Lesnar-Couture a win for amateur wrestling…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
No matter what happens Saturday night between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, there is one winner: amateur wrestling.
A sport that is not dying but rather is being gutted in the NCAA ranks where programs are dropping like flies.
Saturday night will show everyone that amateur wrestlers are some of the toughest guys not just in sports but the world.
The credentials for Couture and Lesnar speak for themselves. Couture was a three-time NCAA all-American at Oklahoma State and a national runner-up. Lesnar was an NCAA heavyweight champion at Minnesota. There is no false bravado in this one…these guys are legit.
Wherever Lesnar has gone, he’s just been discovered. He was discovered by Minnesota when he was at a JUCO in the Dakotas. After that, it was to the WWE.
“Former OSU wrestler and current WWE official Jerry Brisco and I recruited Brock out of Minnesota as Brock’s coach there J Robinson was a teammate of Brisco’s at OSU,” said Jim Ross, Hall of Fame WWE announcer who worked with Lesnar for three years.
Couture has earned the nickname of “The Natural.” It’s what he is. Not only is he the best at what he does, he is one of the most calm people I’ve ever seen in some of the toughest situations.
As Brazilian jiu-jitsu has slowly become all the rage, it’s good to know there is still room for some solid amateur wrestling.
I hope current and future wrestlers watch this bout and see what is possible. I’d love to see former OU stud Teyon Ware doing something like this. Ware was a freak just as much as Lesnar and Couture are.
However, I still want to see the wrestling. I appreciate the art in the amateur style and am more fan than journalist when covering high school and college matches. I don’t cheer for anybody, but I cheer for the sport. I love it. I don’t want to see HS kids abandon the amateur wrestling and think they can just go to BJJ or striking.
You need a complete package but part of that package is definitely the amateur style. Wrestlers are a different breed (in a good way).
But sadly once the college days are done, we rarely hear from these people again. Former Missouri star Ben Askren is moving to MMA. It’s a natural progression.
Former Gopher champion Cole Konrad helped Lesnar train for this bout. Former Arizona State grapplers C.B. Dollaway and Cain Velasquez are slowly making their mark in the MMA world.
What I’m hoping happens from Saturday’s bout is wrestlers no longer hesitate to go to MMA. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a new career avenue that right now has limitless possibilities.
OSU is certainly taking advantage of it. Shane Roller, Johny Hendricks and Jack Jensen are all involved in some form of MMA. While Jake Rosholt has already worked his way up the ranks to World Extreme Cagefighting (which can be seen regularly on VS.).
This is the future for NCAA stars. And maybe watching two bonafide legends like Couture and Lesnar do battle will help everyone embrace it.
“I’m here to represent amateur wrestling,” Lesnar said last week. I can’t think of two better representatives for the sport.
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