InterMat Staff

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- No. 24 Central Michigan opened the dual meet season with a pair of victories Sunday, sweeping No. 12 Stanford, 22-13, and Chattanooga, 24-8. Six Chippewas were double winners as CMU won seven bouts in both duals. Three freshmen—Joey Kielbasa (149), Mike Ottinger (165) and Anthony Bill (174)—posted their first career dual meet victories. Ottinger won both of his matches on Sunday. "I thought we wrestled really solidly today," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "We put ourselves in some pretty good positions and were able to win some pretty tight matches, especially against Chattanooga. For as young as we are, I thought it was a pretty good start today." Sophomore Joe Roth set the tone in both duals, scoring two major decisions at 125 pounds. He defeated Stanford's Matt Sencenbaugh and Chattanooga's Daniel Gallagher by a combined score of 26-7. Sophomore Scott Mattingly, ranked 20th nationally at 141 pounds by InterMat, scored a pair of narrow victories. He was a 3-2 winner over Stanford's Donovan Halpin, then out-scored Chattanooga's Shawn Greevy, 11-9, in his second bout of the day. Also claiming two victories for the Chippewas were junior Donnie Corby (157), Ottinger (165), junior Ben Bennett (184) and senior Peter Sturgeon (285). Bennett defeated his two opponents by a combined score of 20-0, including a 15-0 technical fall in just 4:12 against Chattanooga's Robert Prigmore. He has not allowed an offensive point in his last five dual meet matches dating back to last season. Sturgeon won the only overtime match of the day, scoring a takedown in the second sudden victory period against Stanford's Dan Scherer. Bennett and Borrelli are traveling to Arizona tonight in advance of tomorrow's NWCA All-Star Classic at Arizona State University. Bennett, a two-time All-American at 174 pounds, will face three-time 184-pound All-American Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) in the 184-pound bout tomorrow night. The all-star event begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be streamed live through nwcaonline.com. The Chippewas are back in action Saturday when they travel to New York for the Northeast Duals. CMU will compete against American, Maryland, Northern Iowa and Rutgers at the event. No. 24 Central Michigan 22, No. 12 Stanford 13 125: Joe Roth (CMU) maj. dec. Matt Sencenbaugh (Stanford), 14-4; CMU 4-0 133: No. 6 Ryan Mango (Stanford) pin Tyler Keselring (CMU), 3:48; Stanford 6-4 141: No. 20 Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Donovan Halpin (Stanford), 3-2; CMU 7-6 149: Joey Kielbasa (CMU) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 3-1; CMU 10-6 157: No. 20 Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Josh Lauderdale (Stanford), 11-4; CMU 13-6 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Matt Schneider (Stanford), 6-4; CMU 16-6 174: No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) maj. dec. Anthony Bill (CMU), 10-2; CMU 16-10 184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) dec. Spence Patrick (Stanford), 5-0; CMU 19-10 197: Alen Yen (Stanford) dec. Chad Friend (CMU), 8-6; CMU 19-13 285: No. 15 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) dec. Dan Scherer (Stanford), 4-2 SV2; CMU 22-13 No. 24 Central Michigan 24, Chattanooga 8 125: Joe Roth (CMU) maj. dec. Daniel Gallagher (UTC), 12-3; CMU 4-0 133: Nick Soto (UTC) dec. Christian Cullinan (CMU), 5-0; CMU 4-3 141: No. 20 Scott Mattingly (CMU) dec. Shawn Greevy (UTC), 11-9; CMU 7-3 149: Kelly Felix (UTC) dec. Joey Kielbasa (CMU), 4-2; CMU 6-5 157: No. 20 Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Daniel Waddell (UTC), 3-2; CMU 9-5 165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) dec. Brandon Wright (UTC), 3-2; CMU 12-5 174: Anthony Bill (CMU) dec. Levi Clemons (UTC), 6-5; CMU 15-5 184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) tech. fall Robert Prigmore (UTC), 15-0 at 4:12; CMU 20-5 197: Nikolas Brown (UTC) dec. Chad Friend (CMU), 5-3; CMU 20-8 285: No. 15 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) maj. dec. Kevin Malone (UTC), 10-2; CMU 24-8 *Both teams were penalized one team point following the 149-pound bout.

Hempstead, NY -- Hofstra won the first three matches of the day, including two by tech fall, and added four more victories to post a 25-12 win over the Wisconsin Badgers at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Pride (1-0) win was the first for new Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach. Wisconsin drops its first dual of the season and is now 5-1. Hofstra junior Steve Bonanno (Wantagh, NY), ranked 14th at 125 pounds by InterMat this week, got the Pride off on the right foot with an 18-2 tech fall over junior Shane McQuade (3-3) in 4:23. Bonanno, who led 9-2 after one period, is now 3-2 on the season. Red-shirt sophomore Jamie Franco (Monroe, NY) gave the Pride an 8-0 lead with a 4-3 decision over red-shirt junior Tom Kelliher in the first tie-breaker of the 133-pound match. Franco (5-3) won on an escape near the end of the tie-breaker. Red-shirt sophomore Luke Vaith (Hastings, MN), rebounded from an ankle injury last week, to post a 16-0 tech fall over red-shirt freshman Thomas Glenn in 4:29 at 141 pounds. Vaith, who is now 3-1 on the season, gave the Pride a 13-0 lead in the contest. Wisconsin got on the board at 149 pounds as 13th-ranked red-shirt junior Cole Schmitt (5-0) recorded a 7-2 decision over Hofstra red-shirt junior Justin Accordino (Wilkes-Barre, PA). Schmitt jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period and only allowed a second period takedown. But Hofstra came back at 157 as junior Tyler Banks (Griswold, CT) notched a second period reversal and added the riding time point in a 3-0 win over red-shirt sophomore Shawn Perry. Banks is 3-2 on the year. The Pride extended their lead to 19-3 at 165 as senior All-American P.J. Gillespie (Long Beach, NY) posted a 3-1 win over the Badger's 16th-ranked senior Ben Jordan. Gillespie, who is 6-0 on the year and ranked fifth in the nation, made a first period takedown and a second period escape standup in the match. The Badgers recorded their second win of the match at 174 as red-shirt freshman Frank Cousins (4-2) pinned Hofstra freshman Jermaine John (Brooklyn, NY) at the 5:53 mark. The match was tied at 3-3 early in the third period before Cousins pinned John (2-3). But Pride senior Ben Clymer (Germansville, PA), ranked 20th at 184 pounds this week, tallied a third period escape and the riding time point in a 2-0 win over red-shirt freshman Timmy McCall (5-1). Clymer, who is now 4-1 on the season, gave the Pride a 22-9 advantage in the match. Red-shirt sophomore Jackson Hein (5-1) defeated Pride sophomore Matt Loew (Wantagh, NY), 11-6 at 197 pounds to close the deficit to 22-12. But Hofstra junior Paul Snyder (Greensburg, PA) closed out the match with a 5-2 decision over red-shirt sophomore Cole Tobin at 285 for the final 25-12 margin. Snyder is now 6-1 on the season. The Pride will return to action on Friday and Saturday, December 2-3 when they travel to Nevada for the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Results: 125: Steve Bonanno, HOFS, tech. fall Shane McQuade, WISC, 4:23 17-2. 133: Jamie Franco, HOFS, dec. OT Thomas Kelliher, WISC, 4-3. 141: Luke Vaith, HOFS, tech. fall Thomas Glenn, WISC, 4:29 15-0. 149: Coulthurst Schmitt, WISC, dec. Justin Accordino, HOFS, 7-2. 157: Tyler Banks, HOFS, dec. Shawn Perry, WISC, 3-0. 165: Paul Gillespie, HOFS, dec. Benjamin Jordan, WISC, 3-1. 174: Frank Cousins Jr., WISC, pinned Jermaine John, HOFS, 5:53. 184: Ben Clymer, HOFS, dec. Timothy McCall, WISC, 2-0. 197: Jackson Hein, WISC, dec. Matt Loew, HOFS, 11-6. 285: Paul Snyder, HOFS, dec. Cole Tobin, WISC, 5-2.

NORFOLK, Va. - Scott Festejo earned a pin at 133-pounds and Old Dominion University wrestling knocked off No. 23 Iowa State 21-16 Sunday afternoon at the Ted Constant Center. ODU moves to 3-1 in dual meets this season while the Cyclones drop to 0-3 on the year. The match started at 125, where Iowa State's Ryak Finch gave ISU their only lead of the match with an 8-2 decision over Eric Dunnet. At 133, Shayden Terukina got the first takedown, but it was all Festejo from there, as he built a lead and was able to turn Terukina for the pin with a minute left in the third period. Justin LaValle delivered a 6-2 decision over RJ Hallman before ISU got another win with a 3-1 sudden victory decision at 149 for Joey Cozart. No. 14 John Nicholson had control from the get-go at 157, dominating in a 23-8 technical fall. Andrew Sorenson won a tight match at 165 over Tristan Warner, 6-4. In a matchup featuring a pair of top-10 wresters, No. 10 Te Edwards knocked off No. 7 Chris Spangler 5-4 by earning the riding time point. Boaz Beard defeated Billy Curling at 184 but Joe Budi put together an 11-0 major decision over Cole Shafer to clinch the team victory for ODU. Matt Gibson won the final match of the night at 285, with a 13-1 major decision over Matt Tourdot. Results: 125: #13 Ryak Finch (ISU) dec. Eric Dunnet (ODU) 8-2 ISU 3-0 133: Scott Festejo (ODU) Fall Shayden Terukina (ISU) 6:00 ODU 6-3 141: Justin LaValle (ODU dec. RJ Hallman (ISU) 6-2 ODU 9-3 149: Joey Cozart (ISU) SV Brennan Brumley (ODU) 3-1 ODU 9-6 157: #14 John Nicholson (ODU) Tech. Fall Luke Swalla (ISU) 23-8 ODU 14-6 165: #6 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) dec. Tristan Warner (ODU) 6-4 ODU 14-9 174: #10 Te Edwards (ODU) dec. #7 Chris Spangler (ISU) 5-4 ODU 17-9 184: #16 Boaz Beard (ISU) dec. Billy Curling (ODU) 10-5 ODU 17-12 197: Joe Budi (ODU) MD Cole Shafer (ISU) 11-0 ODU 21-12 285: #19 Matt Gibson (ISU) MD Matt Tourdot (ODU) 13-1 ODU 21-16 Attendance: 1,526

The No. 3/4 Golden Gopher Wrestling team pulled off the upset this afternoon over No. 2 Penn State University, 23-14. Penn State came into the dual as the defending Big Ten and NCAA Champions. Minnesota took seven of the 10 matches, with Sonny Yohn's match at 197 lbs., being the deciding factor, as he defeated the Nitany Lions Morgan McIntosh by a thrilling 4-3 decision, to give the Gophers a 20-14 lead heading into the final match. J Robinson won his 375th match as the head coach at the University of Minnesota (Photo/Bill Ennis)Yohn, who was down 0-1 after the second, started down to begin the final period and quickly got the escape point to make it 1-1. Both grapplers then went down to the wire in the closing minute. McIntosh scored a takedown with 20 seconds left to go, to take the 3-1 lead, but Yohn quickly got the escape and scored a takedown to take a 4-3 lead in the final seconds, to ice the dual for the Gophers . Tony Nelson stepped into the circle needing to just stay alive and not fall to a pin to give Minnesota the win. Nelson and Penn State's Cameron Wade went scoreless through the first period, before Nelson started on bottom in the second and scored the escape point. Nelson would then record a takedown to make it 4-0 and close it out winning 5-0, to give the Gophers the 23-14 team victory. “This was great for the guys today,” Head Coach J Robinson said. “The guys wrestled with great intensity, focus and dominance today. Overall it was our attitude that carried us today and that is what will carry us throughout the season.” Other Gopher wins came from senior Zach Sanders (125), David Thorn (133), Nick Dardanes (141), Jake Dietchler (157) and Kevin Steinhaus (184). Sanders started off the morning pretty similar to his match on Friday night. He had control of Penn State's Nico Megaludis for all seven minutes and pulled through with the 6-2 victory. Sanders now has 108 career wins for the Gophers. Following Sanders performance, Minnesota picked up two wins by major decisions. Thorn, who was trying to follow up from his performance on Friday night (fall: 2:25) took down Derek Reber , by score of 14-5. Nick Dardanes got back on the winning side of things today and picked up the19-6 major over Sam Sherlock. Dardanes's victory gave Minnesota the 11-0 lead and gave the Gophers a total of 10 takedowns oppose to Penn State's zero. Deitchler picked up the win in a close 9-4 decision over Dylan Alton. Both wrestlers traded shots durning the first period and most the action took place in the second. Alton started underneath to start the second and got away at 20 seconds into the period. They both battled back for a bit before Deitchler got in on a single leg for the takedown, to make it 3-3 after the second. Deitchler would score a couple more takedowns in the third and with the riding time pulled out the win. Sixth-ranked Kevin Steinhaus defeated NCAA champion and top-ranked Quentin Wright at 184 (Photo/Bill Ennis)Steinhaus's upset over No. 1 Quentin Wright was the highlight that gave the spark the Gophers needed. This match was quiet for the first period, as no points were scored until Wright started on bottom to open the second and quickly scored the escape. Steinhaus responded right back with a take down to take the 2-1 lead and would control the remainder of the match with a pair of takedowns and riding time, to pick up the 6-1 win. “That match was a huge match for us,” Assistant Head Coach Brandon Eggum said in regards to Steinhaus's upset. “As a group we regrouped pretty well after Friday's loss. We told the guys that today was a new day and that we can learn from our mistakes.” Minnesota will now return home for their first home dual competition of the season, next Sunday Nov. 17, when they host North Dakota State University at 2 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion. NOTE: With today's win Head Coach J Robinson now has 375 wins as the Gophers commander. His overall record is 375-127-4. Results: 125: #2 Zach Sanders MINN dec. #18 Nico Megaludis PSU, 6-2 133: #7 David Thorn MINN maj. dec. Derek Reber PSU, 14-5 141: #10 Nick Dardanes MINN maj. dec. Sam Sherlock PSU, 19-6 149: #1 Frank Molinaro PSU dec. #5 Dylan Ness MINN, 16-10 157: #9 Jake Deitchler MINN dec. #11 Dylan Alton PSU, 9-4 165: #1 David Taylor PSU tech. fall #8 Cody Yohn MINN, 16-1 (TF; 4:29) 174: #2 Ed Ruth PSU pinned Alec Ortiz MINN, 2:48 184: #6 Kevin Steinhaus MINN dec. #1 Quentin Wright PSU, 6-1 197: #2 Sonny Yohn PSU dec. #10 Morgan McIntosh PSU, 4-3 285: #3 Tony Nelson MINN dec. #4 Cameron Wade PSU, 5-0

In an epic encounter between two former Pride Fighting Championships cornerstones, Dan Henderson emerged victorious. Backed by his vicious right hand and indomitable will, Henderson captured a narrow unanimous decision from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the UFC 139 headliner on Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. All three judges scored it 48-47 for the 41-year-old Henderson, a two-time Olympian who has pieced together one of the most impressive resumes in all of mixed martial arts. Henderson (29-8, 6-2 UFC) was the dominant force in rounds one through three, as he wobbled Rua numerous times with his thudding right hand. They exchanged violently throughout the grueling 25-minute battle. Rua seemed to teeter on the brink of defeat more than once, including in the third round, when Henderson blasted the Brazilian with right hands, followed him to the canvas and swarmed with hammerfists. Somehow, Shogun survived. However, when he rose to his feet, he was a battered and bloodied mess, his white shorts stained pink. “That guy can take an F-ing punch. I hit him hard,” said Henderson, who has rattled off four wins in a row. “I thought I could finish him in the first two or three rounds. He finished the fight strong, but I thought I had the first three rounds easily. “I should have had him finished, but the gas tank was running a little low at that point,” he added. “It very well could be [the toughest fight of my career]. It started out strong for me, but he hung in there with great heart, like a champion should.” The tide turned in Rua's favor in the fourth round, as he wobbled Henderson, struck for multiple takedowns and mounted the Team Quest co-founder. With Henderson clearly on fumes, Rua (20-6, 4-4 UFC) capitalized in the fifth period, as he scored with an early takedown and kept Henderson pinned to the mat. He mounted the former two-division Pride champion five times in the final round, only to fall short on the scorecards in one of the most unforgettable fights in MMA history. “I'll come back stronger next time,” Rua said. “I'm sorry.” Classic Silva barrage finishes Le In the co-main event, Brazilian icon Wanderlei Silva stopped former Strikeforce champion Cung Le on second-round strikes in a key middleweight affair. Le, a vintage Silva barrage leaving him with a badly mangled nose, wilted under the pressure of the man they call “The Axe Murderer” 4:49 into round two. Silva survived some harrowing exchanges in the first round, including a spinning-back fist from Le (7-2, 0-1 UFC) that left him momentarily stunned. However, Le's conditioning seemed to fail him late in the opening frame, a fact which left him stationary in front of Silva. In the second round, Silva (34-11-1, 1 NC, 4-6 UFC) moved forward, cracked Le with a straight right and swarmed. The Brazilian snatched a front headlock and unloaded with knees, as he continued to soften the fading Le. Later, he cinched the Thai plum and launched a vicious knee directly into Le's nose. The Vietnamese middleweight cringed in pain and retreated to the cage. There was no escape. Another violent barrage from Silva left him on all fours and led to the finish via punches. “It's an amazing moment for me. We never give up,” Silva said. “He's a real tough guy. He kicked me hard. After I hit him, I felt that [it was the] moment [for] the finish.” Faber guillotine stops Bowles Faber is in line for a title shot. Urijah Faber submitted fellow former WEC champion Brian Bowles with a second-round guillotine choke in a pivotal bantamweight showdown. The decisive finish came 1:47 into round two. Faber (26-5, 2-1 UFC) roared out of the gate in the first period with a slam takedown that led directly to heavy, elbow-infested ground-and-pound. Outgunned on the feet and on the ground, Bowles started to unravel after Faber split his defenses with a crackling right uppercut in round two. “The California Kid” followed with a knee and wicked elbows and punches from the top, snatching the guillotine as Bowles (10-2, 2-1 UFC) moved for a single-leg in desperation. From there, the tapout was inevitable. “I know that Bowles is very tough,” Faber said. “His biggest thing is that he's mentally strong, and that's my biggest thing. I felt like I could go anywhere in this fight, because then he'll stand there and trade with me, because he's a warrior.” The victory, Faber's third in four fights, likely secures a rematch with reigning bantamweight king Dominick Cruz. Faber lost a unanimous decision to Cruz in July. “That's right, guys,” Faber said. “That's how you finish fights. Dominick, you can run, but you can't hide, homeboy. Throw some gel in that widow's peak. Let's do some work. Let's do battle.” Kampmann outduels Story at 170 Crisp, accurate strikes and superior clinch work carried Martin Kampmann to a split decision over Rick Story in a featured matchup between two world-ranked welterweights. Two of the three cageside judges scored it for Kampmann by 30-27 and 29-28 counts; a third cast a dissenting 29-28 ruling for Story. Story (13-5, 6-3 UFC) was effective early on, as he battered Kampmann's body with brutal punches and connected on a left hook-standing left elbow combination that opened a cut near the Dane's right eye. Both men were bleeding by the end of round one. However, Kampmann's accurate punches and ability to handle the rugged Story in the clinch proved the difference. He turned to his right hand often and landed it with increasing regularity. Kampmann (18-5, 9-4 UFC) salted away the fight in round three, as he returned to his feet following two Story takedowns and responded with one of his own. Late in the period, the Dane took Story's back, secured a dominant position with a body triangle and threatened to finish it with a rear-naked choke. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Kampmann. Bonnar dominates Kingsbury to decision “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar ran a ground-fighting clinic on Kyle Kingsbury, as he cruised to a one-sided unanimous decision in a light heavyweight showcase. Bonnar (14-7, 8-6 UFC) swept the scorecards, with one judge awarding him a pair of 10-8 rounds: 30-27, 30-25 and 30-27. Kingsbury (11-3, 1 NC, 4-2 UFC), who entered the Octagon on a four-fight winning streak, could not stay on his feet. Bonnar grounded him in all three rounds, mounted him in the first and dominated him with superior topside grappling throughout the 15-minute encounter. “The American Psycho” passed guard at will and never allowed Kingsbury a moment's rest. “I'm not used to fans booing during my fights, but I'm trying to get wins in here,” said Bonnar, who has won three consecutive fights. “I felt like I had good control on the ground, and I didn't want to risk it and get knocked out or something silly. I wanted to bang it out and see if I could get it to the ground and submit him. I come from a good jiu-jitsu background. I came up with Carlson Gracie. God bless his soul. He was the original mixed martial artist.”

CHICAGO -- In one of the best fights the Bellator cage has ever hosted, undefeated lightweight Michael Chandler fulfilled his dream of becoming a world champion at Bellator 58 with a fourth round submission victory over the reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was in a frenzy as Alvarez set out to defend his Bellator title since capturing the belt in Belltaor's first season. In his first title defense, his superior boxing led to a five round decision win over the last tournament champion, Pat Curran, but this time his opponent wouldn't stop moving forward. Alvarez was able to fend off Chandler's takedown attempts, but Chandler connected with too many power punches and had Alvarez on the fence multiple times. In the fourth round, one of Chandler's powerful punches stunned Alvarez and dropped the Lightweight Champion to the mat, where Chandler was able to gain full mount with a knee to belly pass. He poured the pressure on Alvarez and forced him to turn over where he sunk in a rear naked choke and forced a tap almost immediately. Chandler was awarded the win, and more importantly the Bellator Lightweight Championship. “Chandler vs. Alvarez was quite simply the best mixed martial arts fight I have ever seen,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “After having watched over 1000 fights since the early 1990's, I've never seen a better back and forth battle. Chandler's win over Alvarez is a win over a fighter who I believed was the best lightweight in the world, while at the same time is a testament to what Bellator is all about. Aguilar vs. Ellis was a tremendous battle, and speaks to the great quality that exists in the women's MMA game, and a quality that we will continue to support. Hector Lombard again showed his tremendous dominance and his spectacular power, and Marlon Sandro came back from a loss to regain top form and use this fight as a spring board into our next featherweight tournament.” Also stepping in the cage was Florida resident and current Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, who gave the fans just what they wanted by delivering an exciting TKO finish in the second round. Lombard displayed his raw power more than once in this fight with ferocious flurries aimed right at Prangley's head whenever he was able to cut off the cage. In the end it was a failed two punch combination from Prangley that left his chin vulnerable to a counter left from Lombard. The punch left Prangley stunned and staggering. Lombard swung away with vicious hooks until the referee stepped in due to unanswered strikes at 1:06 of Round Two. Two of the top ranked women in Bellator met for the second time in their careers as Jessica "Jag" Aguilar earned a dominant win by unanimous decision over Lisa Ellis. Aguilar won all three rounds on every judges' scorecard and avenged a loss to Ellis from five years ago. She beat Ellis on her feet, throwing punches in bunches and landing plenty of straight left and right hands. It was an impressive victory for Aguilar. Former Featherweight Tournament Runner-Up Marlon Sandro returned to his winning ways in his first Bellator battle since being KO'd by Pat Curran in the finals this past August. Sandro predicted a knockout win over Rafael Dias but was knocked down by his opponent early in the first round. He sat up immediately though and put Dias on his back when he tried to follow him to the floor. Once the pair returned to their feet, Sandro was able to apply an arm triangle while standing and forced a tap on the ground after he muscled Dias to the mat with his head and arm securely trapped. For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator About Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator's founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships' executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. About MTV2 MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. About EPIX EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.

CHICAGO -- In one of the best fights the Bellator cage has ever hosted, undefeated lightweight Michael Chandler fulfilled his dream of becoming a world champion at Bellator 58 with a fourth round submission victory over the reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was in a frenzy as Alvarez set out to defend his Bellator title since capturing the belt in Belltaor's first season. In his first title defense, his superior boxing led to a five round decision win over the last tournament champion, Pat Curran, but this time his opponent wouldn't stop moving forward. Alvarez was able to fend off Chandler's takedown attempts, but Chandler connected with too many power punches and had Alvarez on the fence multiple times. In the fourth round, one of Chandler's powerful punches stunned Alvarez and dropped the Lightweight Champion to the mat, where Chandler was able to gain full mount with a knee to belly pass. He poured the pressure on Alvarez and forced him to turn over where he sunk in a rear naked choke and forced a tap almost immediately. Chandler was awarded the win, and more importantly the Bellator Lightweight Championship. “Chandler vs. Alvarez was quite simply the best mixed martial arts fight I have ever seen,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “After having watched over 1000 fights since the early 1990's, I've never seen a better back and forth battle. Chandler's win over Alvarez is a win over a fighter who I believed was the best lightweight in the world, while at the same time is a testament to what Bellator is all about. Aguilar vs. Ellis was a tremendous battle, and speaks to the great quality that exists in the women's MMA game, and a quality that we will continue to support. Hector Lombard again showed his tremendous dominance and his spectacular power, and Marlon Sandro came back from a loss to regain top form and use this fight as a spring board into our next featherweight tournament.” Also stepping in the cage was Florida resident and current Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, who gave the fans just what they wanted by delivering an exciting TKO finish in the second round. Lombard displayed his raw power more than once in this fight with ferocious flurries aimed right at Prangley's head whenever he was able to cut off the cage. In the end it was a failed two punch combination from Prangley that left his chin vulnerable to a counter left from Lombard. The punch left Prangley stunned and staggering. Lombard swung away with vicious hooks until the referee stepped in due to unanswered strikes at 1:06 of Round Two. Two of the top ranked women in Bellator met for the second time in their careers as Jessica "Jag" Aguilar earned a dominant win by unanimous decision over Lisa Ellis. Aguilar won all three rounds on every judges' scorecard and avenged a loss to Ellis from five years ago. She beat Ellis on her feet, throwing punches in bunches and landing plenty of straight left and right hands. It was an impressive victory for Aguilar. Former Featherweight Tournament Runner-Up Marlon Sandro returned to his winning ways in his first Bellator battle since being KO'd by Pat Curran in the finals this past August. Sandro predicted a knockout win over Rafael Dias but was knocked down by his opponent early in the first round. He sat up immediately though and put Dias on his back when he tried to follow him to the floor. Once the pair returned to their feet, Sandro was able to apply an arm triangle while standing and forced a tap on the ground after he muscled Dias to the mat with his head and arm securely trapped. For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator About Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator's founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships' executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. About MTV2 MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. About EPIX EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The No. 5 ranked Big Red wrestling team won the team title at the Body Bar Invitational after crowning three champions. Kyle Dake (157), Billy George (174) and Steve Bosak (184) all won titles in their individual weight classes. Frank Perrelli (125) and Mike Nevinger (141) both took second, while Joe Stanzione (133), Craig Eifert (149) and Marshall Peppelman (165) placed fifth. Heavyweight Maciej Jochym finished in sixth place. No. 1 ranked Dake pinned his first two opponents of the day. In the semifinals he won a 10-0 major decision over Lock Haven's Jacob Kemmerer. In the finals, he defeated No. 17 Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg, 3-2. Freshman Billy George entered the day as the No. 6 seed at 174 pounds. He won his preliminary match and followed with a 3-2 win over the No. 3 seed, Steven West of Columbia. George defeated No. 2 seeded Mike Dessino of Bloomsburg to advance to the finals. George was down in the third period in the finals against Kent State's Brandon Johnson, but he fought back to tie the bout at 6-6 to send the match into extra time. Neither wrestler scored in sudden victory. Johnson had choice to start the tie breakers, but he was unable to escape from his starting down position. With just seconds left on the clock after starting from his choice down position, George escaped to win an exciting 7-6 decision. No. 4 ranked Bosak opened his day with a 13-0 major decision before pinning his next two opponents. In the finals he faced No. 15 ranked Jon Fausey of Virginia. Bosak won a 2-0 decision to win the title. At 197 pounds, top ranked Cam Simaz led off with a win by technical fall before pinning Bloomsburg's Richard Perry in 3:04 in the quarterfinals. Simaz was in the lead in his semifinal bout heading into the second period, but injury defaulted in 3:30. Simaz medical forfeited to finish in fourth place. Cornell will break for the Thanksgiving holidays, but will return to action Dec. 2-3 at the Las Vegas Invitational.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Claiming seven individual champions/co-champions, the Augsburg College wrestling team opened its 2011-12 campaign with a strong performance at its Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open, held on Saturday at Si Melby Hall. Auggies claimed titles in three classes in the Gold division, with Tony Valek (SR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) winning at 149 pounds, Chad Johnson (SO, Ferryville, Wis./De Soto HS) winning at heavyweight, and Will Keeter (SO, Twin Falls, Idaho) and Jake Saatzer (SR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) sharing the title at 141. Augsburg had 28 placewinners on the day. “It was a great total team effort today,” said Augsburg head coach Mark Matzek. “The Auggies wrestled the attack style of wrestling we have been training for all fall. We had a multiple champions on the day as well as co-champions. What is even more impressive to the coaching staff than the titles we earned was how intense each man wrestled. I cannot recall a moment today when I was disappointed with the effort or the attitude of anyone. This is a great testament to the diligent work of the athletes as well as the coaching staff.” Valek, the top-ranked wrestler in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings at 149 pounds, scored three pins and a major-decision victory to earn the title. A two-time national runner-up, Valek claimed a 3:50 pin of Minnesota State Mankato's Jesse Westphal in the championship match. Johnson, who placed seventh nationally in his debut season last year at heavyweight, also went 4-0 to claim his weight-class crown. He opened with a pin and reached the semifinals with a major-decision win, then scored two overtime victories to earn the title, including a 4-2 win over Zach Rosol of Upper Iowa, the No. 5-ranked wrestler in the preseason Division II national rankings, in the finals. Johnson is ranked No. 4 nationally in the Division III heavyweight listing. Saatzer had two major decisions and pin in his three victories to share the crown at 141. Keeter claimed a 4-3 win over Division III national tournament qualifier Ryan Timmerman of St. Olaf in the semifinals en route to sharing the title with Saatzer. In the Silver division, Chad Bartschenfeld (FY, Amery, Wis.) and Donny Rosenbloom (FY, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center HS) made their collegiate debuts a successful one, sharing the title at 125. Rosenbloom had two pins en route to the crown, while Bartschenfeld had a pin and major decision. Noel Sweeney (SO, Grand Rapids, Minn.) won the Silver title at 165, going 3-0 with two pins. In the Gold division, Brandon Bahr (SR, Bemidji, Minn.) placed third at 165, as did Brad Baus (SR, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 197 and Pat Fletcher (SR, Shelton, Neb.) at heavyweight. Placing fourth was Tom Kuehn (FY, Fargo, N.D./West Fargo HS) at 133, Nathan Lexvold (SR, Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) at 149 and Josh Kohler (SR, Monticello, Minn.) at 174. Placing fifth was Boyd Suparat (JR, North Branch, Minn.) at 133, Zach Enrico (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS) at 157, and Matt Hechsel (FY, Apple Valley, Minn.) and Alex Krautkremer (SR, Jordan, Minn./Scott West) at 184. Augsburg returns to action on Tuesday (11/22), hosting Waldorf (Iowa) at Si Melby Hall. White Team (junior varsity) action begins at 6:30 p.m., with the varsity meet to follow. “We can enjoy this day until tomorrow. We have a hungry Waldorf College ready to square off with us on Tuesday and that is what our focus will be on,” Matzek said.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - With the help of five individual champions, the Navy wrestling team cruised to the Navy Classic title on Saturday at Wesley Brown Field House in Annapolis. For the Mids, it was their 19th Navy Classic title in the tournament's 34-year history. Navy topped the seven-team field with a total of 147.5 points - 51.5 ahead of second-place West Virginia. Bucknell took third place with 88.5 points. Aaron Kalil (133 pounds), Joe Locksmith (149 pounds), Mason Bailey (165 pounds), Oscar Huntley (174 pounds) and Luke Rebertus (184 pounds) all captured individual titles for the Midshipmen. "Today was a good effort from the guys," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We have some injuries right now and we're still making some technical mistakes that we have to correct and improve. Our conditioning is certainly getting better. "I was proud of some of the younger guys today and the way they wrestled. It was an overall team effort and was good to have so many guys compete." Unseeded freshman Patrick Prada was Navy's top finisher at 125, as he defeated teammate James Kerrick in the fifth-place match, 8-1. After improving to 7-1 on the season last weekend, Kalil became just the fourth Mid in program history to win three Navy Classic titles as he claimed his third consecutive championship at 133 pounds on Saturday. The 17th-ranked senior captain cruised to the quarterfinals behind a pair of technical falls in the first and second rounds. Against teammate Ben Creed in the semifinals, Kalil produced another win via tech fall, defeating Creed, 20-5. In the final, Kalil met up with another teammate in third-seeded freshman Colton Rasche, who he topped, 7-3, to earn the title. At 141 pounds, Navy's top finisher was Raymond Borja, who fell in the finals via a 12-3 major decision to the top seed Nathan Pennesi of West Virginia. Navy's Alex Johnson picked up fifth place at 141 in defeating No. 3 seed Richard Durso of Franklin & Marshall, 9-6. Like the 133-pound final, the 149-pound championship also featured a pair of Mids in the third-seed, Locksmith, and fourth-seed, Peyton Walsh. Locksmith made his way to the final with a trio of wins via decision, including a 3-1 win over teammate Eric Filipowicz in the semifinals. Walsh met West Virginia's Brutus Scheffel in the semifinals, who previously defeated the No. 1 seed Ryan Medved of Gardner-Webb. In the semifinal dual, Walsh topped Scheffel by the slimmest of margins, 2-1, to earn a berth in the championship bout. In the final dual, it was Locksmith that came out on top with a 3-1 decision for his second Navy Classic title. Locksmith won the crown at 141 pounds last season as freshman. At 157 pounds, Navy's top finisher was the No. 2 seed Zach Basich, who placed third. Basich fell in overtime in the semifinals, but rebounded to take the third-place dual with a 6-4 decision over the fourth seed Pierre Frazile of The Citadel. Bailey wrestled his way the final at 165 pounds with a pair of decisions and then defeated Ty Knepp of George Mason with a 9-1 major decision to take the title. After taking second place at 165 last season, it was Bailey's first Navy Classic championship. "I thought Mason got better with every bout today," said Burnett. The top-seeded, 174-pounder Huntley pinned Brad Bailey of Franklin & Marshall at 2:09 for his first win of the day. In the semifinals, he took on teammate Gary Albright and scored an 8-3 win to set up a meeting with the second seed Lance Bryson of West Virginia. In a hard fought bout, it was Huntley that held a slight edge and defeated Bryson, 3-1, to claim his second Navy Classic title. Huntley won the 165-pound championship as a freshman. "Huntley was very good for us today," Burnett said. Albright, who fell to Huntley in the semifinals, defeated fellow Mid Colton Van't Hof, 8-2, to take fifth place at 174. At 184 pounds, the Mids' 13th-ranked Rebertus was looking to join Kalil as a three-time Navy Classic champ. Rebertus, the top seed, defeated Coriston Smith of George Mason in his first match, then topped Jamie Westwood of Bucknell, 6-1, to get into the finals. In the championship, Rebertus dominated The Citadel's John Duane, scoring an 18-2 technical fall win. "Luke really opened up in the finals, so we feel good about that," said Burnett. Paul Rands worked his way into the finals at 197 with a pair of solid victories. He scored a major decision over The Citadel's Luke Johnson, 12-1, in his first match and then pinned the No. 2 seed Travis Porter of Gardner-Webb at 1:55 to get into the title match. Facing the top-seeded Kelby Smith of The Citadel, Rands hung tough for most of the bout, but wound up falling, 5-2. Also at 197, Navy junior Ben Hatef took home fifth place when he pinned fifth-seed Colin Ely of Franklin & Marshall at 1:56. In the final bout of the day, the No. 1 seed in the heavyweight division, Justin Kozera of Gardner-Webb, dealt Navy's Chance Rauscher a last-second defeat in the finals. With the score tied 1-1 for most of the bout, Kozera went on the offensive in the final :10 and scored a takedown with seconds left to win, 3-1. Other Mids winning their championship-bracket matches on Saturday included Creed (fifth place, 133), Filipowicz (fifth place, 149) and James Mannier (third place, 164). Navy will be off next weekend and will return to action on Dec. 2-3 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. "We'll get to see a lot of ranked teams in Las Vegas and find out where we are on a national level," said Burnett. Final Team Scores 1. Navy, 147.5 2. West Virginia, 96 3. Bucknell, 88.5 4. The Citadel, 77.5 5. Gardner-Webb, 62.0 6. George Mason, 50.5 7. Franklin & Marshall, 29.0

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team crowned seven champions Saturday at the Joe Parisi Wrestling Open in Saint Charles, Mo. The Hawkeyes added six runner-up and five third place finishes while posting an 85-25 record in their season opening event. Junior Matt McDonough (125), sophomore Tony Ramos (133) , senior Montell Marion (141), freshman Brody Grothus (149), sophomore Derek St. John (157), redshirt freshman Mike Evans (165) and redshirt freshman Bobby Telford (HWT) earned titles for the Hawkeyes. Grothus won his title while wrestling unattached. McDonough recorded four pins on his way to the finals, where he earned a 7-1 decision over Neosho Community College's Jeff Vesta. McDonough's efforts raised his career pin total to 27. He earned nine falls as a redshirt freshman and 14 falls last season. Redshirt freshman Matt Gurule lost to Vest in the semifinals but bounced pack with a pair of decisions in the consolation bracket to finish third. Ramos recorded a pin, two technical falls and a major decision en route the 133 finals, where he earned a 4-1 decision over senior teammate Tyler Clark. Clark recorded a pair of major decisions, a pin and an OT victory over teammate Aldon Isenberg before falling to Ramos in the finals. Isenberg finished third with a couple bonus point victories in the consolation bracket. Marion topped teammate Nick Trizzino 4-1 in the 141 pound finals. The Hawkeye senior finished the day 5-0 with three major decisions. Trizzino, a sophomore from Bettendorf, Iowa, picked up a major decision en route to his runner-up finish. The Hawkeyes swept the top three positions at 141 after junior Mark Ballweg bounced back from an opening round loss with six straight wins, including a pin in the consolation finals, to finish third. Grothus, a true freshman from Davenport, Iowa, pinned Missouri's Kellen Nounous in the 149 pound finals. The pin was Grothus' third of the day. Jacob Ballweg topped teammate Ethan Owens in the consolation round and recorded a 5-4 decision in the consolation finals to earn third place. Hawkeye sophomore Dylan Carew withdrew from the field following his first round decision over Illinois' Caleb Ervin. Iowa swept the top four positions at 157 pounds. St. John posted four bonus-point wins, including a 10-1 major decision against teammate Joey Trizzino in the finals. Redshirt freshman Michael Kelly earned third place following an 8-5 decision over teammate Patrick Rhoads in the consolation finals. Evans and teammate Nick Moore combined for five pins en route to the 165 pound final. Evans blanked Moore 3-0 to win the title and finish the day 5-0 with three pins and a major decision. Moore finished 4-1 with a pair of falls and a major decision. Lofthouse used a pair of decisions, a technical fall and a pin to reach the 174 pounds finals, where he dropped a 3-1 decision to Missouri's Pat Wright. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Fahler posted a 3-1 record on the day. His only defeat, a 6-3 decision, came to Missouri's Clarence Neely in the 184 pound finals. Despite failing to capture the tournament title, sophomore Tomas Lira turned in one of Iowa's more impressive efforts, using four straight falls to earn a shot in the consolation finals. After dropping his opening match, 7-6, Lira opened the consolation bracket with a technical fall before his four straight pins berthed him into the finals, where he recorded an 11-2 major decision to earn third place. Telford used a trio of pins and a 5-1 decision to earn a spot in the 285 pound finals, where he topped teammate Blake Rasing 1-0. Rasing opened the tournament with a pair of pins and finished with a 4-1 record en route to the runner-up finish. The Hawkeyes return to action Friday, Nov. 25, when they host the Iowa City Duals inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will put its 77-match unbeaten streak on the line against Baker (3 p.m.), Cornell College (5 p.m.) and Iowa Central (7 p.m.). Tickets to the event are $10 for adults, $5 for youth and free for kids five and under. Visit hawkeyesports.com for ticket information.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team rallied at the middleweights but could not hang on to its lead, falling 19-13 to No. 11 Pittsburgh on Saturday evening (Nov. 19) at the Panthers' Fitzgerald Field House. Pitt claimed the dual's final three matches to surge past the Wolverines, who had the chance to at least even the team score with a decision win at heavyweight, although Pitt held the criteria advantage. The Panthers' Zac Thomusseit won a late scramble in the sudden-victory frame, however, scoring on the edge to defeat senior/junior Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS), 3-1. U-M had rallied to claim its first lead of the dual, 13-10, after three consecutive wins from its Hesperia (Mich.) High School trio at the middleweights. Junior/sophomore Brandon Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) and junior/sophomore Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) used strong third periods to claim decision victories at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Zeerip countered a deep single-leg shot to edge Donnie Tasser, 3-2, while Yates used a second-period escape and a third-period rideout to knock off Tyler Wilps, 2-0. Fifth-year senior Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) earned a pair of reversals to beat Ethan Headlee, 4-2, at 174 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Zeerip wrapped up Headlee's leg, nearly getting into a Peterson position before coming around for the reversal. Headlee reversed the Wolverine early in the third, but Zeerip quickly regained control with another reversal and a subsequent rideout. Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) cruised past the Panthers' Shelton Mack, 10-2, to claim his second major decision of the weekend at 133 pounds. Stevens converted on three takedowns, including two in the second period, drew a couple of stall points, and used his 1:33 in riding-time advantage to earn the bonus win. Despite gaining early leads in both matches, the Wolverines lost a pair of close decisions to top-10 opposition at 149 and 197 pounds. Third-ranked Tyler Nauman scrambled for a takedown in the closing seconds of the first period and earned a second-period rideout to defeat junior/sophomore Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS), 4-2, at 149. Sophomore/freshman Max Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C./Blair Academy) carried a one-point lead into the third period against seventh-ranked Matt Wilps, but the Panther 197-pounder rode out the frame, earning a three-point near fall to seal a 6-2 decision. Michigan was missing several projected starters, including fifth-year senior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy), for the second straight dual. All are expected to return to competition soon. The Wolverines will take a two-week break before returning to competition on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3, at the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The first session is slated for a 9 a.m. PST start at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Results: 125 -- #19 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) major dec. Grant Pizzo, 16-5 Pitt, 4-0 133 -- #13 Zac Stevens (U-M) major dec. Shelton Mack, 10-2 Tie, 4-4 141 -- Travis Shaffer (Pitt) dec. Donnie Watkins, 3-1 Pitt, 7-4 149 -- #3 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. Eric Grajales, 4-2 Pitt, 10-4 157 -- Brandon Zeerip (U-M) dec. Donnie Tasser, 3-2 Pitt, 10-7 165 -- Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Tyler Wilps, 2-0 Tie, 10-10 174 -- #11 Justin Zeerip (U-M) dec. Ethan Headlee, 4-2 U-M, 13-10 184 -- Max Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. Chris Heald, 6-2 Tie, 13-13 197 -- #7 Matt Wilps (Pitt) dec. Max Huntley, 6-2 Pitt, 16-13 Hwt -- Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. #13 Ben Apland, 3-1 SV Pitt, 19-13

Link: Brackets A Twitter List by InterMat

BTN will provide its most extensive coverage ever of Big Ten wrestling for the 2011-12 season, as 43 regular-season dual-meets, the 2011 Midlands Championships and the 2012 Big Ten Championships will be broadcast on the network or streamed online. Thirty-nine events will be shown live either online or on the network. BTN's coverage begins Sunday as No. 2 Penn State hosts No. 4 Minnesota in the first conference contest of the season, and concludes with a live broadcast of the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Purdue, on March 4. The network will provide coverage for 33 conference matchups throughout the season. BTN will also broadcast the final rounds of the Midlands Championships, one of the premiere open tournaments in the country to be held at Northwestern, on Dec. 30. Eight Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, with six squads appearing in the top 10. Iowa holds the No. 1 ranking in the country, while defending NCAA and Big Ten Champion Penn State follows at No. 2. Minnesota checks in at No. 4, followed by No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Illinois, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 17 Northwestern and No. 24 Nebraska. Michigan State and Purdue are also receiving votes. BTN is available to approximately 80 million homes in the United States and Canada, and produces the most college wrestling of any network in the country. Day at Home Time (ET) Event Outlet TV AIR DATE Sunday, November, 20 Minnesota at Penn State 12:00 PM BTN LIVE Friday, December, 2 Illinois at Iowa 8:00 PM BTN.com Thurday, December, 8 Northern Iowa at Iowa 8:00 PM BTN.com 12/9/11 5:00 PM Friday, December, 9 Iowa State at Minnesota 7:00 PM BTN.com 12/12/11 12:00 PM Saturday, December, 10 Wyoming at Nebraska 8:00 PM BTN.com 12/13/11 4:00 PM Sunday, December, 11 Wisconsin at Michigan 2:00 PM BTN.com 12/14/11 2:00 PM Friday, December, 30 Midlands Championships BTN 12/30/11 10:00 PM Friday, January, 6 Ohio State at Nebraska 8:00 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 6 Michigan at Northwestern 8:00 PM BTN.com Saturday, January, 7 Oklahoma State at Iowa 8:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 8 Northwestern at Wisconsin 3:00 PM BTN 1/8/12 9:00 PM Sunday, January, 8 Illinois at Michigan 2:00 PM BTN.com Thurday, January, 12 Purdue at Ohio State 7:00 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 13 Iowa at Nebraska 8:00 PM BTN 1/13/12 10:00 PM Friday, January, 13 Indiana at Michigan 7:00 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 13 West Virginia at Michigan State 7:30 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 13 Penn State at Northwestern 8:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 15 Indiana at Michigan State 2:00 PM BTN 1/23/12 10:00 PM Sunday, January, 15 Minnesota at Purdue 1:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 15 Northwestern at Iowa TBA BTN.com Friday, January, 20 Purdue at Wisconsin 8:00 PM BTN LIVE Friday, January, 20 Nebraska at Indiana 7:00 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 20 Michigan State at Northwestern 8:00 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 20 Iowa at Ohio State 7:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 22 Iowa at Penn State 2:00 PM BTN 1/22/12 10:00 PM Sunday, January, 22 Central Michigan at Michigan 2:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 22 Wisconsin at Minnesota 2:00 PM BTN.com Friday, January, 27 Northwestern at Illinois 6:00 PM BTN LIVE Friday, January, 27 Nebraska at Michigan State 7:00 PM BTN Friday, January, 27 Michigan at Minnesota 7:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 29 Minnesota at Iowa 3:00 PM BTN LIVE Sunday, January, 29 Illinois at Indiana 2:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 29 Michigan State at Michigan 2:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 29 Ohio State at Penn State 2:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, January, 29 Nebraska at Wisconsin 2:00 PM BTN.com Friday, February, 3 Michigan at Ohio State 6:00 PM BTN LIVE Friday, February, 3 Penn State at Nebraska 7:00 PM BTN.com Friday, February, 3 Northern Illinois at Northwestern 8:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, February, 5 TBD at TBD TBA BTN Sunday, February, 5 Wisconsin at Iowa TBA BTN.com Friday, February, 17 Indiana at Northwestern 8:00 PM BTN.com Friday, February, 17 Pittsburgh at Penn State 7:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, February, 19 Northern Iowa at Nebraska TBA BTN.com Sunday, February, 19 Pittsburgh at Penn State 2:00 PM BTN.com Sunday, March, 4 Big Ten Championships 3:00 PM BTN LIVE

Season tickets are now available for the 2011-2012 Mason wrestling season. With a brand new coaching staff, 18 newcomers to the program and a rejuvenated attitude towards striving for success, the Patriots definitely have the look of a much-improved team. "We have seven home duals this year," said Head Coach Joe Russell. "Some of them are multiple duals so you actually get to see a lot more than seven duals. We have American, Maryland and Central Michigan coming in with very high rankings this season. We will also host the CAA Duals, which is an all day event where we will be competing against some of the top teams in the country that are also in our conference." This is the first year that the wrestling team has mad a season ticket pass available to fans. The first home match will be on Saturday, December 10th against nationally ranked American University. The season pass is on sale now for just $15 a person. To sign up for tickets, click on the link entitled "2011 Wrestling Season Pass" on the right side of the wrestling page of gomason.com or click on the link below. http://www.gomason.com/fls/25200/PDF/WrestlingSeasonPass.pdf "To offer a season pass this year is exciting and I think it will be a great way for fans to support us as we get this program turned around in to a national contender," concluded Russell.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana began the 2011-12 dual match schedule by downing three opponents Friday night by a combined score of 121-18 at the IU Quad. The Hoosiers went undefeated at six of the 10 weight classes, including a three-fall performance by redshirt freshman Taylor Walsh at 149 pounds. Zach Zimmer (125 lbs), Ryan LeBlanc (174 lbs), Matt Powless (197 lbs); and the tandems of Sawyer Morris & Anthony Fretwell (165 lbs) and Jowan Gill & Tarek Alaruri (285 lbs) completed the half-dozen of unbeaten weight classes for IU. As if Walsh's trio of pins wasn't impressive enough, it took the Cherry Hill, N.J., native just 195 seconds (3:15) total to stick his three adversaries. Walsh, ranked 19th nationally, improved his season record to 10-2. Zimmer posted bonus points in each of his three victories as well, sandwiching a tech fall with a pair of major decisions (good for 13 team points). Powless was responsible for 18 team points just as Walsh was, but had to settle for a lone fall after taking forfeits in his first two bouts. LeBlanc had his hand raised three times on the night at 174 pounds, disposing of two foes and taking a forfeit. LeBlanc's season win total runs to a team-high 11 triumphs (11-8). Redshirt freshman Sawyer Morris was flawless on the night, maximizing his team-point production by recording falls in both of his bouts at 165 pounds. Anthony Fretwell filled that slot in the other match, picking up an 8-2 decision. Sophomore heavyweight Jowan Gill made his first two career starts, giving Head Coach Duane Goldman a pair of two-point decisions. ROUND ONE RESULTS Indiana 46, Calumet 3 125 lbs.- Zach Zimmer (IU) maj. dec. Anthony Hawkins (Calumet), 12-3, Team Score: 4-0 133 lbs.- Ryen Niemen (IU) wins by forfeit, TS: 10-0 141 lbs.- Matt Ortega (IU) pins Chad Allen (Calumet), 4:51,TS: 16-0 149 lbs.- #19 Taylor Walsh (IU) pins Javier Avalos (Calumet), :34 TS: 22-0 157 lbs.- Johnathan Tyler (Calumet) dec. Connor Graves (IU), 4-2, TS: 22-3 165 lbs.- Sawyer Morris (IU) pins Mark Daugherty (Calumet), 2:37, TS: 28-3 174 lbs.- Ryan Leblanc (IU) wins by forfeit, TS: 34-3 184 lbs.- Cheney Dale (IU) dec. Eric Johnson (Calumet), 2-0, TS: 37-3 197 lbs.- #5 Matt Powless (IU) wins by forfeit, TS: 43-3 285 lbs.- Jowan Gill (IU) dec. Coty Anderson (Calumet), 2-0, TS: 46-3 Central Missouri 15, Lindsey Wilson 32 125 lbs.- Andy Lenz (LW) maj. dec. Kirk Luzano (CM), 10-1, Team Score: 0-4 133 lbs.- Eric Mateo (CM) wins by forfeit, TS: 6-4 141 lbs.- DaMonte Riley (LW) dec. Nick Viterisi (CM), 7-4, TS: 6-7 149 lbs.- Ryan Mallen (CM) dec. Scott Flesher (LW), 8-3, TS: 9-7 157 lbs.- Charles Pingleton (LW) maj. dec. Scott Neumann (CM), 16-3, TS: 9-11 165 lbs.- Todd Brier (CM) pins Mark Back (LW), 4:08, TS: 15-11 174 lbs.- James Haywood (LW) dec. William Ressel (CM), 5-4, TS: 15-14 184 lbs.- Ian Stephens (LW) pins Travis Miller (CM), 6:14, TS: 15-20 197 lbs.- Jacob Bradford (LW) wins by forfeit, TS: 15-26 285 lbs.- Teddy Furnish (LW) wins by forfeit , TS: 15-32 ROUND TWO RESULTS Indiana 39, Central Missouri 4 125 lbs.- Zach Zimmer (IU) tech falls Ty Balty (CM), 20-4, Team Score: 5-0 133 lbs.- Eric Mateo (CM) maj. dec. Ryen Nieman (IU), 12-4, TS: 5-4 141 lbs.- Matt Ortega (IU) maj. dec. Paul Viterisi (CM), 11-3, TS: 9-4 149 lbs.- #19 Taylor Walsh (IU) pins Ryan Mallen (CM), 1:15, TS: 15-4 157 lbs.- Ryan Konz (IU) dec. Gage Shaddox (CM), 7-0, TS: 18-4 165 lbs.- Anthony Fretwell (IU) dec. Todd Brier (CM), 8-2, TS: 21-4 174 lbs.- Ryan Leblanc (IU) dec. William Ressel (CM), 10-5, TS: 24-4 184 lbs.- Cheney Dale (IU) dec. Travis Miller (CM), 12-5, TS: 27-4 197 lbs.- #5 Matt Powless (IU) wins by forfeit, TS: 33-4 285 lbs.- Tarek Alaruri (IU) wins by forfeit, TS: 39-4 Calumet 0, Lindsey Wilson 49 125 lbs.- Andy Lenz (LW) dec. Anthony Hawkins (Calumet), 8-5, Team Score: 0-3 133 lbs.- (Double Forfeit) 141 lbs.- DaMonte Riley (LW) pins Chad Allen (Calumet), 1:42, TS: 0-9 149 lbs.- Scott Flesher (LW) pins Javier Avalos (Calumet), 4:56, TS: 0-15 157 lbs.- Charles Pingleton (LW) maj. dec. Johnathan Tyler (Calumet), 16-6, TS: 0-19 165 lbs.- Aaron Back (LW) pins Mark Daugherty (Calumet), 1:36, TS: 0-25 174 lbs.- James Haywood (LW) wins by forfeit, TS: 0-31 184 lbs.- Ian Stephens (LW) pins Eric Johnson (Calumet), 2:51, TS: 0-37 197 lbs.- Aaron Edington (LW) wins by forfeit, TS: 0-43 285 lbs.- Teddy Furnish (LW) pins Coty Anderson, 1:07, TS: 0-49 ROUND THREE RESULTS Indiana 36, Lindsey Wilson 11 125 lbs.- Zach Zimmer (IU) maj. dec. Andy Lenz (LW), 15-5, Team Score: 4-0 133 lbs. -Ryen Nieman (IU) wins by forfeit, TS: 10-0 141 lbs.- Isaac Thomas (LW) dec. Matt Ortega (IU), 7-5, TS: 10-3 149 lbs.- #19 Taylor Walsh (IU) pins Scott Flesher (LW), 1:26, TS: 16-3 157 lbs.- Charles Pingleton (LW) maj. dec. Ryan Konz (IU), 16-8, TS: 16-7 165 lbs.- Sawyer Morris (IU) pins Mark Back (LW), 3:42, TS: 22-7 174 lbs.- Ryan Leblanc (IU) tech falls James Haywood (LW), 22-5, TS: 27-7 184 lbs.- Ian Stephens (LW) maj. dec. Cheney Dale (IU), 10-0, TS: 27-11 197 lbs.- #5 Matt Powless (IU) pins Jacob Bradford (LW), 2:12, TS: 33-11 285 lbs.- Jowan Gill (IU) dec. Derek Nickel (LW), 5-3, TS: 36-11 Calumet 16, Central Missouri 24 125 lbs.- Anthony Hawkins (Calumet) dec. Kirk Luzano (CM), 6-2, Team Score: 3-0 133 lbs.- Eric Mateo (CM) wins by forfeit, TS: 3-6 141 lbs.- Nick Viterisi (CM) pins Chad Allen (Calumet), 2:16, TS: 3-12 149 lbs.- Tyran Claypool (Calumet) dec. Ryan Mallen (CM), 7-5, TS: 6-12 157 lbs.- Johnathan Tyler (Calumet) dec. Scott Neumann (CM), 6-3, TS: 9-12 165 lbs.- Todd Brier (CM) pins Mark Daugherty (Calumet), 3:53, TS: 9-18 174 lbs.- William Ressel (CM) wins by forfeit, TS: 9-24 184 lbs.- Eric Johnson (Calumet) dec. Travis Miller (CM), 8-6, TS: 12-24 197 lbs.- (Double Forfeit) 285 lbs.- Coty Anderson (Calumet) maj. dec. Christian Van Matre (CM), 11-0, TS: 16-24 The Cream and Crimson remain in Bloomington for the week, hosting the Hoosier Duals on Saturday, Nov. 26. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The 12th-ranked Oklahoma wrestling squad opened Big 12 action with a 19-18 victory over No. 9 Missouri on Friday inside McCasland Field House. "It feels good to win," head coach Mark Cody said. "I think our preparation at some weights wasn't as good as others. Our team has to realize that everybody in the wrestling room is getting the same coaching. It comes down to whether or not they are going to come out here and apply it or not." The dual started with the Sooners jumping out to an early 6-0 lead after OU's third-ranked Jarrod Patterson won by forfeit as Missouri's Alan Waters, ranked No. 5, was unable to wrestle due to an injury. Missouri closed OU's lead, 6-3, after MU's 14th-ranked Nathan McCormick narrowly defeated Oklahoma's No. 11-ranked Jordan Keller, 2-1. The only scoring of the match came in the first period when McCormick earned a takedown, which Keller quickly escaped from. Both wrestlers rode out their opponents in the second and third periods. Kendric Maple, ranked No. 8 among 141-pounders, extended OU's lead after his dominating performance over Missouri's Brandon Weist. The Wichita, Kan., native earned five takedowns, a near fall and 3:31 of riding time to claim the 15-3 major decision victory. Leading 10-3, OU's Nick Lester took the 133 pound match against the Tigers' Kyle Bradley, 1-0. Lester, ranked No. 14, scored the only point of the night after he earned an escape with 0:43 remaining in the third period against the nation's 11th-ranked wrestler. In the 157 pound bout, OU's Matt Lester defeated Missouri's Drake Houdasheit, 5-2. After a scoreless first and second period, the Sooners' 12th-ranked wrestler started the third with a quick escape and takedown to lead 3-0. Houdasheit earned a reversal, but Lester finished with 2:06 of riding time. The Tigers clawed out a win in the 165 bout as 13th-ranked Zach Toal proved too much for OU's Bubby Graham. In the first, Toal earned a takedown and Graham answered with an escape. Toal added to his lead in the second with an escape and takedown. Trailing 1-5 in the third, Graham tallied two escapes, but Toal added a takedown and riding time run away with the match. Despite being outweighed by nearly six pounds in the 174 pound bout, OU's Chase Nelson held his own against Missouri's sixth-ranked Dorian Henderson. Nelson opened the bout with a takedown, but fell behind 3-2 heading into the second where he gave up a reversal. In the third, Nelson fought to get an escape and takedown but Henderson countered with a takedown and 1:03 riding time to earn the 8-5 win. "We came up with that plan [to move Nelson up to 174] yesterday and we asked if he would go up to 174," Cody explained. "He didn't even flinch about moving up and [Nolan] McBryde was the same way. I'm really proud of both those guys for stepping up to the challenge tonight." The Sooners Erich Schmidtke got OU back on the winning track with a 6-4 victory by decision over MU's Mike Larson. With the match tied 3-3 going into the third period 18th-ranked Schmidtke earned a quick escape and takedown to take the 184 pound match. Due to a one-match suspension being served by Keldrick Hall OU forfeited the 197 pound bout, giving MU's Brent Haynes credit with the win. OU lead 19-15 going into the heavyweight showdown between OU's Elijah Madison and the Tigers' Devin Mellon. The match was tied, 3-3, at the end of regulation. In the second sudden-victory overtime Mellon had a takedown to give Missouri its final three team points. "Tonight some of the guys had a little bit too much on their mind," Cody said. "We had a few guys watching the clock and some were not focused. The few guys that lost were not as focused as they needed to be, but we got the win." Next up, the Sooners continue Big 12 action when they travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on the 23rd-ranked Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday, Nov. 27. Results: 125 - Jarrod Patterson (OU) winner by forfeit 133 - Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Jordan Keller (OU), 2-1 141 - Kendric Maple (OU) MD. Brandon Weist (MU), 15-3 149 - Nick Lester (OU) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 1-0 157 - Matt Lester (OU) dec. Drake Houdasheit (MU), 5-2 165 - Zach Toal (MU) dec. Bubby Graham (OU), 8-3 174 - Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Chase Nelson (OU), 8-5 184 - Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Mike Larson (MU), 6-4 197 - Brent Haynes (MU) winner by forfeit 285 - Devin Mellon (MU) dec. Elijah Madison (OU), 6-4

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The No. 5 ranked Cornell wrestling team stunned No. 3 Minnesota on Friday night after battling its way to a 21-16 victory over the Golden Gophers. Senior Cam Simaz pinned No. 2 Sonny Yohn at 197 pounds, while sophomores Mike Nevinger (141) and Craig Eifert (157) upset two top 10 ranked wrestlers in their respective weight classes. In his debut in a Cornell singlet, freshman Billy George picked up a win at 174 pounds, while returning two-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake earned a decision at 157 pounds. At 184 pounds, No. 4 Steve Bosak defeated sixth ranked Kevin Steinhaus. The dual opened at 125 pounds, with No. 8 Frank Perrelli facing off against No. 2 Zach Sanders. Sanders held a 2-1 lead after the first period with a takedown from which Perrelli escaped. Perrelli escaped from his opening down position in the second, but Sanders notched another takedown. With eight seconds left in the period, Perrelli escaped to come within a point. Sanders escaped to open the third period and with 1:29 in riding time, he won a 6-3 decision. At 133 pounds, Minnesota's seventh ranked David Thorn had a 4-2 lead over Joe Stanzione before he won by fall in 2:25. No. 17 Nevinger took on No. 10 Nick Dardanes at 141 pounds. Nevinger was down 4-1 after two takedowns by Dardanes in the first period. Dardanes chose neutral to start the second period and held a 6-2 lead after two periods with a takedown. Nevinger chose top to start the third period, and with one minute left in the bout, turned his opponent to earn three back points. The Big Red sophomore fought for another three-point nearfall, and with 1:04 in riding time, won a 9-6 decision. At 149 pounds, No. 17 Eifert faced No. 6 Dylan Ness. With 20 seconds off the clock, Ness notched a takedown, but Eifert escaped. Eifert took a 3-2 advantage with a takedown, but Ness reversed him to hold a 4-3 lead going into the second period. Ness reversed Eifert from his opening down position to start the second, but Eifert came within a point with a reversal of his own. Ness would escape, but Eifert took him down to tie the score at 7-7. Eifert chose to start the third period down and quickly escaped. Midway through the period, Eifert took his opponent down once again to win a 10-7 decision. Top ranked Dake squared off against No. 8 Jake Deitchler at 157 pounds. Dake grabbed an early takedown in the first period and rode out his opponent. Dake chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped. Deitchler called injury time and Dake chose down when the action resumed. The junior increased his lead to 4-0 with an escape. Deitchler chose neutral in the third period, but neither wrestler scored again. With 2:25 in riding time, Dake won a 5-0 decision to tie the team score at 9-9. After halftime, action resumed at 165 pounds with No. 17 Marshall Peppelman facing No. 8 Cody Yohn. With a scoreless first period, Yohn turned Peppelman from his starting down position in the second for three quick back points. Peppelman escaped to come within two. Yohn chose down to start the third period and escaped. Peppelman came within a point with a takedown. Peppelman depleted the riding time advantage before letting his opponent up looking to score. Yohn evaded the Big Red sophomore to win a 5-3 decision. At 174 pounds, George took on Alec Ortiz. After a scoreless first period, George escaped from his opening down position in the second. He lengthened his lead to 3-0 with a takedown before the period was over. Ortiz escaped from his opening down position in the third. With one second left on the clock, George notched another takedown. With 2:01 in riding time, the rookie won a 6-1 decision. One minute into the first period at 184 pounds, No. 4 Bosak took down No. 6 Steinhaus. He took a 4-0 lead into the second period with two back points. Bosak escaped to start the second for the only point of the period. Steinhaus chose neutral in the third, but Bosak took him down once again. With 30 seconds left in the bout, Steinhaus reversed Bosak. With 1:41 in riding time, Bosak won an 8-2 decision. At 197 pounds, No. 1 ranked Simaz faced No. 2 Sonny Yohn. Simaz held a narrow 2-1 lead after the first period with a takedown from which Yohn escaped. Yohn escaped to open the second period, but Simaz notched two more takedowns to take a 6-3 lead. Simaz quickly reversed Yohn to start the third period. With 56 seconds left in the bout, the Big Red senior earned three back points. Simaz was leading 14-4 when he turned his opponent to his back and won by fall in 6:46. It was Simaz's fifth-straight pin of the season. With the six team points, Cornell sealed the dual victory over Minnesota. At heavyweight, freshman Jace Bennett took on No. 4 Tony Nelson. Nelson held a 3-0 lead after two periods, but the Golden Gopher won a final 15-5 major decision. Cornell will continue action on Saturday when it plays host to the Body Bar Invitational in Newman Arena. Action begins at 9 a.m. Results: 125: No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) dec. No. 8 Frank Perrelli, 6-3 133: No. 7 David Thorn (Minnesota) win by fall No. 18 Joe Stanzione (Cornell), 2:25 141: No. 17 Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec. No. 10 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 9-6 149: No. 17 Craig Eifert (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 10-7 157: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Jake Deitchler (Minnesota), 5-0 165: No. 8 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) dec. No. 17 Marshall Peppelman (Cornell), 5-3 174: Billy George (Cornell) dec. Alec Ortiz (Minnesota), 6-1 184: No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), 8-2 197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) win by fall No. 2 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota), 6:46 Hwt: No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) maj. dec. Jace Bennett (Cornell), 15-5

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed five of the final six matches to surge past Buffalo, 27-13, in its dual meet debut on Friday evening (Nov. 18) at the Bulls' Alumni Arena. The Wolverines earned bonus points in four of six individual wins, including first-period falls from fifth-year senior Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) and sophomore/freshman Max Huntley (Emerald Isle, N.C./Blair Academy). Zeerip secured his first pin of the season quickly against the Bulls' Matt Dehney at 174 pounds, striking first on a single leg before using an arm bar to work Dehney to his back and end the bout at the 1:46 mark. The win improved Zeerip to 5-0 on the season. While Zeerip put the Wolverines ahead for good, Huntley sealed their victory with a first-period pin in his collegiate dual debut at 197 pounds. Huntley scored immediately on a takedown and two-point near fall and after Heiserman came to his feet after a restart, the Wolverine rookie bodylocked him to his back, getting a five count and the subsequent pin at 2:25. Junior/sophomore Brandon Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) and junior/sophomore Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) initiated Michigan's comeback with back-to-back decisions at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Zeerip defeated Wally Maziarz in the former bout, using a second-period high crotch and 2:04 riding time to propel him to a 4-0 win. Yates struck early against Mark Lewandowski, fighting for and getting a single leg on the edge in the first and securing a quick escape in the second to win 3-2. Senior/junior Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) capped the Wolverine with a 20-5 technical fall over Tyler Peter in the heavyweight match. Apland scored on seven takedowns, including five in the third period, as well as a second-period reversal and three back points. His 4:11 in riding-time advantage clinched the tech, the third of Apland's career. Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) claimed Michigan's lone victory at the lowerweights, using a late takedown to seal an 11-2 major decision over Justin Farmer at 133 pounds. Stevens converted on four takedowns, including two in the first to build an early advantage. Needing a point to earn bonus, Stevens made good, scoring off a head-in-the-hole in the waning moments of the final period. The Wolverines were without several projected starters, including fifth-year senior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy). All are expected to return to competition soon. Michigan will wrap up its eastern road swing tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 19), heading to Pittsburgh, Pa., to face No. 11-ranked Pitt at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House. Results: 125 -- Max Soria (UB) dec. Grant Pizzo, 8-3 UB, 3-0 133 -- #13 Zac Stevens (U-M) major dec. Justin Farmer, 11-2 U-M, 4-3 141 -- Kevin Smith (UB) dec. Donnie Watkins, 11-3 UB, 7-3 149 -- Blake Roulo (UB) dec. Mike Hillock, 3-1 UB, 10-3 157 -- Brandon Zeerip (U-M) dec. Wally Maziarz, 4-0 UB, 10-7 165 -- Dan Yates (U-M) dec. Mark Lewandowski, 3-2 Tie, 10-10 174 -- #11 Justin Zeerip (U-M) pinned Matt Dehney, 1:46 U-M, 16-10 184 -- Jake Waste (UB) dec. Chris Heald, 4-2 U-M, 16-13 197 -- Max Huntley (U-M) pinned Justin Heiserman, 2:25 U-M, 22-13 Hwt -- #13 Ben Apland (U-M) tech. fall Tyler Peter, 20-5 (7:00) U-M, 27-13

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team had an outstanding showing in its home opener at Holloway Gymnasium on Friday night, posting a 37-6 dual victory over the visiting University of Indianapolis. The Boilermaker took eight of 10 matches on the evening to even their dual mark at 1-1, while the Greyhounds fell to 0-1 on the season. “I'm not sure you're ever completely satisfied unless you win every match and score every point, but we'll take the win,” said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. “Our guys did well against a very tough, scrappy Indianapolis team. They fought hard, but we did a good job taking the fight back at them. I'm happy with the win.” Despite being without starters Cashé Quiroga and A.J. Kissel at 133 and 197 pounds, respectively, the Boilermakers picked up bonus points in five of their eight wins, including four falls. Eighth-ranked junior Ivan Lopouchanski had one of the four, his first pin as a Boilermaker, and protected his undefeated record, improving to 6-0 this year. Sophomore Camden Eppert got things underway for the Boilermakers at 125 pounds, staving off a game opponent in Greyhound freshman Josh Kieffer. The two were tied after the first period and Kieffer led midway through the second, but Eppert turned things on late, outscoring Kieffer 6-3 over the last two frames in a 10-6 victory. The Greyhounds answered quickly at 133 pounds as their standout senior Ethan Harris opened his season with a 5-3 victory over Purdue senior Matt Fields to square the team score, 3-3. Things quickly got out of hand from there as Purdue reeled off three straight pins to take a commanding 21-3 advantage. Junior Jake Fleckenstein started the run at 141 pounds as he quickly built a 10-1 lead over Indianapolis sophomore Trey Weliver before scoring the fall at 4:03, and Lopouchanski followed up at 149, running the count to 12-5 and pinning senior David Lopez at the 2:56 mark. Purdue junior Tommy Churchard notched his second fall of the year at 157 pounds to make it three straight, sticking Greyhound freshman Austin Chamberlain 15 seconds into the second period as the bout went to intermission. Boilermaker sophomore Kyle Mosier kept things going after the break, edging out Indianapolis sophomore Jeff Weiss, 7-3, and Greyhound freshman Dustin Parrish gave Purdue rookie Drake Stein everything he could handle in the first period before being put on his blades at the 4:46-mark to give Stein his second career fall. Parrish scored the first takedown at 174 pounds and proceeded to ride Stein for over two minutes to close the first period. Parrish opted for a neutral start to the second period and it was all Stein the rest of the way. The Boilermaker freshman tallied a trio of takedowns before running a bar to a fall at the end of the period and making it a 30-3 Purdue edge. Purdue freshman Braden Atwood improved to 4-2 at 184 pounds with a 4-0 decision over Indianapolis sophomore George Lopez, but the Greyhounds bit back at 197 pounds as sophomore Taylor Scott outlasted Purdue sophomore Justin Dinius for a 3-0 decision. Scott snared the only takedown of the bout in the first period and held off Dinius the rest of the way for his team-best seventh win of the season. Senior Roger Vukobratovich closed out the dual in dominant fashion for the Old Gold and Black, racking up five takedowns en route to a 12-4 major decision over Greyhound sophomore Evan Wooding at 285 pounds. The major was Vukobratovich's second of the year as he improved to 5-2 overall. The Boilermakers return to action next weekend at the Journeyman Asics Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. Purdue has a quartet of outstanding opponents awaiting them, including three of the top-16 ranked teams in the country and a fourth squad receiving votes. Results: 125: Camden Eppert (PU) def. Josh Kieffer (UI), D 10-6 (PU 3 – UI 0) 133: Ethan Harris (UI) def. Matt Fields (PU), D 5-3 (PU 3 – UI 3) 141: Jake Fleckenstein (PU) def. Trey Weliver (UI), Fall 4:03 (PU 9 – UI 3) 149: Ivan Lopouchanski (PU) def. David Lopez (UI), Fall 2:56 (PU 15 – UI 3) 157: Tommy Churchard (PU) def. Austin Chamberlain (UI), Fall 3:15 (PU 21 – UI 3) 165: Kyle Mosier (PU) def. Jeff Weiss (UI), D 7-3 (PU 24 – UI 3) 174: Drake Stein (PU) def. Dustin Parrish (UI), Fall 4:46 (PU 30 – UI 3) 184: Braden Atwood (PU) def. George Lopez (UI), D 4-0 (PU 33 – UI 3) 197: Taylor Scott (UI) def. Justin Dinius (PU), D 3-0 (PU 33 – UI 6) 285: Roger Vukobratovich (PU) def. Evan Wooding (UI), MD 12-4 (PU 37 – UI 6)

The No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers came up short in its first dual completion of the season. Minnesota fell to No. 5 Cornell by a score of 21-16, in Ithaca, N.Y. The Gophers had four victories on the evening coming from Zach Sanders (125 lbs.), David Thorn (133 lbs.), Cody Yohn (165 lbs.) and Tony Nelson (Hwt.) Sanders, who is ranked No.2 in his divison squared off with No. 8 Frank Perrelli. Sanders and Perrelli stayed pretty neutral for the most part of the match. Sanders scored a takedown midway through the first, but Perrelli was able to score an escape late in the period. Perrelli started down to start off the second period and quickly scored another escape, but Sanders responded right back with another takedown, to grab a 4-2 lead heading into the final period. Sanders would earn 1:29 of riding time in the final period and won the match by a count of 6-3. Thorn had a very quick match, in fact he closed out his first dual against Cornell's Joe Stanzione is just 2:25, as he picked up the fall. Thorn scored a takedown at 1:44 in the first period to go up 4-1. Stanzione got the escape at the 0:46 mark, but Thorn quickly took him down and secured the pin just outside the inner circle to put the Gophers on top 9-0. Cornell would go onto to win the next three matches, before Cody Yohn would pick up a victory after a dog fight with Marshall Peppelman. Yohn (No.8) and Peppelman (No. 17) battled to a blank score after the opening period. Thirty seconds into the second, Yohn nearly had Peppelman pinned, but came up with a three-point near fall. Peppelman would score an escape to earn his first point and would end the period after a stalling warning. Yohn kept control in the final period to hold on to win 5-3 and put the Gophers back on top 12-9. The Big Red would pick up three more straight wins, which gave them the victory before Nelson everstepped foot onto the mat. Nelson controlled Jace Bennett for the entire seven minutes in the circle. He would win by a 15-4 major decision and scored five takedowns and had 3:18 seconds of riding time. Minnesota will next take on the defending NCAA National Champions Penn State University this Sunday at 11 a.m. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked No. 2 in the country and already have a dual victory under their belts, against Bloomsburg. The dual will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. NOTE: Redshirt freshman Chris Dardanes and redshirt sophomore Scott Schiller will both compete in the Body Bar Invitational hosted by Cornell. Action gets underway at 8 a.m. Results: 125: No. 2 Zach Sanders 6-3 dec. No. 8 Frank Perrelli 3-0 133: No. 7 David Thorn fall 2:25 No. 18 Joe Stanzione 9-0 141: No. 17 Mike Nevinger 9-6 dec. No. 10 Nick Dardanes 9-3 149: No. 17 Craig Eifert No. 6 Dylan Ness 10-7 dec. 9-6 157: No. 1 Kyle Dake 5-0 dec. No. 8 Jake Deitchler 9-9 165: No. 8 Cody Yohn 5-3 dec. No. 17 Marshall Peppelman 12-9 174: Billy George 6-1 dec. Alec Oritz 12-12 184: No. 4 Steve Bosak 8-2 dec. No. 6 Kevin Steinhaus 12-15 197: No. 1 Cam Simaz fall 6:46 No. 2 Sonny Yohn 12-21 Hwt: No. 4 Tony Nelson 15-4 maj dec. Jace Bennett 16-21

The college wrestling community took a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when it learned that the University of Maryland was no longer considering cutting its wrestling program from the school's athletic offerings. The decision made sense. Over the past several years the Terrapins have become a powerful presence in the Mid-Atlantic region, winning two of the last three ACC titles and head coach Kerry McCoy has been awarded an equal number of ACC Coach of the Year honors. Robin Ficker (Photo/Morgan Hennessy)The school's final decision and the board's motives for their recommendations will not be known for some time, but fans can conclude that much of the reason wrestling was saved has to do with the program's forward momentum. The Terrapins have been successful on the mat, with three All-Americans in 2011 and have also proven to be one of the most active social networking teams in the country. The program has also attracted the loudest fan in the wrestling nation: former Washington Bullets heckler Robin Ficker. On-the-mat success, networking and an active fan base lead the Terrapins to this rarest of wrestling success stories. However, the fight for amateur wrestling's cultural recognition will not be cemented with the preservation of one program through traditional means. The wrestling world needs to extract broader lessons from the Maryland case and understand that proactive measures had already been taken to make the team more solvent and more salient, but that more will have to be done to protect it for the next decade. Wrestling has long been dogged as a welfare sport. While I believe colleges and universities should provide athletics to their student body as part of creating a diverse student experience regardless of financial implications, I am very much in the minority. Administrators are trending negative in 2012, having to process depressing bottom lines, pay-for-play scandals and moral battles they never imagined. All this turmoil means there is opportunity for change at the administrative level and for college programs to create capital in conjunction with the rapidly expanding MMA marketplace. The wrestling community (an idiom loosely fashioned to any of several groups, including coaches, fans, media and influential alumni who converse on internet boards and occasional drink specials) is the most eagerly entrepreneurial of any of the other traditional sports threatened by budget cuts. Any wrestling-focused Facebook user has 30 T-shirt brands to choose from and an equal number of apps, camps, and instructional videos. But when it comes to running our programs like a business, we tend to collapse under administrative pressures and lack of potential financing. We do not do a good job creating vertical monetization of our most unique and valuable commodity: wrestling matches. Frankie Edgar (Photo/FrankieEdgar.com)I understand that the wrestling community is split on its feelings about mixed martial arts and the influence it can have on college and international wrestling. One argument stands that the increased cage success of former wrestling stars like Dan Henderson, Ben Askren, and Frankie Edgar attracts potential international wrestling stars away from their Olympic pursuits. Other camps believe that MMA provides incentive for young kids interested in MMA to become involved in the sport from a young age. Both arguments make sense, but the effort against MMA is fundamentally irrational -- the sport will not be harnessed or stopped (as New York is now finding out) it can only be capitalized upon. Wrestling is already late, but with a proactive approach from the sport's leaders it can make full use of the sport's crossover potential. Wrestling's key issue with programmatic security has always been its inability to create revenue from ticket sales, clothing sales, and other traditional market-based solutions. To fill the gap we have created a co-opt of funds brought together by independent philanthropic endeavors and individuals to pay our bills in the short term. (Perhaps not shockingly the independent financing of traditional wrestling is not an American problem -- we actually support wrestling better than most countries.) The financial support of individuals is wonderful to those who can attain it, but wrestling now is positioned to accept increased financial support from its professional sporting cousin, mixed martial arts. Last weekend's UFC on FOX debut pitted former two-time Arizona State heavyweight All-American Cain Velasquez against undefeated Brazilian striker Junior dos Santos. By now most of you have seen the results in the cage and UFC fans made audible groans at the length of the fight -- all perceived to be major setbacks for the promotion. However, as the numbers became more certain, the media realized two important stats. The first was that the fight, which aired against a BCS-impact game and lead-in to a Manny Pacquiao fight, pulled 5.7 million viewers making it the most-watched UFC fight in history. The fight also captured the second-highest male 18-34 demographic (the most coveted in advertising) of the sporting season, more than baseball, football, or any other single athletic event save the recent No. 1 vs. No. 2 football game between LSU and Alabama. The target demographic is important to understand; 18-34 has always been recognized as the age when men start to develop brand loyalty which they'll likely retain well into their earning years. For companies it's clear: get 'em now and you'll be paid handsomely for years to come. To own this demographic advertisers pour money into athletic events because viewers tend to watch them live rather than risk having the results ruined by Twitter or a friend with a bent towards schadenfreude. The UFC and FOX have aligned for a 7-year, $700 million deal because the network realized that the UFC held this key demographic and that advertisers would be desperate to seek space during events like this weekend's. All of the advertising interest makes for a large pot of MMA money, and what sport feeds MMA more than any other? College wrestling. So why is there not more bleed over in terms of dollars? A lack of creativity, community of complacency and the misguided belief that wrestling as a consumer product can't be profitable. Crossover companies already exist. Clinch Gear and Cradle Gear have wrestling and MMA gear, but its product-only right now -- the cash is not filtering to college teams in any measurable result. One reason is that the content schools could sell (i.e. matches, behind-the-scenes and techniques) are being handed over for free to sites like Flowrestling. Flo's model is based on clicks, so a school's content gets coupled with advertising and that once-free content is now profitable to nobody but Flo. How and why that model still exists without competition is perplexing considering the amount of money they are making from any of their major sponsors, including dominant MMA brand TapouT. In a normal content partnership, like the UFC on FOX, the content is paid for in advance, giving the purchasing party the ability to make revenue from the advertising. No such model currently exists in college wrestling and until it does Flo has every right (as capitalists) to continue to profit from the free content. Colleges across the country have to improve their revenue streams by promoting their product in a system that allocates advertising dollars back to their programs. Mat decals, short commercials, sponsored segments with athletes and other market-based solutions are all currently available to schools willing to control their content and MMA is the resource connecting the sport to an enormous, culture-changing pot of money. The MMA world has realized the potential of college wrestlers and college wresting, what's sad is that because of misplaced modesty or ineffectual leadership the reverse can't be said. In addition to the content currently available for sale, the major conference representatives (Big Ten and Big 12) need to influence the rules and regulations governing the advertising capabilities of college wrestling programs. Ideas are needed, but what about teams with sponsored singlets (already do this with Nike, adidas, etc.)? Or matches that are competed in fight shorts and shirts, giving advertisers the incentive to reach out to the 4 million-plus members of the wrestling community with marketable consumer wears? I certainly wouldn't mind an amendment to the current NCAA rules that would allow for on-the-mat decals during the ESPN broadcast of the NCAA finals (maybe the funds could be distributed to at-risk teams?) These are just throw-away, top-of-the-dome ideas, but with the backing of MMA there is no limit to the growth and earning potential for individual programs and business owners. By creating a marketplace that's attractive to MMA advertisers college wrestling can enjoy financial stability and re-certify itself as a major component of the modern sporting world. We do not have to live in a world where we're waiting for bad news every March, a culling of the first order. We can be leaders if we just believe that we have something to sell and take the initiative to make those moves. If we do not, we will continue to disappear, continue to fail and continue a complete, total and irreparable downward spiral into financial instability and cultural irrelevance. That is unless leaders are willing to recapture their content, sell it and embrace the financial potential of the cage.

Event: UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson Venue: HP Pavilion (San Jose, Calif.) Date: Nov. 19, 2011 Two Pride Fighting legends, light-heavyweights, Maurico "Shogun" Rua (20-5) and Dan "Hendo" Henderson (28-8) take center stage in a rare five round non-title fight. Dana White, UFC President, is starting to add two rounds to many of the non-title main events, a policy I agree with. But Saturday night five rounds won't be needed, as two of the games most lethal strikers will go toe-to-toe until one of them drops. It's Hendo's overhand right against Shogun's kicking and knees. This should be quite a fight while it lasts! Dan Henderson has NEVER been knocked out after more than a dozen years of fighting at the sports' top level. And, I could certainly see the former Olympian grabbing a Shogun knee and planting himself on top of the Brazilian, and showering him with nasty elbows and punches in bunches. But then I could see a much quicker and younger (by 12 years) Shogun attaching with a relentless pace of coordinated strikes and winning a convincing decision, if he doesn't gas as he has been known to do. Henderson has won six of his last seven fights, since being submitted by Anderson Silva. His only loss was a shocking stunner to Jake Shields. In a fight that could go either way, the betting value here lies with the underdog Henderson at +120, and my heart says to take Hendo, but my wallet thinks otherwise, as I see Shogun as the more athletic, quicker, younger, more well-rounded fighter. I'm letting my intuition make my play. Take Shogun Rua at -140 to become the first man to TKO Dan Henderson early in the third round. Bantamweight (135 pounds) Uriah Faber (25-2) once was considered unbeatable. But time has taken its toll, but the ever popular former WEC champion now has his sights set on becoming a UFC champion. His opponent Brian Bowles (10-1) shocked the MMA world three years ago when he stopped Miguel Torres, who was 37-1 at the time. Both have lost to champion Dominick Cruz. These lightweights will be active and exciting as each tries to flow from striking to wrestling to submission attempts. Perhaps a good candidate for Fight of the Night (FON)? Faber is huge for his weight class, and he has the most experience, and a better, more rounded fight game. The "California Kid" should win a unanimous decision. Lay the -220. Two middleweight (185 pounds) strikers Cung Le (7-1) and Wanderlei "The Ax Murderer" Silva (33-11-1) will entertain the crowd as each tries to take the other's head off. The legendary Silva was unbeatable in his prime, but those days are long gone, and he has now lost six of his last eight, and will soon be retiring, or he isn't forced into it by Dana. Cung Le has been making movies. He avenged his only loss to hard hitting Steve Smith. I think Le will get the better of this, and the -145 is cheap. Le by second round KO. Rick "The Horror" Story (13-4) is a welterweight (170 pounds) beast, good enough to beat Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, and Thiago Alves. Wow. His opponent is Dutchman, Martin Kampmann (17-4), one of the premier strikers in the game with a vastly underrated ground game. Kampmann has lost two in a row (Shields and Diego Sanchez), and needs to avoid a potential pink slip in a deep sport that doesn't tolerate 3-loss streaks! Kampmann finishes his opponents. Story has never been finished. In another great fight, I'll go with Story based on physical strength and superior wrestling ability. Laying -140 is more than reasonable. The last of the main card fights includes the "American Psycho", light-heavyweight (205 pounds) Stephan Bonner (13-7) trying to slow down rising star, Kyle Kingsbury (11-2), who has won four in a row in the Octagon. in another competitive fight, I think Kingsbury is the better athlete, stronger, and the better wrestler. The striking is even, Bonner owns the jits. And a submission victory will be what Bonner is looking for. But Kingsbury prevails, and wins a close decision, cashing for those of us laying the -140. Now let's take a quick look at the undercard of seven fights. Arizona State's Ryan Bader (12-2) has lost two in a row and needs to get back on track. Both losses were by submission. And his opponent, Jason Brilz (18-4-1), owns nine submission wins! More trouble for Bader? Only if he can't use his superior strength to stay out of it, or if he hasn't worked on submission defense like he should. Bader's over-powering slugging will be the difference here. A slugfest turns into some Bader ground-and-pound. A second round TKO ends it. Bader at -220, the play. Two lightweight (155 pounds) Brazilians will show off their ground games and try to submit each other, when Gleison Tibau (24-7) takes on Rafael Dos Anjos (15-5). Both have had some surprising KO wins, but both are stronger jui-jitsu fighters. I like Dos Anjos in a mild upset here. Take the +150 on the ‘dog. Thirty year old Miguel Torres (39-4) opened his MMA career 37-1, and was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Today he's an MMA analyst and broadcaster, who isn't quite ready to give up the fight game. Nor should he. His vast experience and more developed skills should be no contest for Nick Pace (6-2). Both have lost to "Mighty Mouse" Demitrious Johson, another Dominick Cruz victim. Torres wins by first round rear-naked chokehold and cashes at -325. Welterweight Matt "The Immortal" Brown (12-10) has had nine UFC fights, but continues to struggle, losing eight times by submission! But Brown keeps getting fights because of his relentless, forward-pushing striking and kicking. His style is fun to watch until he gets dragged to the Matt and gets submitted. And his opponent, Seth Baczynski (14-6) is a lanky submission expert. History repeats again. Another 'dog cashes. As much as I want to bet on Brown, the value lies elsewhere. Take the +125 on the "Polish Pistola". "Filthy Mauler" Tom Lawler (7-3) is a middleweight who brings it ever time out. Chris Weidman (6-0) is a former Hofstra All-American, and a better athlete, who should have enough in his toolbox to keep his unbeaten streak alive. I'll go with Weidman and lay the -350. Third round TKO. Danny Castillo (11-4) is a WEC veteran coming off a loss to Jacob Volkmann in the UFC. Shamar Bailey (12-4) is getting no respect from bookmakers here. I'll take the juicy at +260 on Bailey, hoping to squeak out a close decision. Michael McDonald (13-1) is only 20 years old. That's amazing. He takes on an undefeated Alex Soto (6-0-1), who makes his UFC debut. Interesting matchup. McDonald at -380 wins by TKO in the second round. Okay, that's it, a dozen fights, and a great card. Now let's see how we can do with our fictitious $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $70 to win $50 on Shogun Rua to beat Dan Henderson. Let's lay $110 to win $50 on Uriah Faber. Let's lay $84 to win $60 on Rick Story. Let's lay $87 to win $60 on Cung Le. Let's lay $56 to win $40 on Kyle Kinsbury. Let's lay $136 to win $40 on Ryan Bader to get back on track. Let's lay $40 to win $60 on Rafael Dos Anjos. Let's lay $130 to win $40 on Miguel Torres. Let's lay $ 40 to win $50 on Seth Baczynski. Let's lay $105 to win $30 on Chris Weidman. Let's lay $30 to win $78 on Shamar Bailey. Let's lay $114 to win $30 on Michael McDonald. In total we are risking $1002 to win $588. Don't forget to share your winnings with your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

Event: UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson Venue: HP Pavilion (San Jose, Calif.) Date: Nov. 19, 2011 Two Pride Fighting legends, light-heavyweights, Maurico "Shogun" Rua (20-5) and Dan "Hendo" Henderson (28-8) take center stage in a rare five round non-title fight. Dana White, UFC President, is starting to add two rounds to many of the non-title main events, a policy I agree with. But Saturday night five rounds won't be needed, as two of the games most lethal strikers will go toe-to-toe until one of them drops. It's Hendo's overhand right against Shogun's kicking and knees. This should be quite a fight while it lasts! Dan Henderson has NEVER been knocked out after more than a dozen years of fighting at the sports' top level. And, I could certainly see the former Olympian grabbing a Shogun knee and planting himself on top of the Brazilian, and showering him with nasty elbows and punches in bunches. But then I could see a much quicker and younger (by 12 years) Shogun attaching with a relentless pace of coordinated strikes and winning a convincing decision, if he doesn't gas as he has been known to do. Henderson has won six of his last seven fights, since being submitted by Anderson Silva. His only loss was a shocking stunner to Jake Shields. In a fight that could go either way, the betting value here lies with the underdog Henderson at +120, and my heart says to take Hendo, but my wallet thinks otherwise, as I see Shogun as the more athletic, quicker, younger, more well-rounded fighter. I'm letting my intuition make my play. Take Shogun Rua at -140 to become the first man to TKO Dan Henderson early in the third round. Bantamweight (135 pounds) Uriah Faber (25-2) once was considered unbeatable. But time has taken its toll, but the ever popular former WEC champion now has his sights set on becoming a UFC champion. His opponent Brian Bowles (10-1) shocked the MMA world three years ago when he stopped Miguel Torres, who was 37-1 at the time. Both have lost to champion Dominick Cruz. These lightweights will be active and exciting as each tries to flow from striking to wrestling to submission attempts. Perhaps a good candidate for Fight of the Night (FON)? Faber is huge for his weight class, and he has the most experience, and a better, more rounded fight game. The "California Kid" should win a unanimous decision. Lay the -220. Two middleweight (185 pounds) strikers Cung Le (7-1) and Wanderlei "The Ax Murderer" Silva (33-11-1) will entertain the crowd as each tries to take the other's head off. The legendary Silva was unbeatable in his prime, but those days are long gone, and he has now lost six of his last eight, and will soon be retiring, or he isn't forced into it by Dana. Cung Le has been making movies. He avenged his only loss to hard hitting Steve Smith. I think Le will get the better of this, and the -145 is cheap. Le by second round KO. Rick "The Horror" Story (13-4) is a welterweight (170 pounds) beast, good enough to beat Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, and Thiago Alves. Wow. His opponent is Dutchman, Martin Kampmann (17-4), one of the premier strikers in the game with a vastly underrated ground game. Kampmann has lost two in a row (Shields and Diego Sanchez), and needs to avoid a potential pink slip in a deep sport that doesn't tolerate 3-loss streaks! Kampmann finishes his opponents. Story has never been finished. In another great fight, I'll go with Story based on physical strength and superior wrestling ability. Laying -140 is more than reasonable. The last of the main card fights includes the "American Psycho", light-heavyweight (205 pounds) Stephan Bonner (13-7) trying to slow down rising star, Kyle Kingsbury (11-2), who has won four in a row in the Octagon. in another competitive fight, I think Kingsbury is the better athlete, stronger, and the better wrestler. The striking is even, Bonner owns the jits. And a submission victory will be what Bonner is looking for. But Kingsbury prevails, and wins a close decision, cashing for those of us laying the -140. Now let's take a quick look at the undercard of seven fights. Arizona State's Ryan Bader (12-2) has lost two in a row and needs to get back on track. Both losses were by submission. And his opponent, Jason Brilz (18-4-1), owns nine submission wins! More trouble for Bader? Only if he can't use his superior strength to stay out of it, or if he hasn't worked on submission defense like he should. Bader's over-powering slugging will be the difference here. A slugfest turns into some Bader ground-and-pound. A second round TKO ends it. Bader at -220, the play. Two lightweight (155 pounds) Brazilians will show off their ground games and try to submit each other, when Gleison Tibau (24-7) takes on Rafael Dos Anjos (15-5). Both have had some surprising KO wins, but both are stronger jui-jitsu fighters. I like Dos Anjos in a mild upset here. Take the +150 on the ‘dog. Thirty year old Miguel Torres (39-4) opened his MMA career 37-1, and was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Today he's an MMA analyst and broadcaster, who isn't quite ready to give up the fight game. Nor should he. His vast experience and more developed skills should be no contest for Nick Pace (6-2). Both have lost to "Mighty Mouse" Demitrious Johson, another Dominick Cruz victim. Torres wins by first round rear-naked chokehold and cashes at -325. Welterweight Matt "The Immortal" Brown (12-10) has had nine UFC fights, but continues to struggle, losing eight times by submission! But Brown keeps getting fights because of his relentless, forward-pushing striking and kicking. His style is fun to watch until he gets dragged to the Matt and gets submitted. And his opponent, Seth Baczynski (14-6) is a lanky submission expert. History repeats again. Another 'dog cashes. As much as I want to bet on Brown, the value lies elsewhere. Take the +125 on the "Polish Pistola". "Filthy Mauler" Tom Lawler (7-3) is a middleweight who brings it ever time out. Chris Weidman (6-0) is a former Hofstra All-American, and a better athlete, who should have enough in his toolbox to keep his unbeaten streak alive. I'll go with Weidman and lay the -350. Third round TKO. Danny Castillo (11-4) is a WEC veteran coming off a loss to Jacob Volkmann in the UFC. Shamar Bailey (12-4) is getting no respect from bookmakers here. I'll take the juicy at +260 on Bailey, hoping to squeak out a close decision. Michael McDonald (13-1) is only 20 years old. That's amazing. He takes on an undefeated Alex Soto (6-0-1), who makes his UFC debut. Interesting matchup. McDonald at -380 wins by TKO in the second round. Okay, that's it, a dozen fights, and a great card. Now let's see how we can do with our fictitious $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $70 to win $50 on Shogun Rua to beat Dan Henderson. Let's lay $110 to win $50 on Uriah Faber. Let's lay $84 to win $60 on Rick Story. Let's lay $87 to win $60 on Cung Le. Let's lay $56 to win $40 on Kyle Kinsbury. Let's lay $136 to win $40 on Ryan Bader to get back on track. Let's lay $40 to win $60 on Rafael Dos Anjos. Let's lay $130 to win $40 on Miguel Torres. Let's lay $ 40 to win $50 on Seth Baczynski. Let's lay $105 to win $30 on Chris Weidman. Let's lay $30 to win $78 on Shamar Bailey. Let's lay $114 to win $30 on Michael McDonald. In total we are risking $1002 to win $588. Don't forget to share your winnings with your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights. I know I will.

Omaha, Neb. -- A few short months ago Dakota Cochrane clinched the biggest win of his professional MMA fight career, defeating former WEC champ Jamie Varner in devastating fashion, live on HDNet . In just a few short weeks, Cochrane, who fights out of Premier Combat Center in Omaha, NE, will head to Las Vegas to pursue his dream of fighting for the UFC. Open tryouts for “Ultimate Fighter 15” kick off on Dec. 5 at Texas Station in North Las Vegas. Although Cochrane will be competing against hundreds of hopefuls to get a coveted spot on the show, he is confident that he will make the cut. Cochrane had this to say about the upcoming tryouts, “I am ready for this! My fight game has come a long way since I've been training at Premier Combat Center. Every day I train with UFC level fighters that know exactly what it takes to make it to the big stage, fighters like Jason Brilz, Jake Ellenberger, Ryan Jensen and Houston Alexander. All of them have fought under the UFC banner.” According to Ryan Jensen, UFC Vet and co-owner of Premier Combat Sports, “How you evolve as a fighter has a lot to do with the competition that you train with and Dakota consistently trains with some of the best guys out there. Training with fighters like Brilz and Ellenberger definitely gives him an edge. If he can hold his own with these guys, he can take on anyone. I have no doubt that Dakota will be a stand out at the ‘TUF 15' tryouts.” Cochran's “edge” was apparent when he fought Varner in September. He clearly dominated the eight-time WEC and two-time UFC vet from the moment he stepped into the cage, despite the fact that he accepted the bout just days before the Titan Fighting Championship event. Cochrane accepted the challenge without hesitation and clearly made the most of his opportunity. Premier Combat Center is no stranger to producing top-level contenders. At the recent IBJJF No-Gi World Championships in Long Beach, CA Premier Combat competitors John Hansen, Becky Phillips and Aaron Steele all made impressive showings; each taking home medals in their respective divisions, and two of the team's A-list fighters will take to the cage this weekend. On Nov. 18, Premier Combat fighter Anthony Smith will take on Adlan Amagov at Strikeforce Challengers 20 and on Saturday, November 19 Premier Combat fighter Jason Brilz will take on Ryan Bader at UFC 139. The teams rising star, Dakota Cochrane, hopes to be the next Premier Combat Center fighter to get signed by the UFC. Showcasing his skills at the “Tuf 15” tryouts will give him a chance to earn that opportunity. About Premier Combat Center: Premier Combat Center was created to provide world-class mixed martial arts training at an affordable cost. The top-level MMA training facility is well-known throughout the state of Nebraska and offers a wide range of fun and challenging classes for men, women, and children who aspire to get fit and improve their overall health. Premier Combat Center takes great pride in providing unparalleled curriculum taught by world-class professional practitioners, from professional-level MMA fighters and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experts, to a collegiate All-American wrestler and a world champion Kick-boxer. Classes are offered in Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do and Mixed Martial Arts. One-on-one personal training is also available. Classes are set up to accommodate all ages and skill levels, from the individual fighter to every member of the family. For more information on the gym and the classes that they offer, please visit www.premiercombatcenter.com.