard it!" "What hurts more, the PAIN of hard work or the PAIN of regret?" As a young man who has been striving to reach goals I will attack this journey to Río and then to the top of the podium with a R.A.R.E. mentality that will showcase my faith, focus, determination, work ethic, and talent! I hope to inspire my followers to make a difference and to go catch your dreams while persevering through the obstacles that you will face in life no matter how big they seem! Be Great! BE R.A.R.E. Cheers, If you would like to follow my journey and become a part of the Gadson Strong Family, look for the announcement of my website launch Gadsonstrong.com -- coming soon. To all those that have supported me along the way and will continue to support me, and to those just joining the Gadson Strong Family THANK YOU! I hope to see you in Río! Kyven "Showtime" Gadson #RumblingToRío

Three wrestlers who competed in college and in freestyle -- Dave and Mark Schultz, and Sara Fulp-Allen -- will be among the ten honorees to be welcomed as members of the Class of 2015 into the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in California, PaloAltoOnline.com reported Wednesday. The honorees are athletes, coaches and others within the world of sport with connections to the area immediately south of San Francisco, who, quoting the Palo Alto website, "have inspired others with their leadership skills and athletic abilities." Dave Schultz and Mark SchultzThe Schultz brothers both graduated from Palo Alto High School, where elder brother Dave was a California high school state champ in 1977, while Mark excelled in gymnastics. Dave won an NCAA title for the University of Oklahoma in 1982; Mark was a three-time NCAA champ for the Oklahoma Sooners. Both brothers won gold medals in freestyle competition at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Dave was murdered by millionaire wrestling benefactor John du Pont at the Foxcatcher Olympic training facility in January 1996. Mark's memoir, Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold, was the basis of the Oscar-nominated film Foxcatcher which premiered in theaters in late 2014. Mark Schultz was welcomed as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995; Dave was inducted posthumously in 1997. Sara Fulp-Allen attended Menlo College from 2003-07, where she won three national college wrestling titles, and was named the Female Don Bikie Athlete of the Year. She then moved to Colorado Springs to train at the US Olympic Training Center from 2007-11. Fulp-Allen was a seven-time national team member who, among her career highlights, was a 2005 US National champion, placed third at both the 2004 and 2008 US Olympic Trials, and earned a silver medal at the University World Championships. She is now Women's Director of the Virginia Wrestling Association. The induction ceremony for the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame will take place Thursday, July 23 at the San Mateo County Event Center. In addition to the Schultz brothers and Fulp-Allen, other honorees in the Class of 2015 include Peter Ueberroth, the former Major League Baseball Commissioner and 1984 Olympic Games organizer from Burlingame High; former NFL player Ryan Boschetti from Carlmont High; Aragon High cross country and track coach Bill Daskarolis; former Hillsdale High basketball standout Debbie Dyson; former Menlo School baseball coach and Athletic Director Craig Schoof; current Pinewood girls basketball coach Doc Scheppler; and former Menlo-Atherton High track and field standout Chi Johnson.

Jeff Blatnick, 1984 Olympic gold medalist and NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling champ, will be welcomed into the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) Hall of Fame Thursday in Las Vegas, nearly three years after his death. Blatnick never stepped into the Octagon as a fighter. However, the wrestling star was instrumental in shaping mixed martial arts (MMA) in general -- and UFC in particular -- in a number of ways, including as an UFC event commentator for every UFC event from the beginning in 1994 through 2001, and as a UFC commissioner ... and, perhaps more fundamentally, as someone who helped develop rules for the sport, and was a major force in helping to reshape a negative public perception of the UFC early in its history. Jeff Blatnick"One of the problems that Blatnick helped the UFC's first owners at the Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) identify and correct was one of perception," wrote Ben Fowlkes of MMAJunkie.com. "When he came to the sport as a commentator at UFC 4, there was still a somewhat positive, though mostly curious buzz surrounding the spectacle of cage fighting." That perception started to change to the negative, due in part to outside influences, such as Sen. John McCain, a former prep school and US Naval Academy wrestler, who referred to UFC as "human cockfighting" ... as well as the UFC itself, which for a time back in the early 1990s, used the advertising slogan "There Are No Rules!" which fueled the perception in the minds of large segments of the general population that UFC was two guys in a cage beating each other bloody. "Jeff recognized that those problems weren't going to go away on their own," longtime referee John McCarthy told MMAJunkie.com. Blatnick was instrumental in developing unified rules for MMA in 2001 ... and, in fact, helping to rebrand the sport as MMA which, for years previously, had been known as no holds barred, or NHB. "Jeff was fond of referring to the sport as a 'mixing of the martial arts,' and realized that the terms 'no-holds-barred', 'vale tudo', or 'cage fighting' would hamper the acceptance of the sport by regulators, distributors and sponsors," said Nick Lembo, counsel for the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board which governs MMA in the Garden State. "Jeff had the foresight to see that the sport's growth required a detailed rule set, a list of prohibited actions, and the oversight of athletic commissions in order to grow the sport." The fact that Jeff Blatnick had won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics -- despite having battled Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer, and had his spleen and appendix removed -- was critical to his success in helping to reshape MMA. It got him in front of politicians and other decision-makers to make his case for UFC. And Blatnick's efforts helped open the door to new career opportunities for other Olympians and former college wrestling stars once they had hung up their singlets, from Olympic gold medalist wrestlers such as Mark Schultz and Kevin Jackson in the 1990s, all the way up to judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey and wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo in the current era. "I think he fell in love with the idea that this sport gave wrestlers something to do and somewhere to go," McCarthy said. "If you wanted to wrestle in the Olympics and that was your dream, great, but if you wanted to do something later on, this was going to be an avenue you could take. This was something that he honestly believed would help wrestling grow, because that was first love. And he was right. MMA has helped wrestling, and wrestling has helped MMA. He was absolutely correct that a lot of great wrestlers would enter MMA and become great fighters." As MMAJunkie.com concluded its profile of Blatnick on the eve of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, "What's often forgotten now is the full extent of his impact on MMA, from reshaping the name and the perception of the sport, to developing the modern rulebook, and even pushing for certain figures who would go on to have a profound effect on the future of the UFC." No less a figure than UFC President Dana White weighed in, saying, "Jeff Blatnick is a name that newer fans may not be familiar with, but this guy was a huge part of the UFC's development in the 1990s. He pushed for greater regulation, unified rules and -- because he was an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling -- he had credibility with everyone in the sport. It is our honor to recognize his huge contributions to the UFC by inducting him into the UFC Hall of Fame." Beyond his involvement in UFC, Blatnick was well-known as a commentator for NCAA and Olympic wrestling telecasts. The New York native first made a name for himself on the wrestling mat at Niskayuna High School, where he won the New York state title in the heavyweight division in 1975. He then continued his mat career at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., where he won two NCAA Division II heavyweight titles, then became a two-time NCAA Division I All-American, placing sixth at the 1978 NCAAs and third in 1979. (Back then, D2 wrestling champs were eligible to compete at the NCAA Div. I Championships.) Blatnick earned a place on two U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling teams. The 1980 squad did not compete because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. However, Blatnick was able to compete at the 1984 Olympics, where he won the gold medal in superheavyweight competition, joining Steve Fraser as the first two U.S. Greco wrestlers to claim gold in Olympic competition. Blatnick carried the flag for the U.S. at the Closing Ceremonies at the '84 Games. His story of overcoming cancer made his Olympic accomplishments all the sweeter, and made him known to a wider public beyond the amateur wrestling community. In addition to serving as a UFC commentator during the organization's formative years, Blatnick was instrumental in helping to establish rules for the sport, and, in fact, was licensed as an MMA judge and referee in New Jersey. He also remained connected to wrestling, serving as a high school coach in upstate New York right up to his passing in October 2012, the result of cardio-pulmonary arrest following heart surgery in Schenectady, N.Y. at age 55. Jeff Blatnick was welcomed as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. in 1999. In addition to Jeff Blatnick, others who are being welcomed into the UFC Hall of Fame include Frank Trigg, Matt Hughes, Bas Rutten, and B.J. Penn.

Edinboro University Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner today announced the addition of former Fighting Scots All-American Mitchell Port to the wrestling staff. Port concluded his wrestling career at Edinboro in March, joining a small group of three-time All-Americans at Edinboro. "We're ecstatic," exclaimed head coach Tim Flynn in regards to Port's addition to the coaching staff. "We haven't had a volunteer in a couple years. To get one of that caliber is outstanding. He wanted to stay and we wanted him. What better fit could you find? We have a young team. To be able to learn from one of our greatest wrestlers ever, particularly with his work ethic, will be of great benefit to our wrestlers. It's just an all-around great fit." Port concluded his career with a 132-17 record while competing at 141 lbs., tied for eighth in career victories. His 35 falls ranks ninth. He finished as the runner-up at Nationals as a sophomore and senior and took home third place as a junior. His .886 career winning percentage ranks third. A native of Bellefonte, Pa., Port was named the 2015 PSAC Athlete of the Year while sharing EWL Wrestler of the Year honors with teammate Dave Habat. He was previously named the EWL Wrestler of the Year in 2013 and '14 and the PSAC Athlete of the Year in 2013. He was also named WrestlingReport.com's 2015 Pennsylvania Collegiate Wrestler of the Year. He was a four-time PSAC champion and won three EWL titles. He helped lead the Fighting Scots to the 2015 Eastern Wrestling League dual meet and tournament championships, along with a fourth straight PSAC championship. Edinboro capped the year with its best finish ever at the NCAA Division I National Championships. Flynn's Fighting Scots finished in third place as a record-tying four wrestlers earned All-American honors. Port became a three-time All-American after reaching the finals at 141 lbs. for the second time in three years. Seeded second, he won his first four matches, including a 9-4 decision over seventh-seed Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers in the quarterfinals and a 14-2 major decision over Chris Mecate of Old Dominion, the 11th seed, in the semifinals. Port dropped an 11-5 decision to top-seed Logan Stieber of Ohio State in the finals. Port ended the year with a 36-2 record with 13 falls, two technical falls, and nine major decisions. He won his fourth PSAC championship along with a third EWL crown, and also picked up his second Midlands Championships title. He was named the Art Craft Champion of Champions at the Midlands. In addition, he received the EWL's Most Dual Points award. After redshirting in 2010-11, Port enjoyed an outstanding first season as the starter at 141 lbs. in 2011-12. He ended the year with a 30-10 record and reached the Round of 12 at Nationals. He finished second at the EWL Championships and won his first PSAC crown. Port's second trip to Nationals resulted in a run to the title match after a 7-6 upset of top-seeded Hunter Stieber of Ohio State in the semifinals. He would drop a 4-3 decision to second-seeded Kendric Maple of Oklahoma in the 141 lb. national championship match. Port ended his redshirt sophomore season with a 34-4 record and was named the EWL and PSAC Wrestler of the Year. He won his first EWL crown and second PSAC championship. In 2013-14, Port was named the EWL Wrestler of the Year after becoming a two-time All-American with a third place finish at 141 lbs. He ended the year with a 32-1 record with 13 falls, and would finish third at Nationals. He claimed his second EWL and third PSAC titles while being named the EWL Wrestler of the Year for the second time. He also won his first Midlands Championships crown. Port was a three-time PIAA place-winner and four-time state qualifier at Bellefonte Area High School. He won the 125 lb. PIAA Class AAA state championships as a senior.

Griffin Parriott is the nation's No. 22 recruit by InterMatTwo-time state champion Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.), the nation's No. 22 recruit, verbally committed to Purdue on Wednesday morning, where he joins No. 75 Devin Schroder (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) as a top 100 wrestler in the Boilermakers' 2016 recruiting class. Parriott was undefeated on his way to a second consecutive state title in 2014-15, which included victories in the finals of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament and Cheesehead Invitational over nationally ranked wrestlers. Before the season, Parriott placed fifth in the Super 32 Challenge and was a runner-up at the InterMat JJ Classic. This spring he was third at 66 kilos in the UWW Junior Nationals. Parriott projects as a 157-pound wrestler in college. Purdue finished this past season with a 10-8 dual meet record under the direction of first-year head coach Tony Ersland. Eight Boilermakers qualified for the NCAAs, a program high that was previously accomplished in 1993 and 2003.

One week ago today was the conclusion of the AAU Scholastic (Disney) Duals in the District All-Star division. The event was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Talented wrestlers were abound throughout the teams competing in the event ... some appeared in the weight class and/or grade-level rankings this past season, and others will fit in the rankings during the next season. The rest of this article will discuss a wrestler from almost every weight class that will be competing during the 2015-16 high school season, who had an excellent tournament based on overall record as well as notable victories. Weight classes at this event were scratch plus five pounds with a weigh-in held the evening (Saturday) before the four-day (Sunday-Wednesday) competition. 106: Tristan Serbus (Corunna, Mich./Michigan Blue) Serbus went 11-0 in contested matches (i.e. not forfeits), including ten wins by fall, half of those in the first period. Included in those falls are two over state champions, Mason Wohltman (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and Dakota Roark (West Wilkes, N.C.). Additional falls came against state placer Kevan Gentile (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) and ranked incoming freshman Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio). This past season he finished second in his state tournament at 112 pounds. Others to go undefeated: Matt Kazimir (St. Edward, Ohio/The Wrestling Factory of Cleveland) and Cole Manley (Altoona, Pa./Young Guns Black) 113: Joseph Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla./CFWA-South Florida Lightning) Silva, ranked nationally in the Class of 2018, went 12-0 in contested matches with only one victory not coming by a bonus point outcome. In total, half of his matches ended in a fall, with two others being technical falls. Notable wins included pins over two-time state placers in Daniel Moran (Northampton, Pa.) and Ana Abduljelil (Whitehall, Ohio), as well as a 2-1 tiebreak victory over fellow nationally ranked Class of 2018 wrestler Tommy Hoskins (Dayton Christian, Ohio). Others to go undefeated: Jack Wagner (Bettendorf, Iowa/Iowa Black) and Max Murin (Central Cambria, Pa./Young Guns Black) 120: Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio/Ohio Mafia) Despite suffering a loss during the course of the tournament, 3-1 against state champion Kyran Hagan (Eureka, Mo.), the top five Class of 2018 prospect had an excellent tournament going 11-1. This included three victories over two-time state champions: 10-8 in the tiebreaker over Jacob Schwarm (Bettendorf, Iowa), 5-2 over Lucas Hall (Lowell, Mich.), and a 12-2 major decision over Danny Bertoni (Middletown, Md.). An additional victory of note came 2-0 in overtime against two-time state placer Colin Glorioso (Huntingdon, Pa.). Lone undefeated wrestler: Allan Hart (St. Edward, Ohio/The Wrestling Factory of Cleveland) 126: Colby Smith (Holt, Mo./Ozark Team STL Slayers) The top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler went 8-0 in contested matches during the tournament, with six of those wins coming by bonus points (two pins, two technical falls, and two major decisions). Four of those wins came against noted state placers, including a 14-5 major decision over Zach Trampe (Council Rock South, Pa.), a state runner-up and top 50 Class of 2017 wrestler. The others were by 16-0 technical fall over state runner-up Grant Stotts (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa), 5-0 over 2013 state placer Jacob Wasser (Palisades, Pa.), and 8-4 over Tanner Smith (Mechanicsburg, Ohio). Others to go undefeated: Brendan Black (Hobart, Ind./Indiana Gorillas) and Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa./MAWA Blue) 132: George Phillippi (Derry Area, Pa./Young Guns Black) The top 15 Class of 2016 wrestler went 9-1 for the tournament, including a 4-3 win over top 50 Class of 2015 wrestler Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, Ohio), as well as a 9-4 decision over state champion and Junior National freestyle All-American Jonathan Gabriel (Bedford, Pa.). The loss came by a 5-3 score over graduated senior Evan Cheek (Milan Edison, Ohio), a state champion this past season. Undefeated wrestlers: Kizhan Clarke (Riverview, Fla./Special Ops) and Josh Heil (Brunswick, Ohio/Ohio Devils) 138: Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford, Pa./Young Guns Black) The top ten Class of 2017 wrestler was an undefeated 10-0 for the tournament, including eight victories coming by bonus point outcomes, six of those being first period wins by fall. Notable wins included a 3-2 decision over two-time state champion Nate Hagan (Toledo Central Catholic, Ohio), a 15-2 major decision over three-time state placer Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa.), a 7-6 victory over top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and a 0:33 fall against New England runner-up Ryan Monteiro (Minnechaug, Mass.). 145: Logan Lacure (Dayton Christian, Ohio/Ohio Grapplers) Two-time state champion Lacure fell outside of the top 100 rankings for the Class of 2016 in the most recent update, but he had a most excellent Disney Duals going 9-2. Those two losses came against top 100 Class of 2015 wrestlers in No. 14 Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa) and No. 75 Patricio Lugo (South Dade, Fla.). Lacure's best win of the tournament came in the form of a 4-3 win over top 100 Class of 2016 wrestle Kevin Budock (Good Counsel, Md.), while he also had three other rather notable wins: 7-4 over two-time state champion Austin Thompson (Marysville, Mich.), 7-4 over state runner-up and top 50 Class of 2018 wrestler Robbie Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.), and 5-3 over three-time state placer Nick Monico (Saegertown, Pa.). 152: Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind./Michigan Gold Pitbulls) This state champion, and No. 34 ranked overall Class of 2016 wrestler, went 7-0 for the tournament in contested matches. This included a 3-0 victory over top 30 Class of 2017 wrestler Kaleb Romero (Mechanicsburg, Ohio), and a 1-0 win over fellow top 100 Class of 2016 wrestler Elijah Cleary (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.). The five other wins for Hughes during the event came in the form of shutout technical falls. Others to go undefeated: Lawrence Kosoy (Olympic Heights, Fla./CFWA-South Florida Lightning) 160: Kaleb Young (Punxsatawney, Pa./Young Guns Black) Like in the 145 pound weight class, no returning to high school wrestler went undefeated in this weight class during the event. The most notable performance by an underclassman was from Young, an Iowa commit who is ranked No. 40 overall in the Class of 2016. He went 8-1 in contested matches during the event, including a 5-3 decision over top 100 Class of 2015 wrestler Cole Watler (Mifflinburg, Pa.) and a 0:54 pin over state runner-up Jesse Beverly (Delta, Ohio). The lone loss for Young was 4-2 against another top 100 Class of 2015 wrestler in Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.). 170: Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa./MAWA Blue) The top 20 Class of 2016 won his first National Prep championship this past season, and just went 10-0 during the Disney Duals. Furthermore, eight of those wins came by bonus point outcomes. Notable victories included a win by fall over two-time state champion Raekwon Reggler (Somerset Academy, Fla.), a 7-5 win over another two-time state champion in Jacob Holschlag (Union, Iowa), along with a 13-0 major decision over two-time state placer Jake Shaffer (Greater Latrobe, Pa.). 182: Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich./Ohio Grapplers) The Disney Duals served as a culmination to a very busy eight-day stretch for this top ten Class of 2018 wrestler. Two weeks prior to the Junior Duals/Disney Duals extravaganza, Whitman went 15-0 across styles at the Cadet Duals. At the Junior Duals (the Wednesday through Saturday before Disney), he went 12-2 across styles (7-1 Greco-Roman, 5-1 freestyle) before making the flight to Florida. While at Disney, he went 11-0 with some notable wins: 2-1 over top ten Class of 2017 wrestler Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, N.J.), 2-1 over state champion Joe Teague (Algona, Iowa), 5-1 over state champion Shane Rodenburg (New Kent, Mich.), and 6-4 over state champion Matthew Kindler (Aquinas Catholic, Neb.). Others to go undefeated: Dakota Geer (Franklin, Pa./MAWA Blue) and Garrett Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.) 220: Seth Janney (South Western, Pa./Brawlers Elite Thunder) Ranked inside the top 50 for the Class of 2017, this state runner-up went 8-0 in contested matches during the Disney Duals, with five of those wins coming by fall. Notable victories included a 7-5 decision over two-time state placer Gabriel Rangel (Davenport Assumption, Iowa), a pin in 1:06 over two-time state placer Devin Richard (Delta, Ohio), a 7-6 decision over state runner-up Jalen Martin (Jefferson City, Mo.), and a 4-1 victory over state champion Cary Miller (Northwest Guilford, N.C.). Others to go undefeated: Chase Beard (Allegan, Mich./Michigan Gold Pitbulls) 285: Gabriel Beyer (Leon, Fla./CFWA-South Florida Lightning) Totally off the radar as just a state runner-up without any other notable credentials prior to the Disney Duals, Beyer certainly enhanced his profile with an 11-1 mark in contested matches during the event. This included three rather high profile victories: 3-2 over Flo Nationals champion Nick Coe (Asheboro, N.C.), 7-3 over state champion Chance Veller (Delta, Ohio), and 4-1 against National Prep champion Michael Rogers (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.). The lone loss came 4-3 against state runner-up Deaken McCoy (Galion, Ohio), while Beyer also earned 3-2 victory over two-time National Prep placer Kosta Golobokov (The Phelps School, Pa.). Undefeated wrestler: Dante Jiovanetta (Coral Shores, Fla./Special Ops)