InterMat Staff

Norman Ernest Borlaug may be the most accomplished former wrestler of the 20th century. Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 (Photo/NobelPrize.org)Borlaug never won an Olympic gold medal, or a national collegiate or conference title, or even a high school state title. His coaching career was brief, serving as a freshman wrestling coach while in college. However, the former high school and college wrestler’s accomplishments as an agricultural scientist are nothing short of astonishing … and life-saving. Borlaug helped develop disease-resistant wheat used to fight famine in poor countries. His “Green Revolution” breakthroughs in developing high yields of wheat saved millions -- if not billions -- of lives from starvation throughout the world. For these accomplishments, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, among his dozens of worldwide honors. He was also named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential minds of the 20th century. Norman Borlaug died September 12, 2009 in Dallas from complications caused by lymphoma. He was 95. My "introduction" to Norman Borlaug In the summer of 2007, I spent a week in Iowa for a wrestling research trip. I planned to visit the archives of the three major state schools -- University of Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa -- for general research, as well as for specific research at the library at Cornell College for a Rewind article to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Mount Vernon, Iowa college becoming the smallest school to ever win an NCAA team title (in 1947). While in Iowa, I thought it would also make sense to visit the two wrestling museums in the state -- the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum in Waterloo, and, about an hour north, the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in Cresco. I spent an entire day in Cresco, a small farming community in northeast Iowa, about halfway between Waterloo and Rochester, Minnesota (home of world-famous Mayo Clinic). After touring the wrestling hall (which honors amateur wrestlers born in Iowa), I went to the town library to learn more about all the great wrestlers and coaches who had come out of this town of 4,000 just south of the Minnesota border. In the 70-plus years of the Iowa state wrestling tournament, Cresco High School can claim more individual state champs than any other school in the state, except for the much-larger Waterloo West, Dan Gable’s prep alma mater. Among Cresco’s most famous mat alums: the man who coached Gable at Iowa State (Harold Nichols)… and the man who hired Gable as an assistant at Iowa (Gary Kurdelmeier). Norman Borlaug is yet another. Norman Borlaug was presented with the Congressional Gold MedalThe day before I was at the Cresco library, Norman Borlaug had been presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. It was front-page news in all the Iowa newspapers that day, with a photo of a then-93-year-old Borlaug receiving the medal from then-President George W. Bush. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of instant time-travel to see news photos of the elderly-yet-still-vigorous Borlaug at the White House, then contrast those to the pictures of him as a young agricultural researcher in the 1940s … and, then, going back to the Cresco High School yearbooks of the early 1930s. But those photos, articles and annuals all helped me gain an understanding of Norman Borlaug the scientist, small-town farm boy, and amateur wrestler. An Iowa-born farm boy Norman Borlaug was born on his grandparents’ farm in Howard County, Iowa on March 25, 1914 -- two years after the sinking of the Titanic, and before the U.S. became involved in World War I. He was the first child of Henry and Clara Borlaug, whose ancestors had come from Norway to the U.S. in the 1860s, first settling in Wisconsin, then to northeast Iowa. Norman was the only Borlaug boy; all his siblings were sisters. They grew up on a 100-acre farm just outside Cresco. His first eight years of education were at a rural one-room schoolhouse… then, for high school, he came into town. “Originally, my ambition was to be a high school science teacher and athletics coach,” Borlaug said in a 2004 interview for Minnesota, the University of Minnesota alumni magazine. “I was captain of the high school football team, was on the wrestling team, and played baseball.” According to the 1932 Spartan -- the yearbook at Cresco High -- Norman E. Borlaug was a General Course student, instead of being on a College Prep or Normal School (teacher college) track. In his yearbook bio, baseball is not listed among his sports; it mentions track (junior year), and, in his sophomore through senior years, football and wrestling. Other activities listed: Ag (Agriculture) Club all four years, and Boys’ Club his last two years. A Spartan mat career By the 1930s, Cresco High was already a wrestling powerhouse in the state of Iowa. That mat legacy was born in 1921, when the high school started its wrestling program. It became a force to be reckoned with in 1925, when Dave Bartelma became head coach. In his first three seasons at the helm, Bartelma’s teams were undefeated in dual-meet competition … and Cresco’s first state champ was crowned. Dave Bartelma left Cresco for four years, then returned in 1931. Under his leadership in the early and mid 1930s, the Spartans had seventeen individual state champs, and won two team titles. Among Norman Borlaug’s teammates on the Cresco wrestling team who went on to some fame after high school: Harold and Don Nichols (each winning NCAA titles in the late 1930s at the University of Michigan), and Dale Hanson, who won the 128-pound crown -- and Outstanding Wrestler honors -- at the 1939 NCAAs for the University of Minnesota. In 1932 -- Norman Borlaug’s senior year -- the wrestling program won all eight of its dual meets, beating teams from Waterloo, Dubuque, New Hampton, Carroll, and Eagle Grove, Iowa. However, according to the yearbook, the team was “handicapped during the latter part of the season by a flu epidemic, which kept several of the boys from competing at the District and State meets.” Despite that illness, the Spartans won the state district meet, and qualified six wrestlers for the state tournament, including Borlaug. At the 1932 Iowa high school state championships -- held at Iowa State in Ames -- three Cresco wrestlers placed: Don Maland won the 85-pound title … Davis was third at 115, and Borlaug third at 145. Borlaug was one of sixteen wrestlers to earn a varsity letter. The road to college In that 2004 interview for the Minnesota alumni magazine, Norman Borlaug recalled his struggles to get into college after graduating from Cresco High in 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression: After high school, I didn't have enough money for college, so I stayed in Iowa, but there were no jobs except during the peak harvest seasons. Norman Borlaug on Minnesota cover In February 1933, I entered a Midwest AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) tournament in Cresco. Most of the other entrants were university wrestlers. I hadn't wrestled for a year but got into the finals and wrestled a person from Iowa State Teachers College [now University of Northern Iowa]. He beat me in overtime. As I was leaving, the coach said, "You should come to Iowa State Teachers College." There were no athletics scholarships at that time, but the coach said he would get me a job. Shortly before I was to leave for Iowa, George Champlin, a football player for the University of Minnesota who lived in Cresco, drove up. He said, "My dad said you should be at the University of Minnesota. I'm going to early football practice tomorrow. Come and ride along. You can hitchhike back if you don't like it there." I went and never came back. The Spartan becomes a Gopher Norman Borlaug’s entry into the University of Minnesota wasn’t quite as straightforward as the previous statement suggests … as the future Nobel Peace Prize winner is quoted in the 2004 cover story for the school’s alumni magazine: I had a good high school academic record, but when I came to Minnesota they said, "You're short a year of credits." At that time Minnesota didn't count ninth grade as high school, so they said I had to take a special exam. I took it and flunked it and figured, hell, I'm a complete washout. But George took me to see Fred Hovde, dean of the General College, which was just starting. George told him what had happened and Hovde said I should start in General College. I spent fall and winter quarters there and had very good grades, so Hovde said I could transfer to any of the University's colleges. I went to the forestry college. Borlaug found time to participate in sports at Minnesota, playing baseball and wrestling for the Golden Gophers. However, because of a conflict with afternoon lab classes, he had to quit the baseball team. By contrast, the wrestling team was more flexible about its workout schedules, Borlaug stayed with that sport, competing for three seasons. In 2004, he told the Minnesotan alumni magazine, “At the end of my sophomore year, I had a good record. I think I won nine of 11 bouts.” At least once in his college career, Borlaug wrestled one of his old Cresco High teammates, Harold Nichols. “Nick” had chosen another Big Ten school, the University of Michigan, and was joined by a number of other former Spartan wrestlers. (For a couple seasons in the late 1930s, over half of the Wolverine starting lineup was from Cresco.) Both Borlaug and Nichols wrestled at 145 pounds in the same conference, so it was inevitable that the two former teammates would end up mat rivals in college. According to the 1937 Michiganesian -- the student yearbook at Michigan -- Nichols pinned Borlaug in the dual meet. Lasting legacies from Minnesota While at the University of Minnesota, Norman Borlaug did not win a Big Ten or NCAA title; from checking the records at Jay Hammond’s WrestlingStats.com website, Borlaug did not place at any of the conference or national championships, either. However, he accomplished some things while at the Twin Cities school that have had an enduring, positive impact. For starters, while at Minnesota, Norman Borlaug met Margaret Gibson at a coffee shop where they both worked in the Dinkytown neighborhood near campus. The two were married in September 1937 … and the marriage lasted nearly 70 years. (She passed away from complications from a fall in March 2007, at age 95.) Margaret and Norman had two children, Norma Jean "Jeanie" Laube and William Borlaug, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Norman BorlaugHe also is credited with helping to bring Dave Bartelma -- his coach at Cresco -- to the University of Minnesota to become the Golden Gophers’ first full-time wrestling coach. That had implications far beyond the campus or the Big Ten. As Borlaug told the Minnesota alumni magazine in 2004, “He would put me and another wrestler on a bus and send us to parent/teacher meetings at Minnesota schools to demonstrate wrestling. Eventually the sport caught on in high schools.” In fact, “Bart” is often referred to as “The father of wrestling in Minnesota” for his efforts to launch high school wrestling programs throughout the state, and for being instrumental in establishing the Minnesota State High School Wrestling Tournament in 1938. One of the referees at that first state championship was none other than Norman Borlaug. (Borlaug also served as a freshman wrestling coach while in grad school at Minnesota.) Of course, Borlaug’s most profound accomplishment at the University of Minnesota involves his education in forestry and agriculture. It was a challenge, as he told his alma mater’s magazine five years ago: “I didn't have money, so occasionally I dropped out of school to work. There were all sorts of emergency programs under President Franklin Roosevelt. I worked for the U.S. Forestry Service off and on from 1935 to 1938. The University gave me a good, broad foundation.” Borlaug earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry from Minnesota in 1937. As an undergrad, he had listened to a presentation by University plant pathologist E.C. Stakman. As he told the Minnesota, “I went and was very impressed and said, ‘If I ever have a chance to go to graduate school, I would like to study under him.’ When I heard him speak, it changed my life, my whole career.” A life of science Norman Borlaug had been scheduled to join the U.S. Forestry Service on January 1, 1938 … but received a letter, seeking a delay until June. In the meantime, he studied under Professor Stakman, earning a master's degree in plant pathology in 1939 and my doctorate in 1942. Norman Borlaug (Photo/Borlaug Foundation)After completing his studies at Minnesota, Borlaug was hired by duPont as a microbiologist, leading research on industrial and agricultural bacteriocides, fungicides and preservatives. He tried to enlist in the military to serve in World War II, but was told his work at duPont was too important for the war effort. One of his achievements at duPont: developing a glue for packages that would withstand saltwater, so that cartons of food and other critical supplies could safely get to U.S. troops in the Pacific. In July 1944, Borlaug was selected to head up the newly the newly established Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico, which was a joint venture by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture. The goal: to boost wheat production in Mexico, which at the time was importing a large portion of its grain. He spent the first decade working on cultivating wheat that was resistant to disease. By 1963, his breakthroughs had ensured that the Mexican wheat harvest was six times what it had been twenty years earlier. By the 1960s, Borlaug’s success in Mexico was being exported to other nations of the world -- including India and Pakistan -- in what became known as the “Green Revolution” to provide food to feed millions. In 1964, Borlaug was made the director of the International Wheat Improvement Program, as part of the newly established International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo, or CIMMYT), an autonomous international research training institute developed from the Cooperative Wheat Research Production Program. He worked with this organization for most of the rest of his life, officially retiring from CIMMYT in 1979… but continuing to serve as a senior consultant for years after. In 1984, Borlaug started teaching at Texas A&M University, where he was the Distinguished Professor of International Agriculture, and the holder of the Eugene Butler Endowed Chair in Agricultural Biotechnology. Reports indicate he was going to work just about every day at the university until early summer 2009. The Nobel Peace Prize For a lifetime of agricultural research that fed millions of the world’s hungry, Norman Ernest Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. The story goes, that the Nobel Committee, based in Norway, called the Borlaug residence to share the good news at 4 a.m. Mexico City time… but the man who grew up on a farm in Iowa had already left for work, traveling to the test fields west of the city. Margaret Borlaug had a driver take her to the fields so she could tell her husband about the Nobel. Apparently Norman Borlaug’s first reaction was that it was a hoax. He finally came to accept the good news, and, in December 1970, traveled to Oslo, Norway to accept the prize. In his Nobel Lecture, Borlaug said, “When the Nobel Peace Prize Committee designated me the recipient of the 1970 award for my contribution to the 'green revolution', they were in effect, I believe, selecting an individual to symbolize the vital role of agriculture and food production in a world that is hungry, both for bread and for peace.” In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug was honored with dozens of honors and awards. In the mid 1980s, the University of Minnesota named a wing in the new science building Borlaug Hall. In July 2007, he was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Less than two weeks prior to his death, the Borlaug Learning Center at the Northeast Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm was dedicated in Nashua, Iowa, about 40 miles from Cresco. Wrestling’s influence on Borlaug Look up Norman Borlaug’s biography at the Nobel Committee’s website, and the opening paragraph hints at his wrestling background: “A vigorous man who can perform prodigies of manual labor in the fields, he brings to his work the body and competitive spirit of the trained athlete, which indeed he was in his high school and college days.” The IowaHawk blog mentioned wrestling in its assessment of what made Borlaug special: “In many respects Norman Borlaug was the quintessential Iowan -- the tough, humble Norwegian Lutheran kid who grew up splitting time between farm chores and small town playing fields. At Cresco High he played baseball, football and wrestled. His skills as a grappler earned him a spot on the University of Minnesota varsity team and eventual induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. We Iowa fans would have preferred he stayed home and wrestled for the Hawkeyes rather than the archrival Gophers, but we'll forgive him that minor transgression.” Norman Borlaug (Photo/Nobel Peace Center)No less a wrestling expert than former University of Iowa head coach Dan Gable weighed in on the mat aspect of Borlaug’s makeup. In a speech to the Davenport (Iowa) Grid Club just days after Borlaug’s passing, the legendary wrestler and coach said of his fellow Iowan (who he knew through their common bond of wrestling): "He was a tremendously competitive individual, and he channeled that competitiveness into his research," Gable said. "His work saved lives, but the intensity of that work was born in the approach he used as he competed." Norman Borlaug seemed to agree. "Wrestling taught me some valuable lessons," he told the University of Minnesota in 2005. "I always figured I could hold my own against the best in the world. It made me tough. Many times, I drew on that strength. It's an inappropriate crutch perhaps, but that's the way I'm made." In addition to his honors regarding his lifesaving agricultural work, Norman Borlaug had been acknowledged by the wrestling community as well. He received the Outstanding American award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992, and was welcomed into the University of Minnesota's National M Club Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2002, Borlaug was inducted into the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum Hall of Fame … and, two years later, earned a place in the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in his hometown in 2004.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Three-time NCAA qualifier Matt Azevedo joins the Cornell Wrestling staff for his first season as a volunteer assistant coach, after spending the last seven campaigns as an assistant coach for Cal Poly. Azevedo opened his collegiate career competing for two years for Arizona State, where he advanced to the NCAA tournament. For his final two seasons, Azevedo wrestled for Iowa State and qualified for the NCAAs each campaign. “We are very excited to add Matt to our coaching staff,” Rob Koll the David R. Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling said. “He will bring a wealth of knowledge to our entire team, and Matt adds a great deal of experience from both national and international levels.” After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education from Iowa State in 2002, Azevedo continued his wrestling career and went on to be a seven-time US National place winner. He won the 2008 U.S. Open National Championship, where he beat out eventual Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo and was selected Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. The Las Vegas native took second at the U.S. Freestyle World Team Trials in the summer of 2007. He finished second at the U.S. Freestyle Nationals in 2005 and 2006, and Azevedo also placed third at the World Team Trials in 2006. Azevedo and his wife Brooke reside in Ithaca. He is the nephew of Cal Poly head coach John Azevedo.

Doug Reiter

Alan Rice

Jeff Blatnick

As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. Between now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce you to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, you will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships. Did you miss a Wrestling 49 article? Check out the archives. The Class of 2010 is loaded with a very competitive group of seniors, perhaps one of the more talented to set foot on the mat in first decade of the new millennium. At the national level, this group has performed very well among the elite states at the Cadet & Junior Nationals in Fargo and the NHSCA Nationals, producing 19 All-Americans overall. Two wrestlers enter the season with three state medals vying for their fourth ... and six are in position to earn their third. Once again, the Central Valley is well represented with the Clovis/Fresno area claiming nine of the 14 returning state medals in the section. In addition, the Central Valley also produces six of the top 10 preseason teams in the state, which include Clovis, Clovis West, Buchanan of Clovis, Bakersfield, and Selma. Other teams to watch include, defending state team champions Poway (San Diego Section), Gilroy , Oakdale , Lemoore , and Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana. I look forward to this season not only for the individual talent, but the team race too. Leading this talented group of seniors is returning state champion Jesse Delgado from Gilroy High School in the Central Coast Section. Along with his state title, he has placed third twice and is in position to earn a rare fourth California state medal, a feat that has only been accomplished by nineteen other wrestlers since 1973. Moreover, Delgado has earned All-American honors twice at Fargo and is an NHSCA Nationals champion. Following Delgado is Ohio product Tucker Armstrong (Corona Del Mar High School), a returning Ohio state champion, two-time Cadet and NHSCA Junior Nationals All-American. Tucker enters the season rated among the top wrestlers in the country and will challenge for a title in California. Next is returning state champion Cody Rodebaugh from Felton's San Lorenzo Valley High School in the Central Coast Section. With the potential to be rated among the top light middleweights in the country this year, Rodebaugh opened a lot of eyes last season when he defeated nationally ranked Vlad Dombrovskyy of Natomas in the semifinals at state. If Armstrong and Rodebaugh happen to be in the same weight come state, it would be worth the price of admission to see this match-up. The most decorated middleweight in California is three-time state medalist and NHSCA Nationals champion James Cook from Madera High School in the Central Valley. Along with Delgado, Cook is in position to earn a rare fourth state medal and will challenge for his first state title. Other talented middleweights include returning state finalist Martin Fabbian of Buchanan, Vacaville's Adam Delagarza (returning state medalist and NHSCA Nationals champion), and Foothill's Travis Gallegos, a returning state medalist and NHSCA All-American. The final three of the top ten seniors in California include Zach Zimmer (Clovis West), Drew Muelman (St. Francis-Mountain View), and Bryan Grubbs from La Costa Canyon in Carlsbad. Rated among the top lightweights in California and the country, Zimmer enters this season in pursuit of his third state medal and has great potential to win it all. In addition to his achievements at state, he is a two-time Cadet and NHSCA Nationals All-American. Leading the heavyweights is two-time state placer and three-time All-American Drew Muelman of St. Francis High School in Mountain View. Moving up to heavyweight from 215 pounds last year, he is the favorite to win the state title. Returning to California after winning the Texas State Championships is Bryan Grubbs from La Costa Canyon. Prior to moving to Texas for a season, Grubbs placed third at California state his sophomore year and earned NHSCA Nationals All-American honors. With his return, the 125-pound weight group has become even tougher. On a final note, I expect the California State Championships to be a barnburner this season and am confident that our top seniors in California will do very well on the national stage, which include the high-caliber tournaments such as Walsh Ironman, Reno TOC, and post season NHSCA Nationals. While compiling this list, it was very difficult for me to pick the top 10 in California because many of wrestlers listed below are very close in talent. In my opinion, many of the kids listed in the honorable mention section are just as talented and are more than capable of being in the top ten. In short, there is a great deal of depth this season and the road to the top podium in California will be a hard fought battle to say the least. 1. Jesse Delgado School: Gilroy 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Jesse Delgado (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: Delgado is one of two California wrestlers in position this season to earn a rare fourth California state medal. A returning state champion, Delgado has earned titles at prestigious tournaments, such as the Reno TOC and Five Counties and is expected to have a highly competitive schedule this season. In addition, he is rated among the top lightweights in the country and with some physical growth has a lot of potential to excel at the collegiate level. The road to another California title will not come easy since the 125-pound division may size up to be among the toughest in the state with the likes of Bryan Grubbs and Zach Zimmer possibly competing within. 2. Tucker Armstrong School: Corona Del Mar-Newport Beach 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 140 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Tucker Armstrong (Photo/Peter Wine)Scouting Report: A native of Ohio, Armstrong moved to the Golden State last year and wrestled for a majority of that season, but was not able to compete beyond the league meet which qualifies to the postseason tournaments (sub-sections, Masters Meet) that lead to the prestigious California state meet. During his sophomore year at St. Paris Graham, he earned a state title in one of the toughest states in the country. In addition, he is a two-time Cadet Nationals All-American and earned All-American honors last year at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Having seen him compete, it's not difficult to surmise that he will challenge for the California title and take his skills to the next level in college. He will be very tough to beat. 3. Cody Rodebaugh School: San Lorenzo Valley-Felton 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 141/149 Cody Rodebaugh (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: Ranked in the top five in California for a majority of last season, Rodebaugh set himself above all in the state when he defeated nationally-ranked Vlad Dombrovskyy of Natomas in the semifinals at state and earned his first state title. He then added to his stellar performance by earning All-American honors at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. A very tough and determined wrestler, Rodebaugh has all the tools to establish his mark in the collegiate ranks. Keep an eye on this kid. He is a good one. 4. James Cook School: Madera 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 174 James Cook (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: Since his freshman season, Cook has been a fixture in the top tier of the middleweight division. Along with Jesse Delgado, Cook is in position to earn a rare fourth California state medal, a feat that has only been achieved by 19 other wrestlers in nearly 40 years. Earning a birth in the state finals and winning the NHSCA Nationals his sophomore year, I expect Cook to improve upon his fourth-place medal last season and challenge for the state title this year. 5. Bryan Grubbs School: La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Bryan Grubbs (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: After completing a successful sophomore season in California by placing third in a very deep weight at state and earning All-American honors at the NHSCA Nationals, Grubbs moved out of the state for a year and tested his skills in the Lone Star State. The state of Texas is on the rise with talent, but does not have the depth that California has with over 800 competitive programs and a one division state tournament. At the Texas state meet, Grubbs dominated his competition to win the state title at 119 pounds. This season he returns back to the Golden State with potential to win it, but will likely have to face a meat grinder to earn the top of the podium in Bakersfield. The 125-pound weight group will likely have standouts such as Jesse Delgado, Zach Zimmer, and several other returning state placers competing in it with the potential of eight wrestlers having All-American honors to their credit. With his dedicated work ethic and determination on the mat, I am confident that Grubbs will challenge for the state title and do very well in college. 6. Zach Zimmer School: Clovis West 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119/125 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Zach Zimmer (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: A state finalist in 2008, Zimmer enters the 2009-10 season in pursuit of his first state title and third medal. With a lot of national-level experience (two-time Cadet Nationals All-American/NHSCA Nationals All-American), Zimmer has the potential to win it all, but will have to bring his best game since the 125-pound weight group is likely to be the toughest in the state with many returning state and national All-Americans competing. Zimmer is a competitor and will be tough to beat this season. 7. Drew Meulman Drew Meulman (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)School: Saint Francis-Mountain View 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 285 Projected College Weight Class: 285 Scouting Report: Entering this season up a weight from last year, Meulman is the top-returning heavyweight in California. Depending on whether the six returning state placers at the 215-pound division move up to heavyweight or not, Meulman could possibly have around nine returning state medalists battling him for a spot on the top podium. With two state medals and three All-American honors to his credit, Meulman will be tough to beat at this weight and in time he'll grow into a solid heavyweight that has a great deal of potential to take it to the next level in college. 8. Travis Gallegos School: Foothill-Palo Cedro 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 157 Travis Gallegos (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report:Gallegos first entered my radar when he earned All-American honors at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in 2008. Then last year, he had a solid preseason performance by placing at the Walsh Ironman in Ohio, hands down the toughest high school tournament in the country. He then finished the postseason with a third-place victory at state over NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Bryce Hammond of Bakersfield, in a weight group that featured five All-Americans. Gallegos has all the tools to excel at the next level and will be among the favorites to win it all this year. 9. Martin Fabbian School: Buchanan-Clovis 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 157 Martin Fabian (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: Not rated very high during the regular season last year, Fabbian brought his game to the state meet and made the championship finals in a highly competitive weight that had five of the eight placers with All-American credentials. This season, I expect Fabbian to challenge for the state title ... but it will not come easy. He will likely face some stiff competition from Travis Gallegos of Palo Cedro's Foothill to reach that potential. 10. Adam Delagarza School: Vacaville 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Adam Delagarza (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Scouting Report: Delagarza finished his freshman year with a national title at the NHSCA Freshman Nationals and capped his junior season with a solid third-place finish and convincing win over three-time state placer James Cook of Madera in the consolation finals. Delagarza enters this season among the top middleweight in the state and will challenge for the state title. Honorable Mention Jake Briggs (Bella Vista-Fair Oaks, SJ)* Tommy Burriel (Clovis, C) Nick Corona-Zamarripa (Hanford West, C) Alec Dieter (Clovis, C) JT Felix (Centennial-Corona, S) Mathew Galas (Central Catholic-Modesto, SJ) Daniel Gusev (Center-Antelope, SJ) Andrew Hudson (Redlands East Valley, S) Dominic Kastl (Gilroy, CC)* Kevin Maelfeyt (Trinity-Weaverville, N)* Chris Martinez (Clovis West, C) Frank Martinez (Northview-Covina, S)* Clinton McAlester (Clovis, C) Vinny Moita (De La Salle-Concord, NC)* Bobby Morales (Laguna Hills, S) Austin Morehead (Sutter Union, N)* Cody Pack (Quincy, N)*** Kyle Papendorf (Buchanan-Clovis, C)* Desmond Rios (Pleasant Valley-Chico, N) Brian Schoene (Bakersfield, C)** Nicholas Sierra (Lemoore, C)* Sean Silva (Barstow, S)** Jesse Stafford (Del Oro-Loomis, SJ) Rodolfo Juarez (Central-Fresno, C) AJ Valles (Sanger, C) Rykeem Yates (Edison-Fresno, C) *All-American honor (Cadet/Junior/NHSCA)

Herning, Denmark -- University of Minnesota wrestling senior-to-be Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) completed his competition at the World Freestyle Championships today (Sept. 23) held at the MesseCenter in Herning, Denmark. Schlatter was eliminated today, in the third day of the event, falling just short of placing. Competing in the 74 kg/163 lbs. division, he dropped a tough first round match to Ramash Kumar of India. The match went a full three periods before it was decided, with scores of 1-0, 2-2, and 1-1. Kumar would go on to collect two more wins before he fell in the semifinals of the tournament. In the end, Schlatter's first round opponent was the eventual bronze medalist. Schlatter received his draw at his weigh-in on Sept. 22, learning of his match-up with Kumar. Kumar was third at the Asian Championships in May, and finished fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games. Schlatter enters his fifth and final season with the Golden Gophers in 2009-10. He was the 2006 national champion as a freshman and was part of the 2007 team national championship. A three-time All-American, he red-shirted last season in preparation for the World Championships. In the final team standings for men's freestyle, the United States placed seventh with 19 points. Russia placed first with 63 points, ahead of Azerbaijan in second with 48, and Iran in third with 40 points.

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State head wrestling coach Bucky Maughan today announced the team’s schedule, which includes matches against both the Pac-10 and Big 12 champions. The Bison will also wrestle three first-time opponents. Over the course of the season, the Bison will wrestle four teams from the Pac-10, two CAA teams, and one team apiece from the MAC, ACC and Big 12. “We really tried to expand our competition by wrestling teams from five different conferences,” said assistant coach Bret Maughan. “It’s a very aggressive schedule and one of our strongest ever.” NDSU opens the 2009-10 season at South Dakota State for the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 7 before returning to Fargo for the annual Bison Open on Nov. 14. The Bison will also compete in the Kaufman/Brand Open at Nebraska-Omaha Nov. 21 and the Dragon Open in Moorhead Dec. 6 before starting dual action. The Bison will host the Dakota Duals on Dec. 13, competing against Oregon State, Northern Illinois and Minnesota State Moorhead. After a three-week break, NDSU travels to Lincoln, Neb. for a Jan. 3 date with Nebraska and the ACC’s North Carolina State. The Big 12 champion Huskers finished the 2008-09 season ranked fourth in country. The team then heads to California for matches against Pac-10 foes Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly, a first-time opponent. The final Pac-10 matchup comes against conference champion Boise State, who finished the season ranked No. 9. The Bison will wrestle the Broncos in Bozeman, Mont. on Jan. 15. Western Wrestling Conference action begins Jan. 17 with a dual at Northern Colorado. The Bison will then travel to the east coast to wrestle CAA teams Boston University and Sacred Heart for the first time. After seven straight road dates, NDSU returns to the Bison Sports Arena for a Feb. 7 dual with Wyoming before traveling to Northern Iowa on Feb. 14. Northern Iowa is the defending conference champion and finished last season ranked No. 21. The regular season ends with a Feb. 18 dual with South Dakota State in Fargo. South Dakota State will host the NCAA West Regional on March 6. The NCAA Championships are March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb. The Bison return 15 wrestlers from the 2008-09 squad that went 5-10-1 and 2-4 in the WWC. Ryan Adams, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is the only senior on the team. Adams, along with sophomores Tyler Johnson and Justin Solberg earned All-Western Wrestling Conference honors last season. There are ten newcomers to the squad.

For this Wednesday, 'On the Mat' will have two world champions as guests. Tom Brands won the World Championships in 1995 in freestyle, after winning three NCAA titles for Iowa. He then won the Olympic gold medal in 1996. Currently the head coach at Iowa, he will go 'On the Mat' at 5:05 to talk about what it means to be a World champion. In 1985, Mike Houck became the very first American wrestler to win a World Championship in the very physical style of Greco-Roman wrestling. He will go ON THE MAT at 5:35 to reminisce about his historic feat. Mike will be inducted into the Greco-Roman Hall of Champions at the Dan Gable Museum on Oct. 17. The show is sponsored by the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum. Hosts for the show are Doug Van Gelder and Mike Chapman.

HERNING, Denmark -- United States World Team member and former Northwestern star Jake Herbert won his first four matches at the 2009 Wrestling World Championships in Herning, Denmark, becoming the only American representative in any of the seven gold-medal matches. Facing Zaurbek Sokhiev of Uzbekistan, Herbert pushed the final bout to overtime before falling in the clincher round (1-0, 0-0, 1-0) to come away with a silver medal. Sokhiev had previously won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships. The clincher round in freestyle wrestling begins with what is in effect a coin toss to determine which wrestler will be on the attack to start the period. If the attacking wrestler does not score on his opponent within 30 seconds, the defensive wrestler wins the match. Herbert lost the coin toss and surrendered a score to Sokhiev halfway through the clincher period, giving the gold in the 84-kg (185 pound) weight class to Sokhiev. "For Jake to reach the finals in his first trip to the World Championships is just an unbelievable accomplishment, it's really hard to even describe," said Northwestern head coach Tim Cysewski. "These are the same guys he'll be competing against when he tries to make and win the Olympics four years from now. To lose in overtime in the finals the way he did, you can't come any closer than that." Herbert's journey to the finals from a field of 37 wrestlers was an incredible one, beginning with his opening-round defeat of Germany's Davyd Bichinashvili, the fifth-place freestyle finisher at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After that, Herbert overcame Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan), Gokhan Yavaser (Turkey) and Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia) to set up his meeting with Sokhiev in the finals. Tuesday's matches represented a culmination of months of training at US Olympic Training Centers as well as Overtime Wrestling in Naperville for Herbert, who qualified for the World Championships on June 1 with his first-place finish at the US World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Herbert's silver medal performance caps a memorable 2009 for the native of Wexford, Pa. He graduated from Northwestern in June following his record-setting career at NU during which he won two NCAA championships and the 2009 Hodge Trophy in addition to becoming one of the most consistent winners in NCAA history with a career record of 149-4. Wildcat fans have the opportunity to salute Herbert for his accomplishments both on the collegiate and world stage when he is honored during halftime of Northwestern's football game against Penn State on Oct. 31 at Ryan Field.

Congrats to Jake Herbert for his Silver Medal and Tervel Dlagnev for his Bronze medal in the World Championships. They represent the first class of the "Living the Dream Medal Fund" recipients. We're all very proud of our TEAM USA. Lots left to do in Herning. Make sure to stay plugged in to the blog and all the interviews with Jason Bryant LIVE in Denmark on TheMat.com. Meanwhile, Back in the good old USA We have a show to do. It's almost here. the College Wrestling Season. The Brute Adidas studios will be lively again this week with the best in sports talk radio, Wrestling Talk! Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Chris Arns, James Moncherry and Randy Crimmins for the best 2 hours on radio Saturdays at 9 AM CST at Takedownradio.com. Our Guests this week include: 9:05 Billy Ashnault- Junior 133 Pounder for Rutgers, transferred from Lock Haven 9:05 Dr. Kevin Miller- Chiropracter for Team USA Greco Live from Herning, Denmark 9:20 Chuck Barbee- Head Coach of Army at Westpoint 9:40 Eric Guerrero- Head Assist. For the Cowboys of OK. 10:05 Tony Ersland- Assit Coach for Nebraska Cornhuskers 10:20 Rob Eiter- Head Coach U Penn 10:45 Jake Herbert- World Siver Medalist 10:50 Tervel Dlagnev- World Bronze Medalist Missed an episode of TDR? Now You can get TDR on your PDA or iPhone at Lightsout.tv and at iTunes Please note that Episode 24 of TDRtv is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing. Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show is on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Marshall Peppelman was in seventh grade when he first started attending Rob Koll's Cornell wrestling camps in the summer with his teammates. His team attended the camp every summer and Peppelman's relationship grew with Koll as did his admiration for the Cornell wrestling program. But it wasn't until Peppelman started looking at colleges when he realized that Cornell offered everything he was looking for in a college. "It seemed like a great fit," said Peppelman. "I loved the campus. I love the guys that are there now. I love the coaching staff. I feel like it's a place where I can win a national title and also get a great education" Marshall PeppelmanFor all these reasons, Peppelman gave a verbal commitment to Cornell on Tuesday. He considered several different colleges, including Ohio State, Virginia, Lehigh, Iowa, and Iowa State during the recruiting process … a process that he is happy to put behind him. "It was fun, but it was also a little stressful," said Peppelman. "It's the first really big decision you have in your life. It determines your future. I had a lot on my plate. I'm definitely relieved now to know that it's over now and I can just concentrate on wrestling." Peppelman, who is ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the country, is one of four Pennsylvania wrestlers listed among the top six recruits in the country by InterMat. The other three, No. 2 Andrew Alton, No. 5 Dylan Alton, and No. 6 Josh Kindig have already verbally committed to colleges. The Altons committed to Penn State in the spring, while Kindig gave his verbal commitment on Sunday. Peppleman takes pride in the fact that Pennsylvania has such a strong senior class. "It's awesome," said Peppelman. "I'm good friends with Dylan, Andrew, and Josh. All the top wrestlers in Pennsylvania, we're all friends. We all joke around at the state tournament. We're all happy for each other. I'm really happy for both Dylan and Andrew, Josh, and Sam (Sherlock) … we're all going to places where we're happy. It stinks that we didn’t all end up at the same place because that would have just been phenomenal. But different people like different things. Peppelman, who attends Central Dauphin High School in Pennsylvania, is a two-time a two-time PIAA champion, two-time Beast of the East champion, three-time POWERade champion, and a Super 32 champion. He enters his senior season with a career record of 130-7. He is ranked as InterMat's No. 4 recruit in the country. Last season, Peppelman went a perfect 46-0 to capture the PIAA title at 152 pounds in Class AAA. He projects collegiately at 165 pounds. Peppelman is considering studying either business in Cornell's Applied Economics and Management (AEM) program or following in his father's footsteps and studying pre-medicine. Even though Peppelman still has a year of high school left, he has already started building relationships with some of the Cornell wrestlers and coaches. "All the guys are great," said Peppelman. "I was fortunate enough to stay with Mack Lewnes on my recruiting trip. He's just an awesome guy. You can't find a better individual. He's an awesome wrestler to top it off. To have the opportunity to work out with him will be amazing. You have Jordan Leen on staff. You have Coach (Damion) Hahn, Coach (Clint) Wattenberg, and Coach (Jeremy) Spates … so I have a lot of great drilling partners and coaches around my weight class to really push me and help me achieve my goals." Ivy League schools, like Cornell, are not allowed to redshirt athletes unless there is legitimate injury to the athlete, which means Peppelman will likely be competing for a spot in the Big Red lineup immediately as a true freshman. "I'm going to try to spend some time up there this summer, train, and get ready to step in as a freshman … and hopefully be competitive," said Peppelman. "That would be the goal … to be there on the podium as a true freshman. I certainly have my work cut out for me, so I have a lot of training to do as opposed to having that redshirt year like a lot of others do." Peppelman's older brother, Walter, was a three-time Pennsylvania state finalist, and now wrestles at Harvard. Last season, Walter finished his true freshman campaign with a 21-13 record and qualified for the NCAA Championships at 149 pounds. The two brothers remain close. "We talk almost every day," said Marshall Peppelman. "Seeing college wrestling through his eyes last year, it's definitely a huge transition going from high school to college. I know that I definitely have a lot of work to do. It's no small task to even qualify for the nationals as a true freshman. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I like being the underdog. I enjoyed being the freshman in high school that no one really saw coming. It will be fun to work my way up again." If Peppelman's high school career is any indication, it won't take long for him to work his way up in college.

Josh Kindig

When the news broke on the afternoon of April 17, 2009 that Cael Sanderson was leaving Iowa State to become the new head wrestling coach at Penn State, Cyler Sanderson's world was suddenly turned upside down. Cyler, the youngest brother in the most famous wrestling family from Utah, had a difficult decision to make. Would he stay at Iowa State, where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier and All-American? Or would he follow his older brothers, Cael and Cody, to Penn State? Cyler SandersonHe decided to transfer to Penn State. "It was kind of hard because I had been at Iowa State for four years," said Cyler. "But he's my brother, so I was going to follow him wherever he went. As soon as he announced that he was coming to Penn State, I knew that I was coming too." Cyler came to Iowa State in 2005 as part of the nation's top recruiting class, a class that also included Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Mitch Mueller, Jake Varner, and David Zabriskie. The Cyclones have finished as high as second in the country since that recruiting class arrived at Iowa State ... but they have yet to win an NCAA team title. Had Cyler stayed at Iowa State, the Cyclones would have returned six All-Americans. Still, with five All-American returning, the Cyclones are expected to challenge for the NCAA team title in Omaha. Despite leaving his friends and teammates, Cyler says there are no hard feelings. "All of those guys are great guys," said Cyler. "They are all first class. They are all great friends of mine. They all understood the situation. I know that any of them would have gone with their brother too. A lot of them expressed that to me. There haven't been any hard feelings. I keep in contact with most of them on a regular basis. We ask each other how things are going. They are great friends of mine and they will always will be great friends of mine." Cyler Sanderson finished runner-up at the 2008 Midlands in December, but struggled at the end of last season and failed to place at the 2009 NCAA Championships in March (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Cyler has qualifed for the NCAA Championships in each of the past three seasons and was an All-American in 2008, placing seventh at 157 pounds. But he's coming off the most disappointing season of his career. Heading into the NCAA Championships last season, Cyler dropped four of his last six matches ... with two of those losses coming by major decision. He entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 9 seed, but went 2-2 and failed to place. "Wrestling was tough last year for me for a few reasons," said Cyler. "I was just real stressed. I didn't really show the improvements that I had made. I had made a lot of improvements. I had gotten a lot better in certain areas. However, I obviously didn't show it on the mat. I didn't perform up to my ability." The hiring of Cyler's brother, Cael, a wrestling icon, has re-energized a Penn State wrestling program starving to get to the top of the college wrestling world. Penn State has a rich wrestling tradition, but has struggled to consistently remain in the upper echelon of college wrestling programs in recent years. Penn State won an NCAA team title in 1953 and remains the last Eastern school to accomplish the feat. Penn State earned a trophy at the NCAA Championships in 2008, finishing in third place, but fell back to 10th place last season. Cyler is excited about his new environment and all that is happening at Penn State. Cyler Sanderson left his friends and teammates at Iowa State and chose to follow his older brother, Cael (right), to Penn State for his final season of collegiate wrestling (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)"It's a great place here," said Cyler. "It's a great atmosphere. This state, this university, the alumni, everybody here is hungry for a powerhouse team. All they talk about right now is wrestling because they know that Cael is going to be able to really build a powerhouse program here because there is so much talent in Pennsylvania." Cael and his staff have been hitting the recruiting trail hard since arriving in April. Penn State has already received verbal commitments from four InterMat top 50 recruits from the Class of 2010; all four are Pennsylvania natives, including the Alton twins, Andrew and Dylan, who are ranked No. 2 and No. 5 respectively. In addition, Cael and his staff signed two InterMat top 10 recruits from the Class of 2009, David Taylor and Jake Kemerer, who originally committed elsewhere but signed with Penn State after Cael was hired. Taylor, a four-time Ohio state champion who won everything under the sun as a high school wrestler, was InterMat's No. 1 recruit from the Class of 2009. Taylor has known the Sanderson family since he was a young wrestler in Wyoming (before moving to Ohio), when he would make the hour-and-ten-minute trek from his home in Wyoming to Heber City, Utah to get coached by Steve Sanderson, the father of Cyler, Cael, Cole, and Cody. Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Cyler sees big things on the horizon for Taylor, who is expected to redshirt this season. "He has a great future," said Cyler. "He's a very talented athlete, obviously. He has won everything that you could win. He's working hard. He's making improvements. He's getting better in the areas that he needs to get better in. He's going to do well. He just needs to not get frustrated and enjoy himself ... and he's going to be a great college wrestler." Cyler knows a thing or two about great college wrestlers ... having grown up watching his older brother, Cael, finish his collegiate wrestling career at Iowa State with an unblemished 159-0 record and four NCAA titles. Cael then went on to win a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, before retiring from competition. "Cael is the greatest college wrestler ever," said Cyler. "I think he had the potential to be the greatest international wrestler ever. He's so good and he never stops getting better. He's so much better than he was in 2004. Every time he goes in the room, he works out with anybody on the team and he's continually getting better. He would have won another Olympic title. The guy that won the last Olympics in his weight, Cael beat him badly. Cael was just a baby in 2004, really, in international wrestling. He didn't have hardly any experience. I don't think there are any limits on what he could have accomplished. He's just that good. Sometimes I wish he would have kept going, but he made the decision on what he wanted to do." Cyler Sanderson cheered Cael on at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, GreeceWhile coaching at Iowa State, Cael contemplated coming out of retirement and attempting to win another Olympic gold medal, but ultimately decided against it. "I think what it came down to when he made the decision whether he was going to train or not was that he made a commitment to be a coach at Iowa State," said Cyler. "He knew that being a coach at Iowa State wouldn't really allow him to train and give everybody the time they needed. He really sacrificed his own career to help the guys at Iowa State. He could have been selfish and trained all he wanted, but he chose to help us instead." Now Cael will help a Penn State team that has five All-Americans on its roster -- Frank Molinaro (141), Bubba Jenkins (149), Dan Vallimont (165), Quentin Wright (174), and Cyler (157). But it remains to be seen whether all five All-Americans will be the lineup this season. There has been speculation that Jenkins and Wright may redshirt this season. Cyler admits that he's not sure what the lineup will look like this season. For now, he's just taking full advantage of the abundance of workout partners around his weight. "I'm so excited for this year because I have so much to gain because of all the workout partners and all the people that I have here," said Cyler. "I'm going to be able to learn a lot from all of them and hopefully I can make a lot of improvements this year." Cyler Sanderson hopes to win a national title in college before he begins his international wrestling career (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Cyler, who is majoring in fine arts at Penn State, plans to continue his wrestling career after he graduates in May. He admits that freestyle has always come a little easier to him than folkstyle. He hopes to become an Olympic champion ... like Cael. But before he sets his sights on his international wrestling career, Cyler is focused on the upcoming season and accomplishing his collegiate wrestling goals. "My goal is to be a national champion and do my very best," said Cyler. "That's my goal. I want to be a national champion more than anything. That's what I'm going to focus on every day. But more than winning and losing, wrestling to my potential and having a lot of fun is really what I want to try to do my senior year. Just not have any regrets. Leave everything on the mat every single match. I know that if I do that, I won't have any regrets."

On Friday, the Spirit Bank Events Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma will host a Strikeforce Challengers event. Daniel Cormier will make his MMA debut against Gary Frazier in the heavyweight division. Daniel CormierThe Challengers event is a venue for fighters trying to break into the organization’s larger events. It’s a minor league of types. Win a couple fights, get a following, and then you can fight alongside the big names in Strikeforce like Fedor Emelianenko, Robbie Lawler, and Nick Diaz. Cormier’s fight will be on the televised portion of the event on Showtime. Cormier, a two-time Olympian and six-time U.S. Nationals champion in freestyle, is making the transition to MMA. It will be interesting to see where Cormier's skill set is at right now. He is currently training in San Jose, California at American Kickboxing Academy, which also trains former wrestlers-turned-MMA-fighters Josh Koscheck (Edinboro), Jon Fitch (Purdue) and Cain Velasquez (ASU) to name a few. Will he go right to the mat? Or is he going to box a bit? As in any debut, there are a lot of questions? It should be an interesting night and event watching Cormier make his MMA debut. Around the Cage It was nice seeing all the wrestlers look good at UFC 103. There is serious talent coming to the UFC ... Ricky Story, the former Southern Oregon wrestler, not only put on a show in his win against Brian Foster, he also netted an additional $130,000 by winning the $65,000 bonus for "Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” with his arm triangle ... Nik Lentz, the Minnesota MMA fighter who briefly wrestled for the University of Minnesota, won a nice decision over Rafaello Oliveira. Both men scored takedowns in the fight, but Lentz had nice striking and uses good footwork and grappling to keep Oliveira off balance ... Former Edinboro star Josh Koscheck got back in the winners column against Frank Trigg. Typical of many fights between wrestlers, it was a standup battle and Koscheck once again showed us his evolution as a fighter using great technical boxing to TKO Trigg in the first round ... Jim Miller won by TKO in the second round when Steve Lopez appeared to dislocate his should while throwing a roundhouse punch. The two wrestlers were having a great fight going toe-to-toe slugging it out until the unfortunate injury ... Efrian Escudero won impressively against Cole Miller. Miller, the taller fighter by at least six inches, seemed to be stifling Escudero with his range. Efrain used great feints and footwork to circle inside and drop Miller with a powerful short left hook and straight rights on Miller as he hit the canvas, Escudero impressed many with his first-round TKO victory, his first knockout win in his career. You can follow Tony Nguyen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TonyNguyenMMA.

As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. Between now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce you to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, you will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships. Did you miss a Wrestling 49 article? Check out the archives. Below is a look at the top 10 high school senior recruits from Colorado's Class of 2010. Jake Snider (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)1. Jake Snider School: Ponderosa 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Scouting Report: Was first at Reno TOC and didn't lose a match in the Clash (in MN) both in 2008 and 2009. Will be working towards his fourth state title this year. Split matches with Max Ortega of Rio Rancho (defeated by three then lost by two). 2. Matthew Gurule School: Grand Junction Central 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 112 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Went undefeated this past year and was only contested really one time, which was in the state finals (against another undefeated kid). Was a Junior Nationals freestyle All-American in 2008. 3. Matt Addington School: Florence 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Scouting Report: Has an 84-match win streak in Colorado with two state titles under his belt. Pinned or won by technical fall in 43 of 48 matches. 4. Robert Pickerell School: Northridge 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152 Projected College Weight Class: 149 Scouting Report: A very deceiving-looking kid who won't overpower you, but will frustrate you with his on-mat skills. He was a Cadet Nationals All-American in freestyle in 2008. 5. Cahlen Keys School: Centauri 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 140 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Scouting Report: Is known as a heavy weight cutter, so he could be down one weight this year. 47-1 last year and state runner-up in 2008. Was part of state championship team in 2009. He is a very deceiving wrestler who is very slick on his feet. He defeated a two-time Fargo All-American, 4-0 in overtime, at year's end. 6. Jerry Huff School: Broomfield 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Consider his high school career one of hard luck, having never won a state title but still a very, very tough kid. Was a Cadet Nationals All-American in 2007 ... and was recently a Junior Nationals All-American in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. 7. Jeremy Schmitt School: Rocky Mountain 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Is a two-time state champion who is very tough to beat when he is on a roll. Lost all of his matches last year at 119 ... but won title at 112. Loves to wrestle and will be one of the strongest small guys in the room. 8. Vicente Gallegos School: Arvada West 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Scouting Report: Won first state title last year for Arrupe Jesuit but transferred to Arvada West this year. He wrestled a 5A schedule last year so will transition fine. Is very skilled and will end his career as a four-time medalist. 9. Casey Lynn School: Cortez 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Scouting Report: Another kid who hasn't won a state title but has been second, third, and fourth. Was in the toughest weight class in the state last year. Very slick on his feet. Not being pushed in the room might be the ONLY downside for him to capture his first state title. 10. Chad Stroh School: Holyoke 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Scouting Report: His only loss in 2009 was to a three-time state champion from Nebraska. Don't let his 2A schedule scare you. Holyoke wrestles a very good schedule. Should win his third high school title this year (was second one year). He is 110-8 in his career. Was one match away from NHSCA Sophomore Nationals All-American in 2008.

The 2009 World Wrestling Championships have started in Herning, Denmark. There are many ways that wrestling fans can follow the action. TheMat.com will have comprehensive coverage of the competition, with Craig Sesker and Jason Bryant reporting from press row. TheMat.com will provide interactive live text reports from the World Championships each session on all seven days. The coverage comes from the Cover It Live software, which allows fans to sign in and participate in the discussion. To see the Cover It Live text coverage from Herning, visit TheMat.com World Championships Special Section at: http://www.themat.com/specialevents/2009/worlds/default.php?EventID=21976 TheMat.com will also provide news updates from each session, focusing on the U.S. team as well as the overall World Championships news. These will be posted in the Special Section and on the home page of TheMat.com. TheMat.com will also be posting video updates from the World Championships, with interviews of athletes and coaches as well as summaries of the day’s action. These videos will appear on USA Wrestling’s YouTube channel, as well as in the Special Section. TheMat.com will also be posting updated brackets throughout the tournament, allowing fans to follow the results promptly each day. USA Wrestling will also be doing regular Twitter updates from the event. Sign up and get World Championships tweets at: http://twitter.com/USAWrestling Audio coverage of each session is being provided by Joe Williamson of Flowrestling. Jason Bryant is also providing commentary. You can hear Williamson’s audio reports from the Special Section or from Flowrestling’s website. UniversalSports.com will webcast the medal-match finals from the World Wrestling Championships each day from Sept. 21-27. The live video stream will be provided at 1:30 p.m. each day on their website: http://www.universalsports.com There will be no audio provided on the UniversalSports live stream, so wrestling fans are encouraged to listen to Joe Williamson’s updates while watching the action. There will also be four different one-hour tape-delayed television broadcasts of highlights of the World Championships. It will air on the Universal Sports network, starting Thursday, Oct. 1 - Sunday, Oct. 4. starting at 7 p.m. ET nightly. The broadcast team is Olympic champion Rulon Gardner and play-by-play announcer Jim Watson.

C.B. Dollaway

As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. Between now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce you to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, you will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships. Did you miss a Wrestling 49 article? Check out the archives. The Class of 2010 is the strongest class Massachusetts has seen in years. This class is so strong that a New England champion and two All-State champions are listed merely as honorable mention. Moreover, this class includes two-time Prep School All-American and Junior Nationals freestyle All American Derek Papagianopoulos, four New England champions (Isaiah Williams, Dan Telhada, Corey Melo and Mike Wrin Wrin) and four All-State champions (Williams, Derek Golner, Nick Flannery and Sam Shames). Derek Papagianopoulos1. Derek Papagianopoulos School: Buckingham Browne and Nichol 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 285 Projected College Weight Class: 285 Scouting Report: Papagianopoulos has been attending and placing at national tournaments since he was in the sixth grade. Papagianopoulos has always been one of the bigger (189 as a freshman) and stronger wrestlers around. As a result of his hard work. he has perfected a top-notch technique. Although he is moving up to heavyweight for his senior year, Papagianopoulos wrestles more like a 160 or 171-pounder, always attacking and pushing the pace. He has also played varsity football since eighth grade (starting on both sides of the ball) and is already a college recruiting favorite. Further, his honors grades will make him a great addition to any college wrestling program. 2. Isaiah Williams School: Haverhill 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 165 Scouting Report: Williams ended a disappointing sophomore year without placing at states. Since that time he has worked non-stop to make himself a great wrestler. His junior year he came back with a vengeance finishing the year with a 50-0 record and with wins at States, All-States and New Englands at 160 pounds. He also beat most of the top wrestlers at 171 during the season. Williams' unbelievable athleticism and great work ethic should make him very successful at the college level. 3. Dan Telhada School: Franklin 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 140 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Scouting Report: Telhada hasn't wrestled as long as most people on this list, but he is a quick learner. He is a very solid wrestler in every position. A year-round wrestler who made a huge improvement from third at states as a sophomore to New England champ as a junior. He also posted great performances at Disney Duals and Brute Scholastic duals proving that Telhada can wrestle with the best. Kevin Barrucci4. Kevin Barrucci School: Burlington 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 149 Scouting Report: Barrucci first stepped on the wrestling mat at age five and never looked back. With a great work ethic and grinder style of wrestling Barrucci has excelled at the sport. Even with such tremendous success Barrucci's drive and determination remains strong. He will be an excellent addition to any college program. 5. Matt Donohoe School: Tyngsboro 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 165 Scouting Report: Donohoe has a fast-paced and exciting style and he can score big points from anywhere. Donohoe's off season out of state success as well has his Eastern States finish proves he can wrestle with anyone. Not to mention the fact that he is also an outstanding football player. 6. Derek Golner School: Tyngsboro 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 157/165 Scouting Report: Golner won a state title as a freshman starting an annual tradition. Next year he is looking to become only the eighth Massachusetts wrestler to win his fourth state title. He is very slick and an absolute beast on top. Golner is not one to shy away from top competition. 7. Alex Najjar School: Shawsheen Tech 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 189 Projected College Weight Class: 184 Scouting Report: Najjar put it together his junior year winning his first state title. But his true potential has become evident in the offseason, which has included wins at every tournament he has attended. Najjar is a dominant neutral wrestler with a huge arsenal of offense. With a 5-2 record at Junior Nationals, Najjar fell one win shy of the podium in Fargo ... but showed he is one of the top upperweights in the country. 8. Matt Denhey School: Dracut 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152 Projected College Weight Class: 157 Scouting Report: Denhey stepped up his game when it mattered most, after a disappointing sixth-place finish at All-States and a first-round loss at New Englands, Denhey reeled off six wins, including the final three in overtime to capture third place at New Englands. He has not slowed down in the offseason with strong performances all over the East Coast. Matt Sherman9. Matt Sherman School: Burlington 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 135 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Scouting Report: A smart and determined wrestler, Sherman continues to win with a unique style of wrestling making him a terrible match up for many great wrestlers. A very strong top wrestler, Sherman will be looking for his third state title this year. He is also a high honors student, which gives him a wide variety of college options. 10. Corey Melo School: New Bedford 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Melo's funk and counter wrestling have won him a New England and state title this past season. Melo's style and work ethic should help him excel at the college level as well as it did on the high school level. Honorable Mention: Eric Harrison Mike Wrin Nick Flannery Josh Gerry Sam Shames Alex Giampapa Jake Sherman Jordan Michelson Kyle Senechal John Coukos

On Sunday, Pennsylvania standout Josh Kindig of Blue Mountain High School informed InterMat that he has given a verbal commitment to Oklahoma State. Kindig, a two-time Junior Nationals runner-up in freestyle, Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle, and Pennsylvania state champion, projects collegiately at 141 pounds. Kindig spoke to InterMat on Sunday about his decision. Josh Kindig is a two-time Junior Nationals runner-up in freestyle and a Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)Congratulations on your decision. I imagine it was a very difficult decision. Why did you decide that Oklahoma State was the best school for you? Kindig: Thanks. I appreciate it. In the beginning of this whole process, there were so many schools contacting me. It was really an experience. I guess the first thing I had to do was narrow down the pros and cons to get to the top four schools on my list. The coaches came to into the house and were talking. Some actually had workouts at the schools with clinics. I got to see what style I really liked and what I didn't really like. It came down to Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Missouri in the end. I have always been really good friends with Jordan Oliver. I was at Oklahoma State once before ... and then I went to Ohio State for a training camp before my visit. It was pretty much between those two schools. I always had Missouri there too. But in the end, after my visits, it was probably the toughest decision of my life. It was really difficult. It really doesn't have to do with the cons ... because every school has really good things about them. Both those schools are really excellent schools. I guess I just felt a little more comfortable with Oklahoma State and that's what I decided to go with. You're a Pennsylvania native, but one school you didn't mention is Penn State. Did you consider Penn State at all? Kindig: Yeah. In the beginning I considered Penn State. But after the first month, I kind of lost contact with them. That's probably because they have the Altons and they have their weight classes set. So they wouldn't really need me. That's what happened there. You have obviously had success in the international styles of freestyle and Greco-Roman. Oklahoma State coach John Smith is considered to be the greatest American freestyle wrestler ever. Eric Guerrero, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, was an Olympian in freestyle. Oklahoma State has produced many wrestlers who have had success in freestyle. How much did that factor into your decision to go to Oklahoma State? Kindig: That was a huge thing. In addition to the academics and NCAA wrestling part of it, the next biggest thing was the freestyle because that is my favorite style and I will do that in the spring and summer. That was really a huge part of it. I know freestyle is big to John Smith, Eric Guerrero, and all the other coaches. I really look forward to that too because I know that they have that there for me. Pennsylvania's senior class is considered to be one of the best senior classes ever from any state. Four of the nation's top six recruits are from Pennsylvania. What does that mean to you to be a part of such a strong senior class in Pennsylvania? Kindig: It's really awesome. I'm really excited for the duals at the end of the year when it's Pennsylvania vs. USA. I think we're going to do really well. This is definitely our strongest season ever ... with our class. It's a great thing to be a part of. All of us are friends. Even though we have wrestled on the mat ... off the mat, we're all friends. We talk and get along. Does it bother at all you at all that you are not getting as much national exposure as some of the other Pennsylvania wrestlers, like the Alton twins or Marshall Peppelman? Kindig: No. To be honest with you, with where I am right now, aside from my partner Tyler Rauenzahn, who took second in state, I don't have somebody to push me to the limits. I don't have a twin brother to work out with all the time. Like Marshall Peppelman has Kenny Courts. I don't really have that environment. I just have to pretty much do it on my own ... and go around and train at different places in the summer to get better. I'm not even close to where I should be. Once I get to college, when I start training with Jordan and Guerrero, I'm really going to reach that level. It doesn't really bother me that much because I know I have a lot more to show once I get to college. Looking ahead to the future, have you mapped out your wrestling goals? Kindig: Yeah. It excites me to get to college and wrestle at that level. I love wrestling in open tournaments, like FILAs and Vegas. After college, I'm looking to most likely stay at Oklahoma State and train, like Coleman Scott is right now for the Worlds and Olympics, and accomplish my wrestling goals. And then hopefully become a college coach someday. Josh Kindig has wrestling aspirations beyond collegiate wrestling (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)Do you have a preference on whether you wrestle as a true freshman at Oklahoma State or redshirt? Or is that a bridge you're going to cross when the times comes to make that decision? Kindig: There is a ninety five percent chance I'll redshirt my first year. That's what the coaches have me doing. You were one of the most sought after recruits in the country. How much of a relief is it to be make a decision and put your decision behind you? Kindig: Yeah. I don't even know how to describe it. It was definitely a lot on me and my family. It was really getting to me. So I definitely feel relieved that it's over and I can just get back to focusing on the season and go from there.

Ryak Finch

The World Championship of freestyle wrestling has changed over the years. It's tougher to win a World title now than ever before. Moreover, it’s just as difficult to duplicate success from one year to the next. The World Championship is a tournament that’s become almost impossible to handicap and even the most seasoned of wrestling historians, journalists, and enthusiasts have difficulty in forecasting who will medal and who will not. The unpredictability of the event is due to a number of reasons, not the least of which are the changes in rules that have occurred over the last ten years. The two-out-of-three periods wins a match structure, the last-point-wins-a-period criteria, push outs and leg clinches all contribute to a rules system where victory can seem somewhat arbitrary. The wrestler who scores the most points in a match doesn't always win, conditioning has become less of a factor, and it's hard to say that a wrestler who lost a match because he gave up a point on leg clinch made a "mistake." When wrestlers lose now, it sometimes feels like the cards just went one way rather than that a significant error occurred. The result is that “upsets” are now far easier to come by. Also, because the tournament has a blind draw and anyone can face anyone right off the bat, stars can be defeated in the early rounds, fail to be pulled into repechage, not place and earn no team points. Perhaps this was best exemplified in 2006, when six-time World champion and three-time Olympic champion Buvaisar Saitiev outscored Bulgaria's Michail Ganev 6-3, but lost the match two periods to one (0-3, 2-2, 1-1). Buvaisar Saitiev of Russia won nine World-level titles, but will not be competing at the 2009 World ChampionshipsThe other major factor that has impacted the World Championships is that the former Soviet Republics keep getting stronger. Wrestlers go from one country to the next and many former Soviet republics feature lineups with wrestlers who used to wrestle for Russia. Perhaps these wrestlers are no longer in their absolute prime and have been replaced by younger Russian talent, but the experience they already have on the World stage makes the field even more brutal right from the opening round. At last year's Olympics, 18 of the 28 medals awarded in men's freestyle wrestling went to wrestlers from Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Slovakia. Moreover medal winners Taimuraz Tigiev, David Musulbes, Murad Gaidarov and Georgi Gogshelidze all had represented Russia in the past but have moved on to other countries. The competition has become so stiff and the margin for error so small that the only characteristic about wrestlers successful at this event after the fact is that they were "on." It's not so much about experience as much as about bringing everything together on that one day and getting a bit of luck. I think this is related to why Russia does so well at the Worlds. Russian wrestlers remain active in international styles of wrestling much longer than in the U.S. When new stars emerge in Russia, they do so by defeating decorated champions. The winners at the Russian Nationals -- veterans or rookies alike -- are wrestling very, very well. They have to be in order to win that tournament. A strong performance at the Russian Nationals tends to lead to a strong performance at the Worlds. If they are in any kind of a "slump," they won't be on the team. When new faces appear on the U.S. team, it's too often because they are filling an empty slot. Wrestling stars tend to retire earlier in the U.S. After winning their medal(s), U.S. wrestlers are often enticed into college wrestling careers, MMA, or even professional wrestling. I believe USA Wrestling recognizes this and the Living the Dream Fund instituted this year is a huge step in getting the best U.S. wrestlers to remain committed to participating in man's oldest sport. For the World Championships, the fund offers $50,000 for a gold medal, $25,000 for a silver, and $15,000 for a bronze. For the London 2012 Games, the fund offers $250,000 for a gold medal, $50,000 for a silver, and $25,000 for a bronze. This will definitely make a difference in having U.S. wrestlers stick around, but while experience helps and having a team of seasoned athletes is something to look forward to, plenty of wrestlers succeed at the World level on their first try. If team USA for men's freestyle is to do well in Denmark, this will have to be the case. It is believed this is the first time that team USA has assembled a world team where none of the members have ever competed in a world or Olympic tournament before. Literally every U.S. freestyle wrestler is making his debut. As great as Russia is under the current rules, the format of the event and the fact that there are now only seven weight classes makes it possible for Russia to lose if just a few things didn't fall their way and another country gets on a roll. This includes Team USA. Mathematically, it's more feasible for Russia to get upset at the Worlds than it is at the Olympics since there are more matches and therefore more chances to lose. It can be done. Iran did it in 2002 and Georgia won in 2003. For Team USA, each member will just have to be "on" when required. Wrestlers can train, study tape, and wrestle aggressively and smart, but if they don’t have that extra spark at the exact moments it is required, they often have to wait for the next year and hope that the planets are aligned more in their favor. However, the styles and strengths of the seven members of Team USA 2009 are not identical and a medal run for one U.S. wrestler would not necessarily resemble another. Instead, a successful tournament for each athlete would be more comparable to other U.S. wrestlers of the past. Danny Felix (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Danny Felix (55 kg): At 35, Felix made his first U.S. World Team. His determination to stick with the sport is perhaps best exemplified by the fact that he dropped down in weight to make 55 kg. He is experienced in freestyle and is at the point in his career where he is not still making adjustments to the discipline. A medal run by Felix would resemble that of Tolly Thompson, who made his first U.S. World Team in 2005 at the age of 32 and took home a bronze. Thompson lost in the opening round to eventual champ Polatci of Turkey, but battled back through repechage in an impressive, determined set of matches. Shawn Bunch (60 kg): A very fast and explosive wrestler, Bunch's style is suited to scoring points quickly through takedowns and exposures. His success will depend on picking his spots and minimizing opportunities for opponents to score. An “on” run for Bunch would resemble Donny Pritzlaff, who faced similar issues when he made his first U.S. World Team in 2006. Pritzlaff, a very active wrestler who took a ton of shots, made great improvements in defense and shut down his opponents' opportunities to score. Bunch needs to do the same. Trent Paulson (66 kg): Paulson was very strong at 157 pounds when he won his NCAA title while at Iowa State. At 145 pounds, he is simply a bull. A good tournament for Paulson would look like that of Mike Zadick's silver medal run in 2006. Zadick also made a significant weight cut and stormed his way to the finals past Olympic champion Mavlet Batirov in the semifinals. Paulson is strong enough to win periods by defending leg clinches and also bulldoze people out of bounds for pushout points. Dustin Schlatter (74 kg): Schlatter was one of the most talented and talked about high school wrestlers in recent history. His rivalry with Brent Metcalf was legendary and he had an unbelievable (true) freshman season at the University of Minnesota, winning the NCAAs. He's had some setbacks since then, but took a redshirt year, let some injures heal up, and has moved up in weight. Schlatter is strong and gifted, but he is also a very intelligent wrestler. A medal run for him would resemble what Brandon Slay did in the 2000 Olympics. Slay was one of the best tacticians and students of videotape that the U.S. has ever produced. Schlatter's defensive style is suited to international wrestling, but in order to shock people the way Slay did, he will have to use his head. Jake Herbert (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Jake Herbert (84 kg): Certainly one of the most athletic wrestlers in any weight class, Herbert's aggressive, freewheeling style could get him into trouble if he's not careful. A great tournament for him would resemble the gold medal performance of Les Gutches in 1997. Gutches made the U.S. Olympic Team in 1996, but made some mistakes and didn't medal. He was much more focused in 1997 and was unbeatable. If Herbert isn't lured out of his game plan and stays away from ill-advised funky moves, he could match Gutches' feat from 12 years ago. Jake Varner (96 kg): Although coached by the great Cael Sanderson, a medal run for Varner would resemble that of one of Sanderson's top U.S. rivals, Brandon Eggum. Sanderson made the 2001 U.S. World Team, but couldn't compete when the tournament was postponed because of 9/11. Eggum went in his place and made the finals where he lost a close match. Varner has similar strength to Eggum and uses that strength to stop opponents from scoring. He went through the U.S. Nationals without surrendering a single point. Sanderson has been working closely with Varner for this event and Varner should be very prepared by the time his first match is called. Tervel Dlagnev (120 kg): Dlagnev is probably the most “favored” to bring home a medal because of his performance at The Golden Grand Prix in July, where he won a gold medal. His technique is well suited for freestyle and he's been successful so far. What Dlagnev needs to do is arrive and take the world by storm. A strong debut for him would resemble that of Sammie Henson in 1998 or, in looking even further ahead, that of John Smith in 1987.

Gray Maynard

Event: UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort Venue: American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) Date: September 19, 2009 The UFC Monster’s winning streak came to end in UFC 102 with a modest $40 loss, but my total winnings to date, posting picks on this Web site, stands at $640. Not bad for recreational income. Let’s try to find some weaknesses in the Las Vegas line and increase our bottom line ... while having fun doing it! The UFC 103 card has 13 fights on it, but not a single title fight. The featured fight pits ex-middleweight champ Rich “Ace” Franklin (27-4-0) against ex-light heavyweight champ and Brazilian Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (18-8-0), who is coming off a 37-second KO of Olympic wrestler Matt Lindland. This fight is being fought at a “catch weight” of 195 pounds. DISCLAIMER: Vitor Belfort has always been one of my favorite MMA fighters and my selection is influenced by my heart, which is always dangerous in the betting game. But Belfort is making his long awaited return to the UFC, looking like he is in his prime, a devastatingly quick puncher with a ground game to match. He is a Carlson Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, and will give Franklin all the fight that he wants. Franklin’s only losses have been to Dan Henderson, Lyoto Machida, and Anderson “Spider” Silva (twice). The oddsmakers have installed Belfort as a +125 underdog ... and that gives me the value I seek, as I will call it a second-round TKO, hoping that Franklin doesn’t stay his distance and earn a three-round decision instead. Take Belfort and grab the underdog odds. The co-main event will pit the legendary heavyweight Croatian Mirko Cro Cop Filipović (25-6-2) against the much younger (10 years) Junior Dos Santos (8-1-0), another Brazilian with quick striking power and a jiu-jitsu game to match. He trains with the Nogueira brothers. This fight will be a toe-to-toe battle of strikers that should end with the mild favorite (-130) Dos Santos standing over his opponent with his hands raised. Cro-Cop has been a shell of himself in the UFC ... and Dos Santos is a hungry climber ready to take the next step. If he doesn’t get the KO, he will transition to the mat and end it there. Take Dos Santos and lay the -130. He’s younger, quicker, and stronger. Welterweight Martin Kampmann (15-2-0) was a scheduled underdog to take on Mike “Quick” Swick, but an injury to Swick has given Paul “Semtex” Daley (21-8-2) an opportunity to display his skills in the UFC for the first time instead. Kampmann is an Xtreme Couture striker with great kicking skills. His only loss in five years has been to Nate “The Great” Marquardt in Atlanta. Daley has 16 KO’s in his 21 wins! You get the picture? This will be another standup affair, with Kampmann’s UFC experience prevailing. I see a second- round TKO, but proceed with caution as the price is steep (-350 or more). Lightweights Tyson Griffin (13-2-0) and Hermes Franca (20-7-0) will both go to the Octagon with an arsenal of weapons. This could be the fight of the night, as both have great ground games and underrated striking games. Interestingly, both have lost to Frankie Edgar and Sean Sherk. Griffin has a win over Uriah Faber on his resume, no small task. Franca has a win over current WEC champion, Mike Brown, and has never been submitted! I like this fight. I see it as even, so the bookies generous gift of +200 on Franca puts me on his side. Welterweight UFC dinosaur Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg (19-6-0) makes his return to the Octagon against a younger, quicker, stronger version of himself in Josh Koscheck (14-4-0). Both possess similar skills of strong wrestling and improved striking, and the Vegas oddsmakers have made Koscheck the huge favorite to force Trigg into retirement. But Koscheck’s aggression often gets him into trouble as he tries to stand a punch instead of going to the mat where his strength lies. In an upset that will rock the UFC world, I am playing the value of Trigg at +300 to find a way to get the job done here. I see Trigg gaining a submission win by rear-naked choke in the third round. That completes the main card. Let’s take a brief look at the undercard for potential winners ... Undefeated TUF show product Efrain Escudero (12-0-0) will take on the dangerous Cole “Magrinho” Miller (15-3-0) in a lightweight match of interest. Miller is a gangly 6’1” lightweight known for his choking submissions. At +140 I see value in Miller’s chances of ending the Mexican’s streak. Another triangle choke in the second round will send the UFC Monster to the winner’s window again. It’s Miller time. In what could be the shortest fight of the night, KO specialists Drew “The Massacre” McFedries (8-5-0) will duke it out with fellow middleweight Tomasz “Gorilla” Drwal (16-2-0). This fight could either way, but UFC fans polled have McFedries as an overwhelming favorite, while the line is just -115. With his brutal power, I find a little value in this side, as well. Let’s make a small play on McFedries. Another accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos (11-4-0) will take on UFC journeyman Rob Emerson (10-7-1). Why is Emerson favored? I have no clue. Dos Anjos hits the mat for a body triangle that ends this in the very first round. Lay the –105. Vladimir "The Janitor” Matyushenko (22-4-0) has been around forever having last fought in the UFC in UFC 44! The heavy-handed Croatian will be taking on fellow Croation and Cro Crop protégé, Igor Pokrajac (21-5-0), who is making his UFC debut. A small play on Matyushenko at –270 should get you the cash. He will win by decision. Lightweight Rafaello “Trator” Oliveira (9-1-0) should have little trouble with former University of Minnesota wrestler Nik Lentz (18-3-1). This one ends with an armbar submission in the second round, as Oliveira gets it done at –340. The price is steep, so only a small play is warranted. Light heavyweight Eliot “The Fire” Marshall (7-2-0) opened as a small favorite against Jason “Hitman” Britz (17-1-1). Maybe the gaudy record of Britz has convinced the public to bet on him ... because Marshall now stands as a mild underdog. I think he has the better ground game and a more rounded set of skills. I will play him at –105. Jim Miller (14-2-0) should have little problem submitting Steve Lopez (12-1-0) in a lightweight matchup, but at –600, this bridge jump has no interest to me. No play. Welterweight Rick Story (7-3-0) will battle Brian Foster (14-3-0) in a fight too close to call. Story is the slight favorite at –125, but I will pass on this one as well. So that’s it for UFC 103. In a risky card of underdogs, I’m backing six barking dogs and five favorites ... with two passes. Let’s now take a look at how our fictitious $1000 bankroll breaks down ... Let’s lay $125 to win $162 on Vitor Belfort. Let’s lay $156 to win $120 on Junior Dos Santos. Let’s lay $148 to win $40 on Martin Kampmann. Let’s lay $120 to win $270 on Hermes Franca. Let’s lay $60 to win $180 on Frank Trigg. Let’s lay $50 to win $70 on Cole Miller. Let’s lay $46 to win $40 on Drew McFedries. Let’s lay $105 to win $100 on Rafael Dos Anjos. Let’s lay $54 to win $20 on Vladimir Matyushenko. Let’s lay $68 to win $20 on Rafaello Oliveira. Let’s lay $63 to win $60 on Elliot Marshall. No play on Jim Miller/Steve Lopez. No play on Rick Story/Brian Foster. In total we are risking $995 to win $1082. Let’s give the cocktail waitress the $5 tip and let’s not forget to share the profits with your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow’s champions are born. Enjoy the fights. I know I will. I’ll see you at the winner’s window!