Wrestlers Getting It Done In The Cage
Wrestlers Getting It Done In The Cage
Wrestlers Getting It Done In The Cage
Willie Saylor, Editor
Wrestling was on full display to a national audience Saturday night. UFC banners read 'Keep Olympic Wrestling,' and Oklahoma State's National Champion, Mark Munoz wore a shirt with the same message. Chris Weidman sported a USA Wrestling logo tattooed on his back.
And to top it off, wrestlers posted an undefeated 3-0 record on the main card as Frankie Edgar and Munoz dominated before Weidman sent the eyes of UFC most accomplished fighter, Anderson Silva, rolling back in his head after a crushing left hook.
Below is a list of wrestlers currently on the UFC ladders. And remember, this doesn't include guys that fight in other organizations like Ben Askren, who at 8-0 is the undefeated Welterweight Champion in Bellator.
*All rankings are a product of the UFC Voting Panel
Demetrious Johnson, Parkland, WA - Flyweight Champion
- State Runner-Up, State 3rd
Joseph Benavides, Las Cruces, NM - #1 Flyweight
- State Champion
- Wrestled at William Penn (IA) College
John Dodson, Albuquerque, NM - #2 Flyweight
- 2x State Champion, State Runner-Up
Ian McCall, Dana Point, CA - #3 Flyweight
- Wrestled at Cuesta (CA) College
John Moraga, Phoenix, AZ - #4 Flyweight
- Wrestled at Arizona State
Tim Elliott, Wichita, KS - #10 Flyweight
- State Champion
- Wrestled at Labette and Central Oklahoma
Urijah Faber, Isla Vista, CA - #2 Bantamweight
- High School wrestler
Eddie Wineland, Houston, TX - #4 Bantamweight
- High School wrestler
Scott Jorgensen, Boise, ID - #7 Bantamweight
- 3x Pac-10 Champion for Boise State
TJ Dillashaw, Sonora, CA - #9 Bantamweight
- State 5th
- 4-year Starter for UC-Fullerton
Chad Mendes, Hanford, CA - #1 Featherweight
- 3x State Placer: 3rd, 5th, 8th
- NCAA Runner-Up to J. Jaggers in 2008 for Cal Poly
- 2006 NCAA 6th
Ricardo Lamas, Chicago, IL - #2 Featherweight
- 100 Match Winner for DIII Elmhurst
- DIII All American
Frankie Edgar, Toms River, NJ - #3 Featherweight
- State Runner-Up, State 5th
- 4x NCAA Qualifier for Clarion
Clay Guida, Round Lake, IL - #8 Featherweight
- HS Wrestler
- Member of the 2001 Harper College JUCO Team Champs
Nik Lentz, Bloomington, MN - #9 Featherweight
- State Champion
Benson Henderson, Colorado Springs, CO - Lightweight Champion
- Wrestled at Decatur (WA) HS
- 2x NAIA All American at Dana (NE) College
Gilbert Melendez, Santa Ana, CA - #1 Lightweight
- HS Wrestler
Gray Maynard, Lakewood, OH - #5 Lightweight
- State Champion, State Runner-Up
- 106 wins at Michigan St.
- 3x All American: 7th, 7th, 8th
Jim Miller, Sparta, NJ - #8 Lightweight
- HS Wrestler
- Wrestled 1 year at Virginia Tech
Pat Healy, Salem, OR - #9 Lightweight
- HS Wrestler
- Wrestled at SIU-Edwardsville
Georges St. Pierre, Quebec, CAN - Welterweight Champion
- Wrestled in High School
Johny Hendricks, Edmond, OK - #1 Welterweight
- 3x State Champion
- 3x NCAA Finalist For Oklahoma State
- 2x NCAA Champion
- 4x NCAA All American
Jake Ellenberger, Omaha, NE - #4 Welterweight
- Wrestled at Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha
Josh Koscheck, Hempfield, PA - #10 Welterweight
- State Champion
- NCAA Champion for Edinboro
- 4x NCAA All American: 4th, 2nd, 1st, 3rd
Chris Weidman, Baldwin, NY - Middleweight Champion
- State Champion
- 2x NCAA All American at Hofstra
Mark Munoz, Vallejo, CA - #8 Middleweight
- 2x State Champion
- 2001 NCAA Champion for Oklahoma State
Chael Sonnen, Milwaukie, OR - #9 Middleweight
- State Champion
- NCAA All American for Oregon
- 2000 University World Silver Medalist
Tim Boetsch, Lincolnville, ME - #10 Middleweight
- 4x State Champion
- Wrestled at Lock Haven
Jon Bones Jones, Rochester, NY - Light Heavyweight Champion
- State Champion
- Junior College National Champion for Iowa Central
Rashad Evans, Niagara Falls, NY - #4 Light Heavyweight
- 2x State Placer: 4th, 4th
- 2x JUCO All American: Champ, 4th
- 2x NCAA Qualifier for Michigan State
Dan Henderson, Apple Valley, CA - #6 Light Heavyweight
- 2x State Placer
- NCAA Qualifier for Arizona St.
- 2x Greco Roman Olympian
Phil Davis, Harrisburg, PA - #8 Light Heavyweight
- State Placer
- NCAA Champion for Penn State
- 4x NCAA All American
Ryan Bader, Reno, NV - #10 Light Heavyweight
- 2x State Champion
- 3x Pac-10 Champion for Arizona State
- 2x All American: 4th, 7th
Cain Velasquez, Yuma, AZ - Heavyweight Champion
- 2x State Champion
- JUCO National Champion for Iowa Central
- 2x NCAA All American: 4th, 5th
Daniel Cormier, Lafayette, LA - #2 Heavyweight
- 3x State Champion
- 2x JUCO National Champion for Colby
- NCAA Runner-Up for Oklahoma State
Willie Saylor, Editor
Wrestling was on full display to a national audience Saturday night. UFC banners read 'Keep Olympic Wrestling,' and Oklahoma State's National Champion, Mark Munoz wore a shirt with the same message. Chris Weidman sported a USA Wrestling logo tattooed on his back.
And to top it off, wrestlers posted an undefeated 3-0 record on the main card as Frankie Edgar and Munoz dominated before Weidman sent the eyes of UFC most accomplished fighter, Anderson Silva, rolling back in his head after a crushing left hook.
Below is a list of wrestlers currently on the UFC ladders. And remember, this doesn't include guys that fight in other organizations like Ben Askren, who at 8-0 is the undefeated Welterweight Champion in Bellator.
*All rankings are a product of the UFC Voting Panel
Demetrious Johnson, Parkland, WA - Flyweight Champion
- State Runner-Up, State 3rd
Joseph Benavides, Las Cruces, NM - #1 Flyweight
- State Champion
- Wrestled at William Penn (IA) College
John Dodson, Albuquerque, NM - #2 Flyweight
- 2x State Champion, State Runner-Up
Ian McCall, Dana Point, CA - #3 Flyweight
- Wrestled at Cuesta (CA) College
John Moraga, Phoenix, AZ - #4 Flyweight
- Wrestled at Arizona State
Tim Elliott, Wichita, KS - #10 Flyweight
- State Champion
- Wrestled at Labette and Central Oklahoma
Urijah Faber, Isla Vista, CA - #2 Bantamweight
- High School wrestler
Eddie Wineland, Houston, TX - #4 Bantamweight
- High School wrestler
Scott Jorgensen, Boise, ID - #7 Bantamweight
- 3x Pac-10 Champion for Boise State
TJ Dillashaw, Sonora, CA - #9 Bantamweight
- State 5th
- 4-year Starter for UC-Fullerton
Chad Mendes, Hanford, CA - #1 Featherweight
- 3x State Placer: 3rd, 5th, 8th
- NCAA Runner-Up to J. Jaggers in 2008 for Cal Poly
- 2006 NCAA 6th
Ricardo Lamas, Chicago, IL - #2 Featherweight
- 100 Match Winner for DIII Elmhurst
- DIII All American
Frankie Edgar, Toms River, NJ - #3 Featherweight
- State Runner-Up, State 5th
- 4x NCAA Qualifier for Clarion
Clay Guida, Round Lake, IL - #8 Featherweight
- HS Wrestler
- Member of the 2001 Harper College JUCO Team Champs
Nik Lentz, Bloomington, MN - #9 Featherweight
- State Champion
Benson Henderson, Colorado Springs, CO - Lightweight Champion
- Wrestled at Decatur (WA) HS
- 2x NAIA All American at Dana (NE) College
Gilbert Melendez, Santa Ana, CA - #1 Lightweight
- HS Wrestler
Gray Maynard, Lakewood, OH - #5 Lightweight
- State Champion, State Runner-Up
- 106 wins at Michigan St.
- 3x All American: 7th, 7th, 8th
Jim Miller, Sparta, NJ - #8 Lightweight
- HS Wrestler
- Wrestled 1 year at Virginia Tech
Pat Healy, Salem, OR - #9 Lightweight
- HS Wrestler
- Wrestled at SIU-Edwardsville
Georges St. Pierre, Quebec, CAN - Welterweight Champion
- Wrestled in High School
Johny Hendricks, Edmond, OK - #1 Welterweight
- 3x State Champion
- 3x NCAA Finalist For Oklahoma State
- 2x NCAA Champion
- 4x NCAA All American
Jake Ellenberger, Omaha, NE - #4 Welterweight
- Wrestled at Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha
Josh Koscheck, Hempfield, PA - #10 Welterweight
- State Champion
- NCAA Champion for Edinboro
- 4x NCAA All American: 4th, 2nd, 1st, 3rd
Chris Weidman, Baldwin, NY - Middleweight Champion
- State Champion
- 2x NCAA All American at Hofstra
Mark Munoz, Vallejo, CA - #8 Middleweight
- 2x State Champion
- 2001 NCAA Champion for Oklahoma State
Chael Sonnen, Milwaukie, OR - #9 Middleweight
- State Champion
- NCAA All American for Oregon
- 2000 University World Silver Medalist
Tim Boetsch, Lincolnville, ME - #10 Middleweight
- 4x State Champion
- Wrestled at Lock Haven
Jon Bones Jones, Rochester, NY - Light Heavyweight Champion
- State Champion
- Junior College National Champion for Iowa Central
Rashad Evans, Niagara Falls, NY - #4 Light Heavyweight
- 2x State Placer: 4th, 4th
- 2x JUCO All American: Champ, 4th
- 2x NCAA Qualifier for Michigan State
Dan Henderson, Apple Valley, CA - #6 Light Heavyweight
- 2x State Placer
- NCAA Qualifier for Arizona St.
- 2x Greco Roman Olympian
Phil Davis, Harrisburg, PA - #8 Light Heavyweight
- State Placer
- NCAA Champion for Penn State
- 4x NCAA All American
Ryan Bader, Reno, NV - #10 Light Heavyweight
- 2x State Champion
- 3x Pac-10 Champion for Arizona State
- 2x All American: 4th, 7th
Cain Velasquez, Yuma, AZ - Heavyweight Champion
- 2x State Champion
- JUCO National Champion for Iowa Central
- 2x NCAA All American: 4th, 5th
Daniel Cormier, Lafayette, LA - #2 Heavyweight
- 3x State Champion
- 2x JUCO National Champion for Colby
- NCAA Runner-Up for Oklahoma State