UFC 233 News:
Ben Askren opens with news of his recently announced debut fight in the UFC against Robbie Lawler. The fight will be on January 26 at UFC 233 in Anaheim, California. Lawler is a former UFC Welterweight Champion. He has a career 28-12 record. Robbie has been fighting since he finished high school. While Askren is excited for the fight, he is also a little disappointed. Ben states he actually likes Robbie Lawler and would rather fight someone he could happily trash talk and generate some excitement over. He also notes that due to Lawler’s background with wrestling, it should be an interesting fight because Lawler is known to be one of the best take down defenders in the UFC.
There will be differences in Askren’s preparation as a professional fighter leading up to UFC 233. Preparation will be different than it was as a college and Olympic wrestler. Askren discusses how many coaches and sparring partners he plans to bring. Ben will also discuss how he will handle weight cutting and rehydration as a professional fighter.
Rule Clarification:
The conversation turns towards wrestling, but the duo first has to clarify a mistake from the previous podcast. On the episode #6 of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast, the hands to the face rule was rather ambiguous. Previously, they stated it could and had been called from any position. But, after speaking to multiple coaches and officials it should only be called from the neutral position. While they admit their fault, there were multiple calls made in non-neutral positions in the first weekend of collegiate competition. This made the rule unclear and up to discretion.
Wisconsin Vs. Buffalo:
Wisconsin VS. Buffalo, the first dual meet of the season and head coach Chris Bono’s debut at match at Wisconsin. The Badgers came out strong with a 25-12 victory over Buffalo. Buffalo put up a good fight in the lower and middle weights with an impressive and unexpected showing from senior, Alex Smythe. Smythe made an impressive turn around after barely winning half of his matches last season. Despite a solid performance from Buffalo, Wisconsin’s 285lb, Trent Hillger, secured the dual. With a win over 2x national qualifier Jake Gunning, Hillger has solidified is position on the collegiate wrestling scene.
Mizzou Vs Illinois:
The Harold Nichols Cyclone Open is briefly touched on. Which was, unfortunately, not recorded and isn’t available to be viewed online. Our next topic of discussion will be Mizzou and Brian Smith’s recent and continued improvement. Missouri’s first dual against Illinois ended in a 30-8 victory for the Tigers. The event was held outside at the first ever “Grapple at the Grove” in Champaign, Illinois. While the setting was unique and sounds like a good idea, the execution wasn’t there and seemed uncomfortable for everyone involved. There is heavy debate over the match between No. 3 nationally ranked Jayden Eierman and No 8. nationally ranked Mike Carr. This was definitely the matchup to watch from the Missouri Illinois dual.
Oklahoma State Roster:
As time expires, the final discussions turn towards the future lineup of Oklahoma State. Ben believes Oklahoma has a disaster on their hands. He says they have an abundance of high level wrestlers and not enough spots in a lineup. With nearly every man on their roster ranked in the top 10. The way the lineup will fall into place will be very interesting as the year continues.
Show Timestamps:
- 0:00 Ben announces his fight at UFC 233
- 5:00 Ben’s Fight preparations
- 13:35 Wisconsin Vs Buffalo
- 26:47 Mizzou Vs Illinois
- 38:17 Oklahoma’s trouble figuring out their lineup
Where to find the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast
The RUDIS Wrestling Podcast is hosted by Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan. Ben Askren is a World Champion and Olympic wrestler. He joins RUDIS from the T-Row & Funky Show in an official partnership as a content provider for all things RUDIS. Matt Dernlan joins from a D1 college coaching background. Also from a family of roots grounded in Ohio wrestling with a collective 10 state titles on the shelf.
