Ed Gallo
Wrestling breakdown: How Gable Steveson dominated #1 ranked legendary heavyweight Taha Akgul
Gable Steveson was always one of the brightest rising stars in American wrestling. He won three age-group World titles and contended for a freestyle World team in 2019 at just 19 years old. However, he was still taking lumps, losing matches to domestic foes like Nick Gwiazdowski and getting shut out by foreign threats like […]
Tokyo Olympic Games – Men’s Freestyle bracket analysis (65 & 97 KG)
Men’s freestyle sessions at the Tokyo Olympic Games have been nothing short of incredible. Otherwordly skills, drama, and feel good stories have made for some of the most meaningful wrestling moments in history. Now it is time for 65 KG and 97 KG to kick off. Check out the bracket analysis for 57 KG and […]
Tokyo Olympic Games – Men’s Freestyle bracket analysis (74 & 125 KG)
After one day of insane men’s freestyle action at the Tokyo Olympic Games, it is time for 74 KG and 125 KG to kick off. Check out the bracket analysis for 57 KG and 86 KG, and the updated results from United World Wrestling. Each day, two weight classes will compete through the semifinals, with […]
Tokyo Olympic Games – Men’s Freestyle bracket analysis (57 & 86 KG)
After several thrilling rounds of Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo Olympic Games, it is finally time for men’s freestyle to kick off. Each day, two weight classes will compete through the semifinals, with the finals taking place the following morning. Check out USA Wrestling’s updates for schedules with American time zones. Make […]
Tokyo Olympic Games – Top men’s freestyle wrestling contenders to win gold
In a way, the Tokyo Olympics will be the first major wrestling championship event since the World Championships in the summer of 2019. COVID-19 kept several major wrestling powers out of a potential 2020 World Championship, resulting in an unofficial “Individual World Cup” tournament in Serbia, which functioned as Worlds last year. Which means this […]
Takedown breakdown: UFC contender Islam Makhachev’s foot sweep
Heralded as the next Dagestani grappler to dominate the UFC’s lightweight division, Islam Makhachev has been mythologized to a degree. When his teammate and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov rose to greatness, many treated his wrestling and grappling ability as magical, unknowable, and unbeatable. The truth of the matter is that while the physical attributes that come […]
Takedown breakdown: How Dustin Poirier grounded Conor McGregor at UFC 257
In any Conor McGregor fight, the former two-weight champion is at his most dangerous when he’s fresh in the early stages of the bout. After being knocked out in the first round in their previous meeting, Dustin Poirier made a special effort to navigate those treacherous waters at UFC 257. Wrestling with McGregor is easier […]
Takedown breakdown: How shoulder strikes can impact cage wrestling (and maybe the UFC 264 main event)
A great deal of the buildup to Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 has revolved around the tactics Poirier utilized to defeat McGregor in their rematch. Ideas such as “wrestling,” “kicking” and “defense” were ridiculed by McGregor, the former two-weight champion has made a point of attempting to shame Poirier for these strategies. Fans on […]
Flyweight prospect Nick Piccininni once pinned three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee
On June 18th, blue-chip wrestling to MMA prospect Nick Piccininni made his pro debut, winning in the first round via rear-naked choke. The New York native and Oklahoma State alum made the logical choice and has been training at American Kickboxing Academy with another former Cowboy, Daniel Cormier. A career 125-pounder, Piccininni shouldn’t have much […]
Takedown breakdown: Movsar Evloev overcomes late adaptation from Hakeem Dawodu
Movsar Evloev vs. Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 263 was a battle for access to the next tier of ranked featherweights. The fight had the potential to be an exciting clash of strikers, given Evloev’s insistence on leading and jabbing in volume, and Dawodu’s skill on the counter. However, some may have been misled about Evloev’s […]
2019 World bronze medalist Zelimkhan Khadjiev announces transition to MMA
In my post-event breakdown of the 2019 Wrestling World Championships, I noted how common it is to see Russians representing other nations and winning medals for their transfer countries. “The Russian delegation (staffed largely by Dagestanis and Ossetians) won six out of ten weights, putting seven in the finals. Russian representatives won medals in nine […]
Takedown breakdown: Andre Petroski wrestled with ease to win first fight of TUF 29
The Ultimate Fighter is back, featuring middleweight and bantamweight tournaments to earn UFC contracts. The two teams are coached by UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, and former title challenger Brian Ortega. At 185 pounds, the eight-man tournament began with a matchup between Team Ortega’s Andre Petroski and Team Volkanovski’s Aaron Phillips. Fighting out of Renzo […]
Takedown breakdown: Former Wyoming wrestlers Meredith and Colgan shine at LFA 108
Slowly but surely, the next generation of American wrestlers are breaking into MMA. You may remember my breakdown on former Purdue wrestler Danny Sabatello – he just took out UFC veteran Brett Johns at Bellator 259. There are other high-profile studs on the horizon, like Oklahoma State great Nick Piccininni, who is set to make […]
Takedown breakdown: Cody Garbrandt’s underrated and underutilized wrestling
After one of the fastest ever rises to a UFC title, Ohio’s Cody Garbrandt is looking to get back on a win streak for the first time since 2016. A fantastic athlete, Garbrandt aggressively boxed his way to his shot at the belt, then put on a disciplined backfoot counter-punching performance against bantamweight great Dominick […]
Wrestling breakdown: How Gregor Gillespie outscrambled Carlos Diego Ferreira
For fans in the know, Gregor Gillespie vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira was the most anticipated fight of the night in last weekend’s UFC Vegas 26 Fight Night event. Sometimes when two strong grapplers match-up, they prefer to keep the fight standing. But when the four-time All-American and one-time NCAA champion collided with a BJJ black […]
Wrestling breakdown: Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov upsets Salkazanov to become an Olympian
To compete as a wrestler in the Tokyo Olympic Games, it is not enough just to “make the team”. In men’s freestyle, only 16 spots are allocated per weight class, meaning there is a qualification process that narrows down the field. The first qualification event was the 2019 World Championships in Kazakhstan – the top […]
Takedown breakdown: Cub Swanson’s head-and-arm throw
MMA veteran and fan favorite Cub Swanson returns to action this weekend at UFC Vegas 25, against the Georgian striker, Giga Chikadze. While Swanson has done most of his work as a striker, there was a time when transitional takedowns from upper body positions were one of the highlights of his game. Who could forget […]
Takedown breakdown: How Robert Whittaker rag-dolled Kelvin Gastelum
Since losing his UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya, fan-favorite Robert Whittaker has re-positioned himself for a rematch with the champ on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. Heading into what would become Whittaker’s latest victory, interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum didn’t seem to pose any serious threats to Whittaker in terms of skills. […]
Wrestling breakdown: How Jordan Oliver shut down Joey McKenna to win the US Olympic Trials
A two-time NCAA champion and three-time NCAA finalist, Easton’s Jordan Oliver was expected to rise to the top of the domestic freestyle rankings in the US in short order. Sure enough, in his first official season as a senior level freestyler, Oliver placed third at the 2013 World Team Trials to make his first national […]
Reflections on the 2021 USA Wrestling Olympic Team Trials
After two days of the highest-stakes and highest-level wrestling in the United States, 18 Tokyo Olympic team members were crowned across three styles. There was an abundance of drama on and off the mat, breakout performances, technical intrigue, and genuine heartbreak. NBC Sports has not yet archived the vast majority of the matches from the […]
USA Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team Trials – 125 kg Preview
With the USA men’s freestyle Olympic Team Trials coming up this weekend, I’ll be taking a look at the field per each weight class to lay out the title picture. I focused on results from the past two years, as a lot can change in wrestling over a short period of time. USA Men’s Freestyle […]
USA Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team Trials – 97 kg Preview
With the USA men’s freestyle Olympic Team Trials coming up this weekend, I’ll be taking a look at the field per each weight class to lay out the title picture. I focused on results from the past two years, as a lot can change in wrestling over a short period of time. USA Men’s Freestyle […]
USA Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team Trials – 86 kg Preview
With the USA men’s freestyle Olympic Team Trials coming up this weekend, I’ll be taking a look at the field per each weight class to lay out the title picture. I focused on results from the past two years, as a lot can change in wrestling over a short period of time. USA Men’s Freestyle […]
USA Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team Trials – 74 kg Preview
With the USA men’s freestyle Olympic Team Trials coming up this weekend, I’ll be taking a look at the field per each weight class to lay out the title picture. I focused on results from the past two years, as a lot can change in wrestling over a short period of time. USA Men’s Freestyle […]
USA Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team Trials – 65 kg Preview
With the USA men’s freestyle Olympic Team Trials coming up this weekend, I’ll be taking a look at the field per each weight class to lay out the title picture. I focused on results from the past two years, as a lot can change in wrestling over a short period of time. USA Men’s Freestyle […]
USA Men’s Freestyle Olympic Team Trials – 57 kg Preview
With the USA men’s freestyle Olympic Team Trials coming up this weekend, I’ll be taking a look at the field per each weight class to lay out the title picture. I focused on results from the past two years, as a lot can change in wrestling over a short period of time. USA Men’s Freestyle […]
No ACLs required: How Spencer Lee cruised to his third NCAA wrestling title
Pennsylvania native Spencer Lee was a heavy favorite to win his third NCAA Division 1 title this season at 125 pounds. His reign of terror began way back in 2014 when he won his first Cadet World Championship, followed by two Junior World gold medals in 2015 and 2016. I broke down his gutsy performance […]
Wrestling breakdown: Gable Steveson set to cement his status as USA’s top heavyweight
The RTC Cup men’s freestyle tournament in December was a changing of the guard for the United States at heavyweight. Long-time World representative and two-time medalist Nick Gwiazdowski was tested by two young phenoms, Gable Steveson and Mason Parris. He split matches with Parris, his win coming as a dramatic comeback after going down big, […]
Wrestling breakdown: How Petr Yan turned the tables on Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Last week I posed the question, “What can we learn from Petr Yan’s fights vs. Magomed Magomedov?” I demonstrated the depth of Yan’s defensive wrestling game and pointed to the factors that would work in Yan’s favor in his upcoming fight vs. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. I suggested that some of Yan’s “bad” looks […]
UFC 259 Wrestling breakdown: What we can learn from Petr Yan vs. Magomed Magomedov
The upcoming UFC bantamweight title bout between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling is one of the best possible matchups available in MMA today. Both men are riding impressive winning streaks, each is the best in the division at their respective strength, and the long-term buildup has developed tension and friction between them. At UFC 259, […]