CIRCLE MARK

TOM has learned that Derek White, who was runner-up at the Midlands as a redshirt freshman at 197 pounds a year ago, has left the University of Nebraska. White, who was a highly sought after recruit when he came out of Edmond North High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, spent the past year backing up Aaron Studebaker who returns for his senior season in Lincoln. We have been unable to confirm White’s destination, but it is rumored to be Oklahoma State. White was TOM’s fifth ranked 195-pounder when he came out of high school in 2014 after winning two-state titles and shattering the takedown record at Edmond North, a school that counts Teyon Ware and Charles Jones as alumni. After a solid redshirt year, his freshman campaign was limited due to his backup role, but featured wins over Phil Wellington (Ohio) and Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) while his only losses were to three All-Americans, Brett Harner (Princeton), Nathan Burak (Iowa) and Brett Pfarr (Minnesota). If he does end up suiting

Every sport has a breeding ground for its future stars. In the case of mixed martial arts, the worlds of grappling, kickboxing and amateur wrestling are most likely to spawn the next Demian Maia, Mirko CroCop or Brock Lesnar. Collectively, these sports fall under the umbrella of “combat sports.” Every Wednesday, MMA DieHards reports on the biggest happenings in each of these realms of combat. Grappling & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Gianni Grippo, four-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion With the first Jiu-Jitsu spectacle of 2011 in the books, it’s time to recap what went down at the 2011 E uropean Championships.

Let me be clear, this is not a pound-for-pound ranking. You won’t find Olympic and world champion Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) on this list, despite how incredible he is and the fact that he is a huge favorite to win another NCAA title. This list is all about which NCAA wrestlers will contribute the most, on the mat, to their teams in the coming year. Of course, winning an NCAA title at the end is important. So is dominating throughout the year and putting up as many bonus points as you can along the way. The most valuable wrestlers in the NCAA all have high bonus point rates and are likely to stand on the top of the podium at the end of the year. These are the five most valuable NCAA wrestlers around. 5) Gabe Dean, Senior – Cornell Though he lost his 52-match win streak to Oklahoma State’s Nolan Boyd on February 7th, Dean proved once again he is one of the best at the college level. After a third place finish in 2014, Dean has now won two straight NCAA tournaments at 184 pounds. His ca

The Hindustan Times is reporting that 2012 Olympic gold medalist Toghrul Asgarov (AZE) has also tested positive during re-tests of samples given during that competition and will be stripped of his gold medal.  The report cites a source at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and says the news has not yet been communicated to United World Wrestling (UWW).  If it proves to be true it introduces an interesting question as to who should get the vacated gold medal.  Earlier this week, the 2012 silver medalist at that weight, 60 kg, Besik Kudukhov (RUS) was stripped of his medal after a positive test with Yogeshwar Dutt (IND) promoted to second place.  If Asgarov is stripped of the gold, both Dutt and Coleman Scott (USA) would seem to have equal claim, having won bronze after losing to now disqualified wrestlers. Asgarov also was the runner-up at the 2016 Olympics after beating Frank Molinaro (USA) in the quarters and Frank Chamizo (ITA) in the semi-finals.  Considering the re-testing of