InterMat Staff

There was bound to be some follow-up questions for UFC President Dana White following yesterday's UFC on Fox 2 presser and today in Toronto he heard 'em all. The promotion's pitchman denied reports that Rashad Evans would be fined or suspended for making pre-fight remarks that compared "putting hands" on his opponent Phil Davis' worse than that of alleged child abuser and former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. For now Evans' comments have been relegated to the ambiguous weigh station of wait-and-see "What do you want me to do? You want me to have our lawyers draw something up, and I'll come out and read it to you guys?" he said. "[Evans] said something stupid. It's probably one of the dumbest things you can say. "He gets it, and he knows it was a stupid thing to say. We'll see what happens." White's beliefs were more clear when it came to the health of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and the future of Strikeforce on Showtime. Silva, who Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson both accuse of having ducked competition due to phantom injuries, was defended by a sharp-tongued White in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "First of all, just to clear this up, and these guys – Dan Henderson knows it, Chael knows it, and every other fighter that fights in the UFC knows it – you can't fake an injury," "He is injured," White said. "He's out until the summer. That's just those guys yapping." The Showtime deal with Zuffa-owned Strikedforce was expected to expire in February, but the premium cable channel and the parent company of the UFC have appear to have a new deal in place with White saying that details should be made available sometime next week.

"Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" rumored for Jan. 7 is now official. The main event features a middleweight title fight between champion Luke Rockhold (8-1 MMA, 7-0 SF) and Keith Jardine (17-9-2 MMA, 0-0-1 SF). The other main card bouts include middleweights Robbie Lawler (18-8 MMA, 2-4 SF) vs. Adlan Amagov (9-1-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), light heavyweights Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (8-1 MMA, 3-1 SF) vs. Lorenz Larkin (12-0 MMA, 3-0 SF), and welterweights Tarec Saffiedine (11-3 MMA, 3-1 SF) vs. Tyler Stinson (22-7 MMA, 1-0 SF). Former EliteXC and UFC standout Robbie Lawler will look to get back on the winning track against Adlan Amagov, who is currently in the midst of a 10-fight undefeated streak. Meanwhile Lawlor has lost four of his last six fights, including his last two. King Mo is back after a first-round KO of Roger Gracie in September. Lawal, once the title holder at light heavyweight is in his second fight since becoming injured in his August 2010 title defense loss to Rafeal "Feijao" Calvacante. His opponent Lorenz Larkin is arguably Strikeforce's hottest fighter winning all three of his promotional appearances in 2011. The event takes place The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and will be Strikeforce's first event of 2012.

CHICAGO -- No one needs to tell Jon Koppenhaver what it means to hit rock bottom. After being raised by a substance-abusing mother and spending over a year in state prison, "War Machine" has seen it all. Only 29 years old and coming off a dominating TKO victory over former Bellator and UFC fighter Roger Huerta, the talented welterweight is ready to resurrect his MMA career by joining Bellator Fighting Championships. Jon Koppenhaver (Photo/Bellator)"Jon's not had an easy road," said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "And there's no doubt he's made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right. And, when he's focused on nothing but training and fighting, he's a talented and exciting fighter. I hope he's able to turn this second chance into something positive." Born and raised in California, Koppenhaver has dealt with personal demons nearly his entire life. Watching his mother abuse drugs was common for Koppenhaver, which eventually led to him leaving home to live with his biological father. Soon after the move was made, Koppenhaver's father suffered a heart attack and died in his son's arms. "My past has kind of shaped and molded who I've become, but the mistakes I've made in the past have definitely made me realize that I have to avoid certain situations in order to be the type of person I want to be," War Machine said. Fighting certainly has shaped Koppenhaver's life, both in and out of the cage. After a 5-1 start to his professional MMA career, War Machine began a downward spiral that included numerous altercations in bars and nightclubs, which eventually led to his year-long incarceration. Originally signed by Bellator in 2009, War Machine made disparaging political comments that led to his release before he could step foot inside the Bellator cage. Now back with Bellator, War Machine realizes this is a chance not everyone gets. "It's like I hit the rewind button," War Machine said. "I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity. I'm just stoked to be back in the mix here with Bellator. I didn't get released from Bellator because I sucked. I got released because I was making poor decisions in my life. Right now I'm just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator." With the recent win over Huerta, War Machine is aware of what is on the line with Bellator, and is ready for this opportunity. "I feel like I belong fighting with the best fighters in the world and Bellator has a bunch of them," said War Machine. "I'm ready to fight the best guys again, and now I have that chance. I'm excited for the chance to prove myself and make up for a lot of the stupid stuff I've said and done in the past. I love my family and my teammates and I want to make them all proud of me. I want to show them what I'm truly capable of. I know there are a lot of kids and people I care about there watching me so I need to be a lot more careful about some of the choices I make. I just want to make everyone proud of me."

BRISTOL, R.I. -- The Roger Williams University Wrestling team (1-0) crushed the U.S.Coast Guard Academy 37-6 in the Pilgrim League opener for both teams. In the night's first match, Coast Guard's Nate Giorgio, ranked sixth in the nation at 125-pounds, earned six points for the Bears with a pin at 6:03. However, this would be the only scoring for the Bears as the Hawks would go on to sweep the remaining weight classes. At 165-pounds, sophomore Collin Crowell (Hampstead, N.H.) won 13-4. Junior 197-pounder Philip Ernst (Succasunna, N.J.) won by tech fall, 19-3. In the closest match of the evening, junior Jack DiBurro (Haverhill, Mass.) and Virgil Moreno would battle at 174-pounds to a 1-1 stalemate but DiBiurro would claim the victory for the Hawks with 2:31 of riding time. After the match Coach Jon Egan was proud of his team and stated, “It was a great start to our dual meet season. Coast Guard had beaten us last year and we had a bit of a chip on our shoulder since then. It was nice to see our guys getting after it and raising the level of intensity.” The Hawks travel to Norwich on Saturday, December 10 for a non-league contest. The Bears (0-1) conclude their first semester schedule and will resume with the North/South Duals at Ursinus College on January 7, 2012. Results: 125: Nate Giorgio (CGA) pins Anthony D'Anton (RWU) at 6:07 133: Michael Ehlinger (RWU) wins by forfeit 141: Michael Forlenza (RWU) defeats Anthony Signorello (CGA) 8-3 149: Conor Hayes (RWU) defeats Micheal Giorgio (CGA) 6-1 157: Kevin Edward (RWU) defeats Ben Greeen (CGA) 10-2 165: Collin Crowell (RWU) defeats Vaughn Gehman (CGA) 13-4 174: Jack DiBurro (RWU) defeats Virgil Moreno (CGA) 2-1 184: Shane Parcel (RWU) defeats Nolan Salyer (CGA) 8-1 197: Philip Ernst (RWU) defeats Matt Waskiewicz (CGA) 19-3 (tech fall) Heavyweight: Williams Salovitch (RWU) wins by forfeit

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Join Scott Casber, Jeff Murphy, Steve Foster, Chad Kriz, Ryan Freeman and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon. This week we take a behind the scenes look at wrestling and sports on television with Doug Brooker. One of the most prolific wrestling and sports producers of our time, Brookers resume includes our sports biggest events and some of its most intimate moments. Doug is slated as the World Feed producer for the 2012 Olympics. We'll look for answers on what the networks look for from sport, how best to showcase wrestling to an audience and what it'll take to get more wrestling on TV. Brooker's hand selected expert guests are broken down into two groups. 9:01 Doug Wren, Television Director, Tulsa, Oklahoma Janice Devine, TV Graphics Designer & Graphics Operator, Chicago, Illinois Vic Thomas, Television Audio, San Jose, California 9:26 Takedown Wrestling Headline News with Brad Johnson 9:40 Jeff Murphy, Kemin's Top 20 Report 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:01 Doug Wren, Television Director, Tulsa, Oklahoma Carol Peterson, Television Camera Operator, Lake Tahoe, Nevada Tim Johnson, Television Play by Play Announcer, Champaign, Illinois Vic Thomas, Television Audio, San Jose, California Olaf Bahr, Olympic Broadcasting 10:40 Ken Kraft on the 49th Edition of the Ken Kraft Midlands 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Report Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

ERIE, Pa. -- The Gannon wrestling team won nine of ten bouts en route to a 39-6 win over Penn State DuBois Wednesday evening at the Hammermill Center. In addition to the results on the mat, the event was also a success as fundraising efforts produced more than $1,200 to be used for a scholarship in the name of head coach Don Henry's wife Diane who passed away earlier this week. Matt Turek (Painesville, Ohio / Madison) gave the Golden Knights a 6-0 lead after the 125-pound match, earning a technical fall (22-7) at the 4:02 mark of the bout. Turek recorded six takedowns and six back points during the first period. Adam Weinell (Blairsville, Pa. / Blairsville) recorded his third pin of the season in the 133-pound bout. He pinned Trenton Bowers two minutes and 37 seconds into the match, giving Gannon an 11-0 lead. Scott Bulzan (Chardon, Ohio / Chardon) earned a 4-2 decision in the 141-pound match before Ethan Swope (Luthersberg, Pa. / DuBois Area) recorded a 12-3 major decision at 149. Swope picked up two takedowns in the first period, a reversal in the second and a takedown with three back points in the third. Keith Stoerr (Lancaster, N.Y. / Lancaster) and Zack Zelcs (Ridgway, Pa. / Ridgway) also recorded pins during the Gannon win. Stoerr pinned Ryan Terwilliger in 5:51 to end the 174-pound bout while Zelcs recorded the win via pin at the 4:15 mark of the 184-pound match. Sam Brehm (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland), Adam Greenman (Port Allegany, Pa. / Port Allegany) and Jimmy Martz (Hookstown, Pa. / Southside Beaver) all added three points to Gannon's total with decisions in their respective weight classes. The Golden Knights moved to 1-0 with the win in their opening dual. Penn State DuBois fell to 5-2 for the season. Gannon will next compete at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Championships this weekend at Mercyhurst. Competition will take place all day Saturday, December 10.

The 14th-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers raced out to a 16-0 lead after four matches, including No. 3 Jack Bachman's (Greensburg, Pa.) decision over No .4 Adam Hluschak at 141 lbs., on their way to a 25-15 victory at Super Region I rival East Stroudsburg University, Wednesday night. Pitt-Johnstown improved to 2-1. The Mountain Cats, also ranked fourth in the region, started fast. Dave Fogle (125 lbs.) (Summerhill, Pa.) opened the night with an 11-0 major decision over Zach Jones, before NCAA No 3-ranked Ryan Link (Cresson, Pa.) improved to 7-0 on the year by pinning Chris Davis at 1:44 in the 133-lb. bout. Then, in a battle of two of the top-four ranked wrestlers in the country at 141lbs., No. 3 Bachman won a 5-3 decision over No. 4 Adam Hluschak to increase the Pitt-Johnstown lead to 13-0. The Mountain Cats made it four straight wins to start the match with No. 6 Nathan Link's (Cresson, Pa.) 12-6 win over Andrew Ritchie at 149 lbs. East Stroudsburg battled back to cut it to 16-9 with three straight wins of its own. Braden Turner's defeated Joel Paolo (Weirton, WV), 1-0, and Thad Frick followed with an 8-5 decision over Zach Lundgren (Dubois, Pa.). The Wariors then got a 6-4 win in three overtimes by Brandon McKeown over Travis McKillop at 174 lbs. to pull to within seven with three matches remaining. However, Gary Lantz (Delta, Pa.) came up big for Pitt-Johnstown and ended the East Stroudsburg run. Lantz pinned James Gonzalez at 3:25 at 184 lbs. to rebuild the Mountain Cat lead to 22-9 and seal the victory. With the outcome already determined, East Stroudsburg's No. 7-ranked Ed Ebewo won by medical forfeit over Zak Newton (Cresson, Pa.) at 197 lbs., to make it 22-15, before Pitt-Johnstown Josh Krupa (Bedford, Pa.) closed out the match with a 5-3 win over Joe Blaes at heavyweight. With the loss, East Stroudsburg, ranked 10th in Super Region I, fell to 2-3. The Mountain Cats travel to Ohio Valley (WV) University on Saturday and to the University of Buffalo Quad-Match on Saturday. Pitt-Johnstown will host its next home match on January 6 when Kutztown University visits the Sports Center for a 7 p.m. start. Results: 125 - Dave Fogle (UPJ) Major Decision Zach Jones (ESU) 11-0 4-0 UPJ 133 - #3 Ryan Link (UPJ) Fall Chris Davis (ESU) 1:44 10-0 UPJ 141 - #3 Jack Bachman (UPJ) Decision #4 Adam Hluschak 5-3 13-0 UPJ 149 - #6 Nathan Link (UPJ) Decision Andrew Ritchie (ESU) 12-6 16-0 UPJ 157 - Braden Turner (ESU) Decision Joel Paolo (UPJ) 1-0 16-3 UPJ 165 - Thad Frick (ESU) Decision Zach Lundgren (UPJ) 8-5 16-6 UPJ 174 - Brandon McKeown (ESU) Dec. Travis McKillop (UPJ) 6-4 OT3 16-9 UPJ 184 - Gary Lantz (UPJ) Fall James Gonzalez (ESU) 3:25 22-9 UPJ 197 - #7 Ed Ebewo (ESU) Medical Forfeit Zak Newton (UPJ) 22-15 UPJ HWT. - Josh Krupa (UPJ) Decision Joe Blaes (ESU) 5-3 25-15 UPJ

Photo/Lucas Noonan In a year where many 20-somethings are caught in a listless hunt for employment, John Cholish has managed to attract and sustain two lucrative, high-energy careers. The 28-year-old former Cornell University wrestler lives in Manhattan where he spends his daylight hours making markets around energy commodities and his evenings training as a mixed-martial artist, though the former pays much more than the latter. Jobs in the financial sector have recently fallen under populist scrutiny, but some, like Cholish's function as an essential part of a healthy economy. As a market maker Cholish gets buyers in touch with sellers, and because he works with larger companies, he can profit handsomely from even slim margins. By knowing the habits of sellers and buyers, he carves out a living by profiting from the margin. Finance and fighting couldn't be much more disparate functions, but Cholish ties them together by scheduling his time efficiently and working with a team of intellectuals to find and exploit weaknesses in the game plan of his opponents. Cholish's workday begins before 7 a.m. with a reverse commute from his apartment in Manhattan to his office in Stamford, CT. A full day of selling energy commodities and by 4 p.m., he's hopping back in his car to pick up a training session back at Renzo Gracie's in the Manhattan. What's unique about Cholish is that unlike most men punching a clock to pay for their fighting habit, he says he doesn't daydream of the Octagon while at work -- he actually loves his job. "I don't have time to think about fighting when I'm at the office," says Cholish, who enters the Octagon for the first time this Saturday at UFC 140 in Toronto against fellow newcomer Mitch Clarke, an undefeated Canadian. "It's a full day of work and that's the way I like it. The guys at the office depend on me to do a job. But when I leave the office, I'm just as committed to getting better in the cage and becoming the best fighter in the world." Cholish's time management skills are thanks in part to the time he spent as college wrestler in Ithaca, N.Y., where practice schedules and the rigors of an Ivy League curriculum competed for his attention. "The mentality that Coach [Rob] Koll instilled was that you needed to get your work done outside of practice, because practice was scheduled around class. Outside of class and practice you need to find time to study and get extra work in with the coaches." Doing his homework and finding the time to wrestle weren't options for Cholish during his four years as a Big Red wrestler -- they were self-imposed mandates that ensured he could make the starting lineup and help them team achieve their end-of-the-year goals. By end of Cholish's senior season the hard work had paid off for him and the team, Cholish earned second-team All-Ivy and the Big Red finished fourth in the NCAA tournament. The same time-management skills that became essential for success in college has helped Cholish become a 7-1 UFC fighter. With only a few hours a day to train three days a week, Cholish only gets fifty percent of the workload most of his competitors enjoy. John Cholish (Photo/Lucas Noonan)"I don't have a lot of time to train, but if I work smart I don't have to work out for as long," says Cholish. "I don't need grueling three-hour workouts if my technique is better and my training plan is correct." Instrumental in orchestrating Cholish's cage success, particularly his ground techniques and training regiment, has been John Danaher, the quixotic Brazilian Jui-Jitsu black belt who teaches alongside Renzo Gracie at Gracie's NYC studio. The two met when Cholish first went to Renzo's Academy in 2007. Cholish was interested in continuing his grappling career, maybe hitting the mats to stay in shape between the partying and the long work hours; what developed was a close relationship with one of the sport's emergent minds. "I loved [John's] approach to jui-jitsu," says Cholish who after their first meeting in 2007 immediately started prepping for his first fight (he lost). "He's an absolute student, working on one move for a long time and learning from beginners. He's got the type of approach that I had in wrestling. He wants to think about it like a chess match. He wants to get better by working smarter than everyone else." Despite his jaw-line, Cholish is considered a lithe stock of college wrestler. Many of the most dominant wrestlers, especially those who have transitioned into MMA, have utilized their physical presence and strength to secure wins on the mat and inside the cage (Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Matt Hughes, Chad Mendes). Cholish wasn't engineered for a slugfest, so meeting Danaher was perfect because he found in a coach the only style that would have made him successful -- the one that actively sought a margin to exploit. For Cholish, the gray matter began to matter. At the center of Cholish's strategy is a hybrid of collegiate wrestling and jiu-jitsu, which by its nature gives smaller men the tools to combat larger and more brutal opponents. Cholish has expanded his grappling base into a well-rounded MMA game with the help of Danaher and training partner, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Erik Owings, another of Renzo's black belts. Together the group is exploring the webbing that binds the mixed disciplines of MMA. Danaher can direct Cholish to capitalize on his opponents' weaknesses by working together to study the transitional moments of a fight, where opponents tend to see scoring as secondary to scrambling. Cholish exploits those margins, with little risk to his overall position. It's a method that's worked well in his last seven fights, all decisive victories. "It's kind of the thing Danaher looks at from an educational outlook -- the student's perspective," says Cholish. "He's always focusing on how to evolve sport for the overall benefit of the sport. Everything we work on is looking at MMA as its own sport as opposed to a conglomerate of skills." Cholish won his last fight by submission, a guillotine against veteran fighter Jameel Massouh, but it was his previous fight (a debut performance on Strikeforce's Hendo vs. Fedor) that garnered him the attention of fight fans, a complete domination of Marc Stevens that ended with a knee bar -- a submission most fighters wouldn't attempt because of the perceived positional risk. "Danaher has us drilling one move over and over, and the knee bar was there so I went for it and I wasn't concerned about losing my dominant position, because we understood how he'd probably react, and that I'd find the submission," says Cholish. "I don't want to get into it too much, because I think we are in the cutting edge with our techniques and approach to training, stuff that gives us an edge, but Danaher understands the fight game better than most an these transitional areas, whether it's striking out of a clinch or controlling an opponent on the mat are things that will continue to make his fighters successful." Maybe there can never be another GSP, but Cholish has trained enough with St. Pierre and Firas Zahabi to understand that mimicking the champ's smooth movements and slick transitions, or capturing the darting quickness of his jabs, could further his fight career and be the margin he's looking for at UFC 140. "Clinch to strikes, proactively and reactively enter into his striking game. I think George is at the forefront of the sport and I want to learn from the best," says Cholish. According to his former coaches, Cholish doesn't just have the acumen for conceptualizing MMA in a newer way, he also posses the intangibles that allow him the energy to top off a ten-hour workday with punches to the face. "Cholish hates to lose," said Steve Garland, head wrestling coach at the University of Virginia and Cholish's former assistance coach at Cornell. "It's a dumb cliché that every kid says because they hear it on television or whatever, but not with Cholish. Doesn't matter if he's fighting dudes or baking brownies, the guy wants to win." Cholish's desire to win has wedded well with the patience needed to understand the expanding technical game within MMA. Though he will likely never be a full-time fighter (the money that he makes from his day job is too lucrative) Cholish says he enjoys fighting and wants to create a legacy, even if it's just a legacy born from a hobby. "I want to be the best, but I have to get there with a little less time on my schedule. But believe me, no matter the time commitment, I'm willing to put in the work." "I love my job and I love fighting."

Nationally Ranked Teams No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. No. 2 St. Edward, Ohio No. 7 St. Paris Graham, Ohio No. 9 Christiansburg, Va. No. 12 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. No. 14 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. No. 19 Massillon Perry, Ohio No. 21 Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio No. 25 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. No. 26 Broken Arrow, Okla. No. 29 Montini Catholic, Ill. No. 32 Collins Hill, Ga. No. 46 McDonogh, Md. No. 47 Caesar Rodney, Del. Nationally Ranked Wrestlers 106: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) No. 4 (at 112) Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) No. 11 (at 112) Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.) No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley School, Ohio) No. 6 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) No. 8 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 9 KeShawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) No. 11 Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.) No. 13 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) No. 14 David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 113: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) No. 5 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 7 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 14 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) No. 19 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) 120: No. 3 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 16 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) No. 17 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.) 126: No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) No. 5 (at 132) Bradon Jeske (Cox, Va.) No. 3 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.) No. 5 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) No. 8 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 19 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) 132: No. 1 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 2 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.) No. 7 Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio) No. 14 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) No. 14 (at 138) Brent Fickel (Padua, Ohio) No. 18 (at 126) Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 138: No. 1 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 9 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.) No. 16 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) 145: No. 11 (at 152) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nevada) No. 9 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) No. 19 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) No. 20 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 152: No. 2 (at 160) Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) 160: No. 2 (at 170) Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.) No. 3 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 4 Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) No. 10 (at 170) Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.) No. 13 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) 170: No. 8 (at 160) Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 10 (at 160) Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 20 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 182: No. 3 (at 195) Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 6 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio) No. 11 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) 195: No. 19 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) 220: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) No. 6 A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) No. 8 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 11 Matt Meadows (CVCA, Ohio) No. 16 Austin Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.) 285: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.) No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio) No. 12 Mimmo Lyttle (Swanton, Ohio) Nationally Ranked Scratches: No. 18 (106) Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) No. 20 (126) Jake Smith (Newark Memorial, Calif.) No. 10 (138) Case Garrison (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) No. 14 (160) Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) No. 13 (195) Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) No. 2 (285) Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) No. 4 (285) Nick Tavanello (Wadsworth, Ohio) Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 100 Seniors: 120: No. 37 DiCamillo, No. 49 Taylor 126: No. 3 Gulibon, No. 32 Kraisser, No. 45 Malone 132: No. 4 Grey, No. 6 Cisneros, No. 30 Squire, No. 83 Ward 138: No. 8 Skonieczny, No. 36 Preston, No. 74 Ferman 145: No. 86 Dailey 160: No. 39 Allala, No. 41 Isaac Jordan, No. 51 Speiller, No. 95 Reel, No. 98 Pereira 170: No. 52 Martin 182: No. 25 Evans, No. 42 Gresham 220: No. 88 Vizcarrando 285: No. 66 Kuhar Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 50 Juniors: 113: No. 38 Tomasello 126: No. 4 Jeske, No. 10 Dance, No. 16 Heil 132: No. 28 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) 138: No. 35 Matthews 145: No. 18 Lavallee 152: No. 1 Bo Jordan, No. 5 Martinez 170: No. 17 Morris 182: No. 19 Abounader 285: No. 3 Black Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 50 Sophomores: 113: No. 9 McKenna, No. 23 Moisey, No. 47 Jimenez 120: No. 22 Adams, No. 27 PJ Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.) 126: No. 19 Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham) 145: No. 7 Clark, No. 12 Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 26 Tanner Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 160: No. 15 Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.) 220: No. 2 Snyder Ranked in InterMatWrestle Top 25 Freshmen: 106: No. 1 Zahid Valencia, No. 5 Kolodzik, No. 8 Hayes, No. 13 Simmons 126: No. 7 Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 152: No. 20 Paden Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 285: No. 2 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

The 18th edition of the Walsh Ironman yet again features a star studded field. Five wrestlers ranked number preseason No. 1 in their weight class are scheduled to compete, along with six that are ranked second in the nation, a total of 62 in all. Six of the nation's top 14 (four of the top nine) teams are in the field, as are 14 of the Fab 50 What: The 18th Walsh Ironman Where: Walsh Jesuit High School -- Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio When: Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 Schedule: Preliminary rounds (up to the quarterfinals) start at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning wrestling starts at 10:00 a.m. with the quarterfinals, the semifinals will follow, as will all consolation matches including those for seventh place, matches for first, third, and fifth will be wrestled Saturday evening starting at 6:30 p.m. Tournament Website: http://www.walshironman.com Special Honoree: Bobby Douglas will be honored as the Ironman Legacy Award winner this year. Douglas was a long-time head coach at Arizona State and Iowa State, and served as a coach on four different United States Olympic squads. As a wrestler, he represented the United States in two Olympic Games, was an Ohio state champion in 1959 and 1961, and was runner-up in the 1963 NCAA Division I championships. InterMat Coverage: InterMat will be providing a live updating notebook of all three sessions, available from the InterMat home page, as well as a social media presence on twitter (@JLowe_intermat). In addition, a wrap-up will be provided on Friday night, with a finals game story to be published on late Saturday night/early part of Sunday. Please note: Commentary and analysis is based on seeding information as of 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday night. Any changes in terms of participants or seedings may make some aspects of the content immaterial. 106: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 4 (at 112) Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 11 (at 112) Johnson Mai (North Torrence, Calif.), No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley School, Ohio), No. 6 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Georgia), No. 8 Coy Ozias (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 9 KeShawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.), No. 11 Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 13 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), No. 14 David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio) Commentary: Arguably the deepest and toughest weight of the whole Walsh Ironman is the opening weight class. By the number of nationally ranked wrestlers it is for sure the toughest with ten in all. Though the distribution of nationally ranked wrestlers is four to the top half and six to the bottom, there is relatively balance. The top quarter of the draw features state champion and Junior double finalist Mai, state runner-up David Bavery (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and 2010 Cadet freestyle All-American and Ironman placer Armando Torres (Elyria, Ohio). The second quarter includes Junior freestyle runner-up Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic, Ill.), a Cadet freestyle All-American in freshman sensation Hayes, state champion and Junior double All-American Drew Romero (Broomfield, Colo.), as well as the nation's number one pound-for-pound freshman in Valencia. At present the third quarter is absolutely loaded with four nationally ranked wrestlers, three of whom placed at the Super 32 (three-time Cadet All-American Fleetwood, state champion Russell, and Cadet freestyle All-American Kolodzik). Also in this quarter is another freshman star in Simmons. Finally, the bottom quarter of the draw includes returning Ironman runner-up and Cadet double All-American Cruz as well as Super 32 and FloNationals placer Ozias. Look for semifinal matchups to place Mai against Valencia in a battle of old against young from the Golden State, and Cruz against Kolodzik in a rematch from Fargo. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.), Danny Boychuck (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Friday Matches to Watch: How about two that would involve a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers going up against one another -- Fleetwood vs. Simmons and Russell vs. Kolodzik, both of them comprising the third quarter of the draw. Finals Prediction: Zahid Valencia over Darian Cruz 113: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio), No. 5 Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 JR Wert (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 14 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy, Ill.) Commentary: Junior freestyle champion Tomasello is the top seed in this weight class, and seeks to repeat at the Walsh Ironman after winning last year's 103 pound weight class. Standing in his way in the top half of the draw is likely to be a quarterfinal match against NHSCA freshman champion Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Georgia) and then a semifinal date against one of two nationally ranked sophomores who placed at the Ironman last year as freshmen -- Jimenez or Moisey. The bottom half of the draw is more clearly a two person battle between two-time Cadet Greco-Roman champion McKenna, who also won National Preps this past year, and Beast of the East champion Wert who placed fourth in this weight class last year. State runner-up and FloNationals placer Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) also resides in Wert's quarter bracket. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Alex Moore (St. Edward, Ohio), Ian Moritz (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Friday Match to Watch: A battle of state champions, as Jimenez would face off against Cody Stageberg (Cox, Va.) in a four vs. thirteen match. Finals Prediction: Nathan Tomasello over Joey McKenna 120: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio), No. 4 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 16 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.), No. 17 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.) Commentary: By standards of the Walsh Ironman in a lower-weight, this is a pretty clear final. All signs point to a rematch between DiCamillo and Taylor, who met in an awesome finals match last year at 112 pounds -- one that DiCamillo won with a last second takedown. DiCamillo is looking at a quarterfinal match against either two-time state runner-up Calvin Campbell (Lexington, Ohio) or Cadet freestyle All-American and two-time Preseason Nationals champion Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.). Then, the likely semifinal would be a rematch of the FloNationals final from this past year against Cody Stainbrook (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio). Stainbrook placed fifth at the Ironman last year, with a win over Evan Botwin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in that consolation match -- and opponent he could see in the quarterfinal round this year. Taylor is looking at a likely quarterfinal match against two-time state finalist, and 2010 NHSCA Sophomore champion Drew Ferguson-Mitchell (Collins Hill, Georgia). The other quarter of that bottom half is a total cluster of balance featuring Powell, Nyama, Lemaire, and Goodwin, the lone nationally ranked wrestler being Nyama, who took seventh at state this past year. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: P.J. Klee (Blair Academy, N.J.), who could place a wrench in the dynamic of the bracket flow above, but is not likely to spoil the DiCamillo vs. Taylor final. Friday Matches to Watch: How about both round of 16 matches in the third quarter of the draw -- FloNationals and Super 32 placer Nyama battling two-time state finalist and 2009 Ironman placer Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.) as well as another Super 32 placer Jacob Goodwin (Bishop Lynch, Texas) doing battle with two-time state champion Kaleb Lemaire (Caesar Rodney, Del.). Finals Prediction: George DiCamillo over Ryan Taylor, a rematch of last year's championship match at 112 pounds 126: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.), No. 5 (at 132) Bradon Jeske (Cox, Va.), No. 3 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va.), No. 5 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), No. 8 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 9 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 19 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: Even though there are only seven nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, the top end quality present in this weight class -- as well as the strength of the non-seeds -- gives this weight significant argument for being the toughest in all the tournament. This weight class has four wrestlers that have appeared in an Ironman final during their career. The top seed is defending champion Gulibon, who is also a three-time state and Powerade champion. He should be rather unfettered heading into the semifinals. The quarterfinal opponent, based on seeds, would be a returning Ironman placer and state champion in either David Jeffrey (Parkersburg South, West Va.) or Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, Del.). Seeded fourth is Malone, a National Prep champion and runner-up to Gulibon in last year's Ironman. However, he is looking at a quarterfinal match against three-time state champion Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), who was a Junior National double All-American this past summer and scored a win over Malone in the Mount Mat Madness finals last January. The third seed in this weight class is last year's runner-up at 130 Jeske, who was a Junior freestyle runner-up this past summer and a Cadet double finalist (freestyle champion) the summer before. He is looking at a quarterfinal match against either Hvolbek or Jordan, which should be an intriguing one to watch. Finally, the second seed in this weight is Junior freestyle champion Dance, a three-time Super 32 finalist (runner-up the last two years). He has wrestled Gulibon very tough in their last two meetings, the epic semifinal at the Ironman last year that Gulibon won in the ultimate tiebreaker and a similar Gulibon victory in the Powerade final. However, Dance projects to face two-time state champion Heil in the quarterfinals this year, Heil was an Ironman runner-up in 2009, and beat Dance in the semifinals at the FloNationals this past April on the way to his championship. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), Zane Heller (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), Dylan Good (Brecksville, Ohio), Mikey Konstandaras (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: A matchup involving wrestlers from two of the nation's preeminent programs, as Junior freestyle All-American, and two-time Ironman placer, Hvolbek matches up against sophomore sensation, and 2011 state champion, Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham). Finals Prediction: Jimmy Gulibon over Brandon Jeske 132: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 2 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.), No. 7 Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio), No. 14 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), No. 14 (at 138) Brent Fickel (Padua, Ohio), No. 18 (at 126) Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Commentary: Like the weight before, this also has lots of top-end talent with six nationally ranked wrestlers, however, the quality of depth in the lower seeds and non-seeds pales in comparison. The simplistic analysis here is to suggest this as a two horse race between Grey and Cisneros, neither of whom has ever won the Ironman. Despite never winning the Ironman (twice a runner-up), Grey has a very robust wrestling resume with three National Prep titles, three Beast of the East titles (seeking to become the first to ever win four at the Beast), and a whole book of successes in USA Wrestling events. Likewise Cisneros, second and third in his two Ironman appearances, has a c.v. that includes two Super 32 championships and three California state titles (seeking to become only the second four-time state champ ever). However, it's never as easy as expected. Looking through Grey's path from the top line of the draw, it includes a projected quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer Ward, who took Cisneros right to the bitter wire in a semifinal at the Super 32 before losing 4-3 and taking third place. Ward was a state champion, Junior Greco-Roman All-American, and Ironman placer this past calendar year. All of that assumes Ward gets past two-time state runner-up Dallas Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) in the round of 16. Then, a semifinal against either Fickel or Randy Cruz looms in front. Fickel is a three-time state placer, and has twice placed at the Ironman and Super 32, while Cruz is twice a state runner-up, placed fourth at the Super 32 after falling short in an epic semifinal against Joey Dance, and placed at both the Ironman and Beast last year. Cisneros is looking at a quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer Chris Caton (Northside Christian Academy, North Carolina), a returning Ironman placer, who also placed at National Preps and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up. In the semifinal, Cisneros is looking at either facing Squire or Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio). Squire has placed at the Ironman three times in his career, and is twice a state runner-up. Last year, he lost twice to Cisneros in placing fourth at the Ironman, however, both were by razor thin margins. Bright is a two-time state placer, finishing second this past year, and was a Cadet freestyle champion this past summer. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Xavi Ramos (McDonogh, Md.), Clay Archer (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Ryan Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: Cadet freestyle champion Bright matches up against state champion George Fisher (Marmion Academy, Ill.), which is a rematch of a three period match in Fargo that Bright won by fall. Finals Prediction: Mark Grey over Alex Cisneros in the battle of Cornell recruits. 138: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 16 Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) Commentary: Skonieczny seeks a second Ironman title to go with the one he got at 130 pounds in 2009. Last year, he ran a rigorous gauntlet to take third place, though he lost by a single point to Hunter Stieber (the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler) in the semfinal round. He also added a state title and FloNationals title to his resume during the last year. At present, his half of the draw is rather manageable with the likely quarterfinal coming against either Junior freestyle All-American Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) or state and Ironman placer Angelo Amenta (Oregon Clay, Ohio). His semifinal opponent would most likely be returning Ironman placer and 2010 state runner-up Mitch Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), though state champion Tyler Nation (Scottsbluff, Neb.) or state placer Nick Barber (St. Edward, Ohio) would like to disagree. After last year, Skonieczny earned a bracketing break, and he got one as the bottom half of the draw is much more challenging with the three other nationally ranked wrestlers residing in it. Two-time Junior National All-American Ferman, a state champion who placed fourth in the Ironman last year, is the second seed in this weight class. His challenges start with a pesky quarterfinal against either state runner-up Matthews or Reno TOC champion Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) The projected semifinal is then against two-time National Prep champion and Junior freestyle seventh-place finisher Preston - who is the second seed, and seeks to improve upon sixth and fourth-place finishes from the last two Ironman tournaments. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Santiago Valdez (Robinson, Va.) Friday Match to Watch: Two-time Super 32 placer, NHSCA grade-level champion, and state placer Matthews clashes with Reno TOC champ, state placer, and 2009 Super 32 placer Tucker. Finals Prediction: Nate Skonieczny over Todd Preston 145: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 11 (at 152) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), No. 9 Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio), No. 19 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), No. 20 Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Commentary: Though there are four nationally ranked wrestlers present in this weight class, none would be characterized as a true anchor. However, that is more than compensated by the balance that is present -- both in terms of seeds and non-seeds. The top seed in this weight is Lavallee, a Junior freestyle All-American who is also a two-time state champion and won a FILA Cadet freestyle title this past April in Akron. He faces a legitimate quarterfinal against either state runner-up Zane Zeman (Avon, Ohio) or state champion Brooks Martino (Robinson, Va.) -- a pair of wrestlers that fell one match short of placement in the Super 32 held six weeks ago. The other quarter bracket of the top half is anchored by two-time California state placer Kastl, who also placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Sophomore sensations Clark and Milonas reside in the third quarter of this weight class, and each was a National Prep runner-up last year. This summer, Clark was third in Cadet freestyle at 140, while Milonas was champion at 145 pounds. The bottom quarter is anchored by state champion Dailey, who also placed at the Ironman and in Junior freestyle this past year. He is joined by two-time state placer Jake Faust (Lexington, Ohio), who is off a virtuoso performance at the Super 32 where he placed third with an impressive list of quality wins. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Mitch Baran (Brecksville, Ohio), Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Dean Meyer (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: It's a projected matchup of Cadet freestyle All-Americans in National Prep runner-up Clark and state placer Markus Scheidel (St. Edward, Ohio). Finals Prediction: Joey Lavallee over Zack Dailey 152: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 (at 160) Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.) Commentary: There's no need to pretend about things here, this is a two person weight class, and a colossal one at that with two of the nation's top juniors anchoring the field. Bo Jordan is a two-time state champion, defending Ironman champion, and is ranked No. 1 in the class of 2013. On the other hand, Martinez is a two-time state placer, winning state this past year, with a strong off-season resume that includes Cadet double All-American status in 2010, and a FloNationals runner-up finish along with a NUWAY Vegas title this year. The other two projected semifinalists by seed are Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) and three-time state placer Nick Babcock (Broomfield, Colo.). Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Paden Bailey (Broken Arrow, Okla.) Friday Match to Watch: State runner-up and Cadet National double All-American Hammond is projected to wrestle sophomore Dakota Sizemore (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), a state qualifier last year who was named Outstading Wrestler of the Community Division at the Disney Duals. Finals Prediction: Bo Jordan over Isaiah Martinez 160: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.), No. 3 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 4 Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), No. 10 (at 170) Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.), No. 13 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) Commentary: Though the depth in this weight class is questionable by Ironman standards, there is a very impressive top group of wrestlers that include five of the nation's top 100 prospects from the Class of 2012. The top seed in this weight class is two-time state champion Reel, who earned All-American honors in both styles at the Junior Nationals and was a Preseason Nationals champion after falling short of a state title this past year. Additionally, he was a Junior Greco-Roman champion in 2010. He should be challenged starting in the quarterfinals by Jacob Davis (St. Edward, Ohio), a state placer last year who burst onto the scene with a giant upset over Isaac Jordan on Ironman Friday last year. In the other quarter of the top half is a fellow “Greco head” in two-time state champion Speiller, who beat Reel in Fargo this year on the way to a Junior Greco-Roman championship. Speiller was is also a two-time state champion, FloNationals champion, finished third at the Super 32 this year, and took fifth in last year's Ironman. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal 2010 Cadet Greco-Roman champion Patrick Coover (Blair Academy, N.J.), who placed fifth at National Preps and sixth in last year's Ironman. The bottom half of the draw is where one can find the other three nationally ranked wrestlers. It starts with third seed Isaac Jordan, a two-time state champion who failed to place at last year's Ironman while competing despite an injury that kept him out the rest of the regular season. This spring, without much freestyle experience, he won the Central Regional title over Zach Brunson and Justin Koethe. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning Ironman placer and state runner-up Pereira, who placed fourth at the recently completed Super 32. The second seed in this weight is returning Ironman placer, and three-time state champion, Allala who finished as runner-up at the Super 32 this year. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal against fellow Va.n Zach Epperly (Christiansburg). Friday Match to Watch: Two-time state champion and 2011 Super 32 placer Epperly matches up with state runner-up Zach Boyles (Smyrna, Del.). Finals Prediction: Cody Allala over Geordan Speiller 170: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 8 (at 160) Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 10 (at 160) Eric Morris (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 20 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Commentary: Starting somewhat this weight, and into the next two weights, the implications of adding an additional upperweight class rear its head -- namely there is less depth than in past year. In the way the seeds play out, the number two seed Martin has the edge over top seeded Morris. After winning his first state title in March, Martin added a FILA Junior freestyle title and Junior freestyle All-American finish to the resume this off-season, and he should be relatively unchallenged heading into the final, with only a likely semifinal against either Ironman and National Prep placer Addison Knepshield (Blair Academy, N.J.) standing in his way. On the other hand, Morris is looking at a likely quarterfinal against state placer Austin Coniker (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) before a likely semifinal date with state placer and Super 32 runner-up Riddick. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: Michael Blum (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) Friday Match to Watch: Coniker matches up against State runner-up Pierce DeMarreau (Caesar Rodney, Del.). Finals Prediction: Mark Martin over Eric Morris to avenge a loss from last year's consolation semifinal round 182: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 3 (at 195) Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 6 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio), No. 11 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) Commentary: This year's top seed Evans was a very impressive runner-up in last year's tournament, with a semifinal win over the formidable Alex Utley before wrestling a valliant match against Morgan McIntosh, who would be named InterMat's High School Wrestler of the Year at season's end, in losing by just a 2-1 score. In looking through the path to the final, there is no one that should be within a major decision of the Virginia Tech bound Evans. The other half of the draw is similarly lopsided, however, it involves two key figures -- state champions Gresham and Abounader. Gresham took fourth at the Ironman, suffering defeats to both McIntosh and Evans, before winning a state title in March, and he has added a Disney Duals gold medal and Super 32 third-place finish to the resume in the interim. Abounader missed last year's Ironman due to his role on a state title football team. After winning state, Abounader finished third in freestyle at both the FILA Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals. Finals Prediction: Huston Evans over Chaz Gresham in a rubber match of sorts, Evans beat Gresham in the district finals last year, while Gresham exacted revenge in the state final. 195: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 19 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) Commentary: In the average tournament, this is a very solid weight class, and one of much intrigue. However, in the Ironman, this is clearly the tournament's weakest weight class. It has the double whammy of lacking anchors and depth. The lone ranked wrestler is the second seed Mattiace, who finished third at National Preps and had an excellent off-season despite failing to All-American at both the FILA Cadet Nationals and Junior Nationals in freestyle. Looking through his draw, the projected quarterfinal is against state placer Jerry Thornberry (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), and the semifinal would be against Ironman and National Prep placer Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.). The top seed in this weight is state champion Seth Calvert (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who is looking at a projected semifinal against one of two state placers - James Suvak (St. Edward, Ohio) or Joe Tayse (Massillon Perry, Ohio). Suvak beat Tayse in the consolation semifinals this past year at state, and is a two-time NHSCA grade level All-American. Finals Prediction: Frank Mattiace over James Suvak 220: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 2 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 6 AJ Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 8 Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 11 Matt Meadows (CVCA, Ohio), No. 16 Austin Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.) Commentary: Despite being an upperweight, this is a very solid weight class, as it both has high caliber kids in the top of the weight and some solid depth through the rest of it. Even though the top five seeds are the five best wrestlers in the weight, the seeding order does not reflect the rankings. The top seed in the tournament is state runner-up Walz, who finished fifth at the Ironman last year and had a highly accomplished off-season with runner-up finishes at NHSCA Junior Nationals and FILA Cadet freestyle to go with a seventh-place finish in Junior freestyle. He's looking at a likely quarterfinal against one of two state placers Ray Stone (Akron SVSM, Ohio) or Evan Daley (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.), and then a semifinal date with either Lobsinger or Vizcarrando. Lobsinger was a state runner-up, who placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, while Vizcarrando was runner-up at National Preps and placed sixth in Junior Greco-Roman. The bottom half of the draw is anchored by the second seed Snyder, a sophomore sensation that won three major tournaments last year as a freshman at 215 pounds -- Beast of the East, Mount Mat Madness, and National Preps. This summer, the second ranked sophomore in the nation was a double Cadet National finalist, winning a title in freestyle. Life won't be easy for him at the Ironman with a pair of solid fellow sophomores in Cadet Greco All-American Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, Ill.) and state placer Chalmer Freauf (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) in his quarter bracket. However, one should expect Snyder to pass the challenge with flying colors on the way to a semifinal match against FloNationals runner-up Meadows, who placed seventh at the Ironman last year and third at state. Meadows is coming off a dual meet victory over Walz last week, and is looking at a likely quarterfinal match against state placer Garrett Linton (Rootstown, Ohio), who was a Disney Duals gold medalist this summer and placed third at the Super 32. Unseeded Wrestlers to Watch: David Farr (Blair Academy, N.J.) Friday Match to Watch: A battle of wrestlers that placed sixth in the state last year, as Super 32 runner-up Stone matches up against Daley. Finals Prediction: Kyle Snyder over AJ Vizcarrando in a rematch of this past year's National Prep final. 285: Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: No. 1 Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 7 Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 12 Mimmo Lyttle (Swanton, Ohio) Commentary: The absence of No. 2 Doug Vollaro and No. 4 Nick Tavanello from this weight class removes some of the respected luster, and turns this into a Black against the Ohio undercard. Black is the clear favorite to win a second consecutive Ironman title, adding to a rich resume that in the last year alone includes a Beast of the East title, National Prep title, FILA Cadet freestyle title, and Junior National double All-American honors. The next chunk of this field is four wrestlers from the Buckeye State that aspire to wrestle on the raised platform at the Schott on the first Saturday of March in the state final. Kuhar and Lytle are the second and third seeds in this weight class. Kuhar did not compete in the Ironman last year, since he was part of a state title-winning football team -- he's going to Northwestern on a football scholarship as a defensive tackle, but he did place seventh in the 2009 Ironman. Additionally, he is a two-time state placer, finishing second last year. Lytle is a three-time state placer in the small-school division, winning his initial state championship last year. The other wrestler to note in the bottom half is freshman sensation Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who would hit Kuhar in the quarterfinal round based on the seedings. Johnson, Jr. was a double All-American at the Cadet Nationals last summer, and is ranked second in all the Class of 2015. Majoy is the fifth seed in this weight class, and placed third in the small-school division last year before taking fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. He is looking at a likely quarterfinal date with Junior Greco-Roman All-American Garrett Gray (Oregon Clay, Ohio) -- also a state placer -- before a semifinal collision with Black. Finals Prediction: Brooks Black over Greg Kuhar

Anderson Silva wasn't in the building, the city, or even the country, but today's presser for UFC on FOX 2 revolved mostly around who was next in line to compete for his belt. Other top contender spots were also highlighted during the two-hour presser at the United Center in Chicago. The event was open to the public. UFC president Dana White confirmed that the winner of Mark Munoz (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) vs. Chael Sonnen (26-11-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) will fight against middleweight champ Anderson Silva, and the winner of Rashad Evans (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) vs. Phil Davis (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will face the winner of this weekend's light-heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida. Also, it was confirmed that the winner of the Michael Bisping (22-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) vs. Demian Maia (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) fight will be second in line for a title shot. Even with all the business swirling about and news of Georges St. Pierre's blown ACL making the rounds, the day still belonged to Chael Sonnen's who continued his vitriolic attacks of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who he claims is ducking competition. "... Anderson's not going to fight me in America, in Brazil, in Antarctica, in his kitchen while I'm trying to get a decent Brazilian steak. He is not going to fight me, and don't fall for the hype that he is." The steak was a reference to an early joke he'd made about asking Silva's wife cook him a steak. Sonnen, a 1999 NCAA All-American at the University of Oregon, also answered questions about his fight upcoming fight with middleweight contender and former Oklahoma State standout Mark Munoz, answering Munoz's earlier statements that in their one collegiate matchup Sonnen used an illegal knee bar. "I can assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event, and I offer no apology," Sonnen said. "I assure you on Jan. 28, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy. "I think everybody up here is grateful to be on FOX. They'd probably say, 'FOX, thanks.' Everybody but me. I would say, 'FOX, you're welcome. You've been telling everybody for years you've got the American Idol, and now you finally do.'" Trying not to be outclassed by the wit and charm of Sonnen's quips, Davis and Evans also exchanged barbs at the end of the presser, with Evans referencing the Jerry Sandusky child rape accusations. "I guarantee you'll be the first one to take a shot," he said. "Guarantee. Because I'm going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."

The UFC was dealt another promotional blow this afternoon when it was revealed that UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has a torn ACL and will miss his Feb. 4 title defense. Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz will now square-off for rights to the interim belt. UFC President Dana White announced the news via twitter: "GSP blown acl will be out for 10 mos. Now Condit vs Diaz for the interim welterweight title on Feb 4 in Las Vegas!!"

Michael "The Count" Bisping has been added to the UFC on FOX 2 card, where he is scheduled to face Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia. Bisping (22-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is only days removed from his destruction of Jason "Mayhem" Miller at the 'TUF 14' finale Saturday in Las Vegas. The English fighter didn't receive a long medical suspension; Miller was given six months for a broken nose. Maia (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is coming off a UFC 36 victory against Jorge Santiago and is 3-1 in his last four UFC bouts. The "UFC on Fox 2" card is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the last 12 months. MAIN CARD (FOX): Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans Mark Munoz vs. Chael Sonnen Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia PRELIMINARY CARD: Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass Michael Johnson vs. Cody McKenzie George Roop vs. Cub Swanson Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow

ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio Wrestling is pleased to announce an impressive group of signees, the program declared on Thursday. The Bobcats will be welcoming Kagan Squire, Chaz Gresham and KeVon Powell to the team for the 2012-13 season. These three wrestlers will bring significant levels of success to the program, as they've combined for 371 wins and 51 losses, two state championships and nine top-eight finishes at state championship competitions. Kagan Squire A native of Wadsworth, Ohio, Kagan Squire has posted a very impressive 134-14 record through three seasons at Wadsworth High School. Projected to wrestle at 133 or 141 pounds, Squire has finished in the top three at the state tournament in each of his three years, picking up second place as a junior and sophomore while earning third as just a freshman. He is a three-time Ironman place-winner, the 2011 Flonationals Champion, a Northeast Ohio Junior Regional Champion and a Cadet National champion. Ranked as the No. 26 recruit in the nation by Intermat, a well-respected wrestling news source, Kagan will also bring a sharp intellect to campus next fall. The future Bobcat has posted an impressive 3.5 grade-point-average to this point in his high school career. Chaz Gresham The second 100-bout winner in Joel Greenlee's signing class, Chaz Gresham will join the Bobcats from Goshen, Ohio. He is ranked as the No. 42 recruit in the nation by Intermat and projects to wrestle at 184 pounds for the Green and White. Gresham has posted a 142-14 record through three years of wrestling at Goshen High School, winning the state championship as a junior. He finished in the top eight during all of his season to this point, taking fourth place as a sophomore and eighth as a freshman. Gresham is also a two-time Super 32 place-winner. KeVon Powell Set to join the Bobcats from Romeoville, Illinois, KeVon Powell is ranked as the No. 25 recruit in the country by Wrestling USA. He projects to wrestle at 125 pounds for the Green and White once he completes his senior season at Montini Catholic High School. Powell has wrestled very well on some of the biggest stages throughout his high school career, winning a state championship as a sophomore and placing in the top three during both his freshman and junior campaigns. He has posted a career record of 95-23 and is both a Junior National All-American and a NHSCA All-American.

OREM, Utah -- University of Wyoming 184-pound senior Joe LeBlanc (Meeker, Colo./Meeker HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after winning a title at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend. The conference award was announced Tuesday by the league. LeBlanc, a three-time All-American, won his first title at the CKLV Invitational on Saturday by going 5-0 through the 184-pound bracket. He began the event by pinning Cody McAninch (Northern Colorado) and Zachariah Jimenez (San Francisco State), then won a 17-1 technical fall match over 10th-seeded Cody Magrum of Ohio State to advance to the semis. On Saturday, LeBlanc continued his dominating run by beating 10th-ranked Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) in the semifinal bout and third-ranked Steve Bosak of Cornell in the finals. The Wyoming senior was solid in the title match, defeating Bosak in a 7-3 decision. With the impressive showing, LeBlanc improved his season record to 11-0 and jumped one spot in the national rankings, going from fourth to third. LeBlanc's effort helped his Cowboy squad finish third in Vegas in the team score race behind Ohio State and Michigan. LeBlanc earned the honor for the first time this season and it is the fourth of his collegiate career. The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its sixth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Heath Hertel and Rob Koll will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, Dec. 7. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Hertel authored the high school wrestling fiction novel "To Be The Best" in 2008. The book's success led to the publication of a sequel, "Rematch" last month. Hertel will discuss both books and the possibility of making it a trilogy. Koll is the head wrestling coach at Cornell University. He led his team second place finishes at the 2010 NCAA tournament and 2011 NCAA tournament. Koll was an NCAA champion for North Carolina in 1988.

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- Rev Wrestling Corporation, the owner of InterMatWrestle.com, a leading amateur wrestling website, announces the launch of a companion website, InterMatFight.com, to provide the same scope and quality of coverage for mixed martial arts (MMA). InterMatFight.com was unveiled today. The new website provides fighter profile stories, Q&As, results, analysis, top 20 rankings, and live chats. Among the initial features at InterMatFight.com: a profile of former Boise State wrestler Scott Jorgensen and a profile on Nik Lentz, who will fight Mark Bocek at UFC 140 on Saturday. "It's impossible to deny the impact that wrestling and wrestlers have had on mixed martial arts," said Andrew Hipps, senior editor and one of the principals for Rev Wrestling Corporation. "MMA has become an exciting new career option for top-flight wrestlers, and an incredible opportunity for these great athletes to demonstrate their skills, conditioning and tenacity in a whole new venue." "With our years of experience in covering amateur wrestling at InterMatWrestle.com, it only makes sense for us to continue to inform the wrestling community about these great athletes as they move into their new careers," said Jeremy Hipps, President of Rev Wrestling Corporation. "We believe our loyal InterMatWrestle.com readers will welcome and enjoy the additional MMA coverage that will be available at the new, separate website, InterMatFight.com." The original website, InterMatWrestle.com, will continue to provide the wrestling community with the latest news, rankings, athlete profiles, historical features, live chats, and analysis and opinion, as it relates to all aspects of the sport, from youth, high school and college wrestling, through international freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. In the future, InterMatFight.com will include premium InterMat Platinum features similar to InterMatWrestle.com. InterMat Platinum subscriptions will be valid across the two websites which means that current subscribers will have access to all InterMatFight.com premium content at no additional cost.

Please note: The InterMatWrestle Fab 50 preseason team rankings are used in recaps, while the InterMatWrestle Fab 50 high school team rankings updated today (Dec. 7) are used in previews. Hawkeye State monopoly in Kansas The decision was made to upgrade the Blazer Invitational Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Edgerton High School in Kan., and it resulted in total domination by the visiting teams. The top four teams in the 16-team field were all from out of state; No. 22 Southeast Polk, Iowa, upended No. 14 Iowa City West, Iowa, for the title by a 276 to 260-1/2 score. Finishing third was Skutt Catholic out of Omaha, Neb. with 185-1/2 points, while Platte County, Mo., was fourth with 143 points. The two Hawkeye State powers combined to produce 17 of the 28 finalists, and 11 of 14 weight class champions. The two schools met head-on in five of the finals, with Southeast Polk winning matches at 126, 152, and 195; while Iowa City West mustered victories at 138 and 160. Seven of the Rams' nine finalists ascended to the top step of the podium: Alex Meyer (106), No. 2 Cory Clark (126), Tim Miklus (152), No. 5 Alex Meyer (170), Bud Smith (195), No. 6 (at 195) Willie Miklus (220), and Bryce Fisher (285). Runner-up finishes came from Briar Dittmer (138) and Dylan Blackford (160). For Iowa City West, eight wrestlers made it to the championship finals, with four wrestlers emerging with titles: No. 8 Phillip Laux (113), Ernest Wills (120), Sam Chalkley (138), and No. 7 Justin Koethe (160). Runner-up finishes for the Trojans came from No. 18 (at 132) Jack Hathaway (126), No. 15 (at 138) Dakota Bauer (132), Payton Kauzlarich (152), and Mickey Pelfrey (195). Three of the five head-on finals ended in pins, while Clark earned a 5-2 victory over Hathaway for Southeast Polk at 126 pounds, and it was a 12-6 victory for Koethe of Iowa City West defeating Blackford 12-6 at 160. Skyler Wood (Platte County, Mo.) won the tournament's featured weight class at 132 pounds with four pins preceding a 3-0 finals match victory over Dakota Bauer, who had upset No. 3 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) in an overtime match during the semifinal round 5-4. Rounding out the weight class champions were Aaron Seybold (Pittsburg, Kan.) at 145 pounds and Spencer Wilson (Lawrence Free State, Kan.) at 182. Mid-America Nationals Dates: Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 Location: Union Multipurpose Activity Center (Tulsa, Okla.) Top Teams: No. 18 Allen, Texas; No. 17 Tulsa Union, Okla.; No. 35 Tuttle, Okla.; and No. 44 Collinsville, Okla. Notable Wrestlers: 106: No. 19 Davion Jeffries (Collinsville, Okla.) 113: Eli Hale (Miami, Okla.); Gunnar Woodburn (Claremore, Okla.); Justin Lombardo (Tulsa Union, Okla.) 120: No. 10 Calib Freeman (Claremore, Okla.); No. 12 Josh Walker (Tulsa Union, Okla.); Will Steltzen (Collinsville, Okla.); Jett Shell (Sallisaw, Okla.) 126: Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, Okla.); Jarrod Trotter (Allen, Texas) 132: Brian Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.); Dylan Helm (Collinsville, Okla.); Cody Vann (Inola, Okla.) 138: Jack Bass (Allen, Texas); Sterling Hawkins (Tuttle, Okla.) 145: Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas); Aaron Seybold (Pittsburg, Kan.); Levi Berry (Tuttle, Okla.) 152: Nathan Marek (Southmoore, Okla.) 160: No. 9 Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas); No. 19 Kyle Ash (Tulsa Union, Okla.) 170: No. 12 Zach Beard (Tuttle, Okla.); Matt Meyer (Allen, Texas); Lance Dixon (Edmond North, Okla.) 182: No. 4 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.); Jadon Davenport (Sallisaw, Okla.) 195: Nick Cobb (Allen, Texas); Blasé Walser (Tulsa Union, Okla.); Logan Byrd (Sallisaw, Okla.) 220: 285: Bettendorf dominates solid field at Keith Young Invitational Even without the presence of two-time state placer Nate Shaw (220), ranked first at his weight class in Iowa Class 3A per The Predicament, No. 10 Bettendorf, Iowa, was able to dominate the 16-team field at Saturday's Keith young Invitational hosted in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Eight Bulldog grapplers made it to the finals, five earning titles, and all but one wrestler secured a top six placement. Winning titles for Bettendorf were Jacob Swarm (106), No. 15 (at 106) Fredy Stroker (113), Connor Ryan (138), Bubba Hernandez (152), and Colby Vance (170). Runner-up finishes were scored by Jacob Woodward (126), Bryce Levsen (182), and Keaton Jurevitz (195). Of particular note was the 8-5 win by freshman Jacob Swarm against No. 17 Jake Koethe (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa). Despite having two champions (and five finalists in all), both second most in the tournament to Bettendorf, Denver-Tripoli, Iowa, was only able to muster a third place finish with 140 points. Winning titles for the Titans were No. 7 Dylan Peters (120) and No. 11 Brandon Sorensen (132); while Gunnar Wolfensperger (138), Cory Chapin (152), and Chase Shedenholm (170) each finished in second place. Sorensen's championship victory came over No. 20 Kyle Larson (West Des Moines Valley) by a 2-1 score in the tiebreaker. Finishing second was West Des Moines Valley, Iowa, with 163 points. Its two anchor wrestlers: Koethe and Larson: finished as runners-up, while Tarin Phillips (195) and Zach Henaman (285) won titles. Four other wrestlers advanced to the semifinals, two took third while another pair finished in fourth place. Rounding out Saturday's champions at the Keith Young were No. 6 (at 120) Eric DeVos (Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa) at 126 pounds; Jesse Etherington (Charles City, Iowa) at 145; Max Krieger and No. 10 (at 195) Jared Bartel from Mason City, Iowa, winning titles at 160 and 182; along with Steve Ferentz (Iowa City High, Iowa) winning at 220 pounds. Five Seasons Dual Tournament Dates: Saturday, Dec. 10 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Top Teams (all Iowa): No. 10 Bettendorf; No. 16 Iowa City West; West Delaware; Linn-Mar; Cedar Rapids Prairie; Waverly-Shell Rock; Urbandale; Mason City Notable Wrestlers (all Iowa): 106: Jacob Swarm (Bettendorf), Kaz Onoo (Mason City), Patrick Woods (West Delaware) 113: No. 8 Phillip Laux (Iowa City West), No. 15 (at 106) Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf), Alijah Jeffrey (Linn-Mar), Zach Less (West Delaware), Jake Kristensen (Des Moines Roosevelt) 120: Colby Knight (Urbandale), Andres Gonzales (Mason City), Andrew Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock), Drake Swarm (Bettendorf) 126: No. 18 (at 132) Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West), No. 6 (at 120) Eric Devos (Waverly-Shell Rock), Trey Blaha (Cedar Rapids Prairie) 132: No. 15 (at 138) Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West), Luke Kremer (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), Logan Ryan (Bettendorf) 138: No. 2 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt), Connor Ryan (Bettendorf), Kegan Wakefield (Iowa City West), Nate Harms (Urbandale), Blake Spotts (Mason City), Zach Muller (West Delaware) 145: No. 9 (at 152) Gabe Moreno (Urbandale), Kolton Rottink (Waverly-Shell Rock), Ross Lembeck (Linn-Mar), Grady Gambrall (Iowa City West) 152: No. 10 Zach Witte (Cedar Rapids Prairie), Josh Pederson (Linn-Mar), Alex Hernandez (Bettendorf), 160: No. 7 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West), Max Krieger (Mason City) 170: Colby Vance (Bettendorf), Mitchell Wantock (Linn-Mar), Terry Stover (Waverly-Shell Rock), Sam Lahr (West Delaware), Cameron Rathje (Cedar Rapids Prairie) 182: No. 10 (at 195) Jared Bartel (Mason City), Bryan Levsen (Bettendorf), Mark Atwater (Linn-Mar), Jacyn Goebel (West Delaware) 195: Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa City West), Keaton Jurevitz (Bettendorf), Adam Reth (West Delaware), Nick Jepsen (Urbandale) 220: Nate Shaw (Bettendorf), Andrew Netolicky (Cedar Rapids Prairie), A.J. Garcia (Linn-Mar), Dean Broghammer (West Delaware) 285: Tyler Burrell (Cedar Rapids Washington), Kaleb Staack (Waverly-Shell Rock) Blue Springs asserts superiority in Show Me Showdown The top two teams in Missouri took to the mats on Friday afternoon in an assembly dual meet at Blue Springs High School just outside of Kan. City, Mo. Key to the 36-27 victory for the No. 41 Wildcats was a sweep of the three matchups involving higher profile wrestlers during the dual meet against No. 29 Kearney. State champion Darick Lapaglia emerged with a 9-2 victory over Cadet National freestyle champion Grant Leeth at 138 pounds, fellow state champion Greg Hegarty upended three-time state runner-up Tanner Minder by a 7-3 score at 145 pounds, while state qualifier Chris Lattner beat state placer Morgan Fitzgerald, 5-3, at 170 pounds. In all, Blue Springs won nine of the fourteen contested matches. Even though Kearney did not have Cadet freestyle All-American Kevin Kinney in the lineup at 132 pounds, the Bulldogs did emerge from that match victorious as backup Joe Desciaccia eared an 11-4 victory. Graves Invitational Dates: Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 Location: Brandon High School (Brandon, Fla.) Top Teams: No. 5 Brandon, Fla.; No. 37 Glenbard North, Ill.; Camden County, Ga.; and South Dade, Fla. Notable Wrestlers: 106: No. 10 Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.); Derek Hammers (George Jenkins, Fla.) 113: James Flint (Brandon, Fla.); Alex Uhre (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.); Chris Gonzales (Glenbard North, Ill.) 120: Isaiah Varona (South Dade, Fla.); Shiquan Hall (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.); Anthony Petrone (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); John Gosinski (Glenbard North, Ill.) 126: No. 4 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.); No. 5 (at 120) Jered Cortez (Glenbard North, Ill.) 132: No. 6 Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.); Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North, Ill.) 138: Jake Spengler (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) 145: Kris Iglesias (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.) 152: No. 3 Brian Murphy (Glenbard North, Ill.); Austin Trott (Camden County, Ga.); Travis Berridge (Brandon, Fla.) 160: No. 6 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.); Mario Rodriguez (Glenbard North, Ill.); Gio Jiovanetta (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.) 170: Jacob Haydock (Brandon, Fla.); Daniel Saintil (South Dade, Fla.) 182: Kyle Koziel (Brandon, Fla.); Gray Jones (Camden County, Ga.); Taylor Jackson (Citrus, Fla.) 195: Michael Johnson (Camden County, Ga.); Christian Hill (South Dade, Fla.) 220: Desmond James (Camden County, Ga.); William Ford (South Dade, Fla.); Brandon Mills (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.) 285: McDonogh unkind to guests at Ray Oliver Invitational With six champions coming from seven finalists (and four other place finishers), McDonogh, Maryland dominated the twenty-team field in scoring 239-1/2 points to win the title by more than sixty points. Champions for the Golden Eagles were No. 19 Jack Clark (145), Myles Martin (152), Toby Hague (160), Tyler Patrick (170), Kevin Marvel (195), and Roman Braglio (285). Logan Meister (120) finished second, while Xaviel Ramos (132) took home third place. Despite no champions, Georgetown (DC) Prep finished in second place with 177 points due to eight wrestlers finishing inside the top four. This included a trio of runner-up finishes coming from Patrick Hutton (126), Daniel Sanchez (132), and Ryan Schneider (285). Despite a pair of weight class titles from Kaleb LeMaire (120) and Micah Hight (126), No. 31 Caesar Rodney, Delaware could only muster a sixth place finish with 142 points. Without the services of three state finalists, the Riders only had four other place-winners; Stephen Jackson (145) took second, while another wrestler took fourth, and two others finished in sixth place. Other weight class champions were No. 13 Brent Fleetwood (106) and John Archangelo (113) from Smyrna, Delaware; Matt Kibblehouse (132) of Salesanium, Delaware; Alfred Bannister (138) of Bishop McNamara, Maryland; Ryan Wolfe (182) of Caravel Academy, Delaware; and No. 2 Kyle Snyder (220) of Good Counsel, Maryland. Brandon asserts strength at Cougar Invitational No. 4 Brandon, Fla., asserted their strength over a solid field that included many of the top teams in Fla. and Georgia. Even without the presence of No. 10 Dylan Lucas (106) in the lineup, the Eagles still had seven top three finishers in amassing 245-1/2 points. Winning titles were No. 4 Rossi Bruno (126), No. 6 Kevin Norstrem (132), Jacob Haydock (170), and Kyle Koziel (182). No. 6 Clark Glass finished as a runner-up, falling to defeat against No. 4 (at 170) Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) by a 6-4 score in the championship match. Third place finishes were secured by James Flint (113) and Travis Berridge (152). Four other wrestlers secured a top six finish. Second in the standings, but more than 50 points back, was Camden County, Ga. with 192 points. The Wildcats were anchored by four finalists, including a trio of championships coming from Austin Trott (152), Michael Johnson (195), and Desmond Jones (220). Gray Jones (182) added a runner-up finish to the ledger, while two others finished in the top six. In one of the highlight finals, Trott upended Cody Ross from Springstead, Fla., by a 3-1 score; Ross was No. 18 in the rankings down a weight class at 145 pounds. Despite four finalists, No. 25 Collins Hill, Ga. finished fifth in the standings with 176 points. Weight class titles came from No. 6 Sean Russell (106) and Ryan Millhof (113), while Spencer Rickman (138) and Zach Carmin (285) finished in second place. The Eagles also had wrestlers place third and fifth; but were without the services of two-time state finalist Drew Ferguson-Mitchell (120), and state runner-up Steven Bradtmuller (132) left the tournament due to injury and did not place. Rounding out the weight class champions were Isaiah Varona (South Dade, Fla.) at 120 pounds, Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) at 138, Yoanse Mejia (Miami Southwest, Fla.) at 145, and Gavin Ricketts (Western, Fla.) at 285. Clovis West Shootout Dates: Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 Location: Clovis West High School (Clovis, Fla.) Top Teams: No. 6 Clovis, Calif.; No. 50 Vacaville, Calif.; and Clovis West, Calif. Notable Wrestlers (all from California): 106: Gionn Peralta (Vacaville) 113: Michael Knoblauch (Clovis West) 120: Jonas Gayton (Clovis), Kasey Klaus (Vacaville), Brandon Rodriguez (Clovis West) 126: No. 14 Daniel Gayton (Clovis), Victor Trujillo (Bella Vista) 132: Matt Gay (Clovis), Chris Garcia (Clovis West) 138: Adam Pain (Rodriguez) 145: Kai Loechler (Vacaville), Racelis Cardenas (Buchanan), Tyler Zimmer (Clovis West), Jason Ladd (Clovis), Wyond Mills (Laguna Hills) 152: Isaiah Morfin (Selma), Colby Thompson (Clovis) 160: Adrian Salas (Clovis) 170: No. 6 Zach Nevills (Clovis), Jacob Pedraza (Hanford West) 182: No. 2 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West), Ryan Davies (Clovis), Chris Lai (Vacaville) 195: Dakota Gordon (Clovis), Jeremy Sweany (Vacaville) 220: 285: No. 6 Nick Nevills (Clovis), No. 19 John Schupp (Vacaville) Don't forget about the Walsh Ironman Arguably the nation's best in-season tournament is also being contested this coming Friday and Saturday in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, at Walsh Jesuit High School. InterMatWrestle will provide a dedicated preview of the event tomorrow, and comprehensive coverage throughout the tournament.

"The Ultimate Fighter 15: Live" has its coaching staff. UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (19-1, 2-0 UFC) will face off against top contender Urijah Faber (26-5, 2-1 UFC). Season 15 will be the first to be broadcast live on FX. The show will be on a 13-week run and features lightweights and welterweights. This season will be the first to feature bantamweight coaches and is scheduled to feature a title fight between Cruz and Faber in mid-March, the pair is currently knotted at a win a piece in their expectant trilogy. Faber won the first matchup at WEC 26 at lightweight when he won by submission, Cruz won via unanimous decision at UFC 136. The show should be one of the most contentious in the series history, with Cruz and Faber making no question about their mutual dislike. "I'm looking forward to mentoring a bunch of hungry and talented fighters," Faber said. "Having Dominick coach on the opposite side couldn't be more perfect. I'm not too thrilled about being in each other's space for an extended period of time, as I am sure we are going to get on each other's nerves. But I can't wait to mentally beat him up as a coach, and then literally beat him up in the cage and swipe that UFC strap." "Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a gym rat and love learning and teaching mixed martial arts," Cruz said. “This is a dream come true. To get a chance to coach TUF and beat Faber again is all the motivation I need."

It was announced that Efrain Escudero will be the replacement for T.J. Grant at UFC 141 against Jacob Volkmann. Grant suffered an injury that forced him to withdraw from the event. He was "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 8 lightweight winner. Escudero has a record of 18-3 and has won five of his last six fights. Volkmann, a three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, has a 13-2 MMA record and has gone undefeated since he dropped from welterweight to lightweight. UFC 141 is slated for Dec. 30 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main event will feature Brock Lesnar versus Alistair Overeem.

CHICAGO -- After a historic fifth season that saw Michael Chandler capture the Bellator lightweight title in a four-round classic that many critics labeled fight-of-the-year, and Eduardo Dantas, Douglas Lima and Alexander Shlemenko all earning tournament championships, Bellator will open its sixth season on Friday, March 2, from a soon-to-be-announced location. The premiere will mark the first time Bellator has aired on Friday nights. "Our focus was to find the right night, where the largest number of MMA fans could enjoy the show," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "We've been discussing this move with our partners at Viacom for months. When we looked at the alternatives, we agreed that Fridays provided a great night for us to reach MMA fans with our live, real sport, tournament events every week." Photo/Bellator Fighting ChampionshipsBellator's Season 6 will feature five tournaments, each loaded with world-class talent from across the globe as well the potential for six World Title fights. In arguably the deepest division within Bellator, eight featherweights will go to battle looking to earn their right to challenge for the belt. The lightweights are back, and will be gunning for newly crowned Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler after his fight of the year with Eddie Alvarez (Watch Chandler-Alvarez fight) Fresh off a welterweight tournament that saw Douglas Lima punch his ticket to a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren, eight 170 pounders will compete to earn their title shot against the winner of this tremendous world title fight, and Middleweights collide as the promotion searches for a challenger to take on the winner of Lombard vs. Shlemenko II for the Bellator Middleweight Title. Bellator Season Five Tournament winner Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko will battle Lombard during Season 6 in a rematch of their third season showdown where Lombard successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision victory. A fifth tournament will also be featured in Season 6 with an announcement coming shortly. 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 Spike TV Spike TV is available in 99.8 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter@spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos. 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.

Nick Newell, a former wrestler at Western New England University, is a one-handed MMA fighter who is 6-0. Scott Casber recently caught up with Newell. Nick Newell

Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images The last time we saw lightweight fighter Nik "The Carny" Lentz was at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry back on June 26. Lentz fought Charles Oliveira and suffered a blatantly illegal knee, which referee Chip Snider somehow managed to miss. Although he was aware of his options, Lentz made a deliberate choice to keep fighting. "I'm not ever going to roll over just because something's illegal," he explained. "I kind of feel like that'd be the anti-warrior, anti-sportsmanlike way to do things; to just roll over. If I would've just rolled to my back and said he kneed me illegally and then my corner made a fuss, I'd win the fight, but I didn't think that was the right thing to do; I think that's kind of a coward thing to do." Lentz did continue after the two illegal knees and originally lost the bout due to a rear naked choke, but the fight was later declared a no contest after review by the Commission due to the illegal strikes. Nik Lentz (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)"I thought Pennsylvania and the UFC handled it very well but obviously the original ref messed it up really bad," Lentz said. "It was pretty much reviewed instantly by Pennsylvania and the UFC. Right after the fight was over, I had multiple people tell me that there was no way that was going to stand and they were going to do whatever they could to get that overturned." Both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors for their performance. Despite the silver linings, Lentz was left to go home with a broken eye socket, unable to train for weeks while waiting for the bones in his face to heal. "It was a process that I didn't like," Lentz said. "I had to take a lot more time off than I wanted to. Initially I couldn't do anything because doing any kind of exercise would prolong the injury, you know, blood flow, swelling, that all is going to increase if you continue to exercise. So I had to take a good month and a half off which was hard for me because usually I take a week off and then I go right back to working out. Even if it's not hardcore training and fight-oriented I still go a bit crazy just being in the house, so it was something that wasn't really fun. It put me in a bad mood and I hated it, so I'm really glad that I was able to get back to training full-time and I feel one-hundred percent now." Originally, Lentz wanted to rematch Oliveira pretty quickly but the powers that be wanted to wait a little longer, so Lentz's eyes are firmly fixed on his next opponent, submission specialist Mark Bocek. "He's very skilled, very talented," Lentz said of Bocek. "He's been around a long time and he's a good fighter. He's been in there with some of the best guys but I feel like I'm a better fighter in every area and I feel like I have the abilities to stop him," he said. As for Bocek's strategy, Lentz thinks he will go for the takedown. "He has a pretty good double leg, and he has an aggressive push-against-the-cage takedown kind of style," Lentz said. "He likes to be on top, so I think he's definitely going to try to move in, kind of pressure me and then get me against the cage and take me down and try to win the fight in a jiu-jitsu, grappling style way." Lentz believes every UFC fighter in his division is extremely dangerous, and Bocek is no exception. "Each person presents their own unique style matchup and that's what makes fight styles; styles clashing. That's what makes fights harder or not and I feel like his style really works well into mine," Lentz added. Lentz has been on a tear since he started fighting for the UFC in 2009, going 5-0-1-1 with wins over Andre Winner and Tyson Griffin. He is currently ranked No. 18 in the InterMatFight lightweight rankings. He has not had a loss since March 2007, and attributes his success to his background, learning ability and support system at home. "I think I've been successful one because I have a very good wrestling background and a good technical background, which is what you need for fighting," said Lentz. "It's not just winning wrestling matches, it's a technical background that transfers to fighting. I think I win because I learn a lot faster than most people when it comes to something I dedicate myself to. Also, I'm a student of the whole game. I don't try to just focus on the wrestling. I don't just focus on the grappling. I don't just focus on the striking. And that's why I can always produce problems for those who fight me, because there's always a place that I'm better than them at. I'm very well-rounded, so I can really take out specialists very well." Lentz's fiancé, Elissa, is another reason he gave for being successful. "She's very supportive," Lentz said. "She helps me with my training camp when I'm at home. A lot of times I need special kinds of food preparation and I need someone to be there for me when I'm frustrated or when something's not going right. She's always there for whatever I need." Lentz has been training at the Academy (formerly the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy) alongside Sean Sherk, Jacob Volkmann and local fighters Jordan Parsons, Zach Juusola, Rich Taylor and Mike Richman. He starts training shortly after waking up at 8 a.m. and goes until at least 1:30 or 2 p.m. "Then I go home, eat and relax and play games and go to bed," he described. Aside from training and spending time with his many species of animals (which include an Australian shepherd, a Corgi, two rabbits and two hamsters), Lentz is an avid gamer and particularly enjoys playing Starcraft. "It's competitive, and it's a way for me to step away from MMA so I can do something completely different ... so I don't get bogged down thinking about MMA fights all the time and I can do something that's still engaging and fun while at the same time is completely different from training," he said. Lentz's nickname, The Carny, actually comes from a display of video game prowess. "I was in Japan with Nick Thompson and I was bored," Lentz recalled. "I won just a ridiculous amount of stuff. I won so much stuff that Japanese people were stopping and taking pictures with me. They were just amazed that I could win so much stuff, and one of them said I was like a carnival person because I was so good at all the ring games, and then Nick Thompson instantly named me The Carny," he said. Lentz comes across as someone who is approached everything in his life -- from wrestling to fighting to gaming -- with dedication and competitive intensity, but he faces a tough opponent in Mark Bocek, a Nova Uniao black belt with two Submission of the Night victories. Most recently, he went the distance in a close battle with top contender Ben Henderson, ultimately losing by decision. Expect fireworks on Saturday. Fans can follow Nik Lentz on Twitter at @NikLentz.

BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech senior wrestler Jesse Dong will undergo shoulder surgery later this month and will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 season, as announced Tuesday by head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser. The 157-pounder is a two-time ACC Champion and three-time NCAA qualifier who is currently 7-0 and ranked No. 5 in the country at his weight class. Because Dong has not wrestled in more than 30 percent of this year's season, he will be eligible to apply for a medical hardship waiver at the conclusion of the season. The Westerville, Ohio, native has not redshirted, so provided the medical hardship waiver is granted, he will be eligible to return next year for a fifth season. He owns an 86-18 record overall, including a 52-6 mark in dual matches. In his absence, either Cameron Hurd or Matt Stephens will take over for the Hokies.

Really, don't call it a comeback. As part of his larger examination of traditional wrestling worldwide, InterMat senior writer T.R Foley has entered the 49th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill. T.R. FoleyIn addition to working for InterMat, Foley is the executive director of WrestlingRoots.org an emerging non-profit he hopes will help bolster the sport of wrestling through the documentation and promotion of traditional wrestling styles from around the world. Foley launched the website in May 2011 to coincide with the blog for his first book -- a project based on traveling and wrestling thorough Mongolia. Midlands, he says, will help him reconnect with American-version of folkstyle wrestling. "I'm excited to compete," said the 30-year-old Foley, a 2004 All-American for the University for Virginia. "I guess what's different about this is that I'm not looking to compete for an Olympic spot or fulfill some goal I never achieved. I feel great about my wrestling past, but I want to see what's really out there now, as a journalist and lifelong student of the sport." Though he hasn't competed since 2005, Foley says that he is in-shape from practicing jiu-jitsu and teaching wrestling from his home in Chicago. The former Columbia University assistant wrestling coach won the blue belt absolute division of the 2011 IBJJF Chicago Open. He has been working as a freelance magazine journalist since graduating from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 2009 and says he hopes to combine his writing and wrestling to give American readers a new perspective on the sport of folkstyle wrestling. "I want to report on the myriad emotions these guys feel before, during and after they wrestle," said Foley. "It's so easy for fans and writers to critique these kids, and I wanted to reconnect with the experience, and re-gain some insight into what makes our traditional wrestling style one of the most popular on the planet." Foley will be competing at 184 pounds, which he says is his natural body weight. He wrestled 165 pounds his senior season at the University of Virginia. Northwestern head wrestling coach Drew Pariano welcomed Foley's application to Midlands at the beginning of November, "We have one of the biggest and most competitive tournaments we have ever experienced. Post-graduates are a vital part of Midlands history and I'm confident he'll go out there and compete hard. Wrestling continues to evolve and Foley will give the Midlands fans an inside look as to what it's like to compete at one of the premier events that our sport offers." T.R. Foley performing a traditional Mongolian wrestling celebration after defeating his first opponent during the July 6th Naadam festival in Tsetserleg, Arhangai, Mongolia"I think that this is the right fit," said Foley. "In Mongolia you could see the joy these guys had in competing well into their thirties, forties, and even seventies. Even just being on the mats for jiu-jitsu with guys in the fifties, I began to think of wrestling as something enjoyable for a lifetime instead of just a stressful college experience." The Midlands could feature as many as five of the nations top ten 184-pound wrestlers, including top-ranked Lehigh junior Robert "The Vermonster" Hamlin. "I love folkstyle," said Foley. "I'm mostly healthy I can't wait to get back on the mats to compete. Still, looking at the possible opponents I've gone ahead and looked into re-upping my health insurance." Foley will be posting three tournament articles for InterMatWrestle.com. Starting this week readers can also find more entries, photos and videos on his website, WrestlingRoots.org.