No. 2 Blair Academy routed No. 4 St. Edward, 39-15, this weekend at the 2011 St. Edward Super Quad in Lakewood, OH.

With several hundred fans in attendance for a rare home event against top opponents, St. Edward had a chance to build early momentum against Blair Academy.  The dual started at 140 pounds, and the Eagles’ upper weights are their teams strength.  Blair freshman, 145 lb. Dylan Milonas caught St. Edward junior state qualifier Matt VanCuren in the first period and pinned him in 1:12, as Blair took a 9-0 lead.

“That was a big match that could go either way,” Blair coach Jeff Buxton said. “It was a big boost for our team. It gave us some momentum, because they knew from 103 to 135 pounds, we’ve got a heck of a lineup.”

The meet was tied, 15-15, after the heavyweight match, which paired Fargo, N.D., champs Greg Kuhar of St. Edward (junior national champ) and Brooks Black of Blair (cadet champ).  Black won, 5-0, on a takedown and three escapes, which began a string of seven straight Blair match wins to take the highly-anticipated dual meet, 39-15.

St. Edward won its first two duals handily, defeating No. 7 Wyoming Seminary (PA), 43-16, and Kiski Prep, 64-9.

We have all our starters coming back next year.  We’ll be better next year.  I think we’re going to be national champs next year.  We’re really good right now and we’re only getting better.”

Jacob Davis, St. Edward (171 lbs)

To continue reading article: Eagles find silver lining in lopsided wrestling loss, by: Tim Warsinskey, Plain Dealer Reporter @ Cleveland.com

Videos from the 2011 Super Quad are available on Videos.HSWrestling.Net under the heading Blair Academy vs. St. Edward.

Morris County, sparked by three falls, including a pin from Boonton’s state-place winner Eric Fajardo, defeated Sussex County, 30-19, at the second Sussex–Morris All Star meet Friday night at Kittatinny in Hampton.

The event featured seven current Morris County Tournament champions and five 2011 Hunterdon/Sussex/Warren champions along with four region champions and five state place winners, including two-time state champion Nick Francavilla of High Point, from 2010.

Francavilla’s bout at 130 pounds with Montville’s Mike Polizzi was delayed until right before the heavyweight match as a dual meet with Mount Olive caused High Point to not arrive until after the match had already started — but it was worth the wait.

For story by By Donald J. Brower

Box Score results

Four Toledo area wrestlers are predicted to win state championships this season by wrestling guru Brian Brakeman, whose 40th annual state tournament forecast was published Wednesday.

Those expected to win titles in Columbus on March 5 are the Division II Oak Harbor duo of Ian Miller (152) and Jake Cramer (171); and in D-III, Genoa’s Felipe Martinez (152) and Swanton’s Mimmo Lytle (285).

Oak Harbor is picked to be runner-up to St. Paris Graham for the third time in four years.  Graham, one of the nation’s premier programs, has won the last 10 D-II titles and is expected to capture No. 11 overwhelmingly.

Also expected to do well for Oak Harbor are Tyler Hackworth (seventh, 125), Alex Bergman (sixth, 140), and Konner Witt (second, 160).

Brakeman said of the Oak Harbor:  “It seems that every year they have a great trio of wrestlers, and this year is no exception.  Ian Miller will have a tough struggle with Matt Stephens of St. Paris Graham, while Witt and Cramer may not even be most people’s favorite.   Add in Bergman, and maybe Hackworth, and that should get you 80 points.”

For more of Brakeman’s predictions at toledoblade.com click here

University of Nebraska wrestler Jacob Klein had a tough road ahead of him in the early spring of 2004. To advance in the national tournament, he had to beat three wrestlers who defeated him earlier in the year. Klein pulled off the unlikely and defeated all three. For that, he garnered an All-American honor as a sophomore.

Michael Greenfield, University of Nebraska’s wrestling strength and conditioning coach, helped facilitate Klein’s transformation. “He beat three guys who he had lost to earlier in the season to become an All-American just by getting himself into better shape and getting himself ready for the end of the year,” Greenfield says. “Now, he is an All-American and ranked third or fourth in the country at 165 pounds.”

If you go out for a run and get your heart rate up to 140 beats per minute, and it stays the same the whole time, it is not very similar to a wrestling match.

Michael Greenfield

Dramatic improvements such as Klein’s, from the beginning to the end of one season, highlight the effectiveness of great conditioning. Greenfield, who is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, developed a conditioning program for Nebraska wrestlers that can produce transformations like Klein’s.

Increasing the anaerobic threshold of a wrestler is the goal of the Huskers’ conditioning program. Greenfield explains, “Anaerobic means without oxygen and aerobic means with oxygen.” Anaerobic training generally consists of short, intense bursts of exercise, while aerobic training is steady and drawn out over a longer period. For example, sprinting is anaerobic training and distance running is aerobic.

“If you go out for a run and get your heart rate up to 140 beats per minute, and it stays the same the whole time, it is not very similar to a wrestling match,” he explains. With this in mind, the Huskers mostly condition with short, intense intervals of work followed by a recovery period to simulate the effect of a match on a wrestler’s cardiovascular system. Greenfield says that during a match, a wrestler’s heart rate starts at a resting state, maybe 85 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). But from there, the heart rate can spike to about 160 bpm, drop back down to 140 during recovery and then jump up to 172. “So, it is important to try and mimic that same idea with your conditioning drills,” Greenfield says.

Anaerobic means without oxygen and aerobic means with oxygen.

Michael Greenfield

Although anaerobic in nature, a great aerobic workout results as well, he says. “When you are recovering, you are also taking in oxygen and your heart rate is up.”

Following is a list of drills the Huskers use to get heart rates up and take opponents down.

Tapeline Drill

The Huskers perform this drill in the wrestling room over the length of two mats or seven tapelines (including the far wall), each about 15 feet apart. Starting at one end, the wrestlers sprint to the first tapeline, touch it and then sprint back to the starting line and touch it. They follow this pattern for each tapeline over the entire length of the room.

Greenfield strongly encourages using the Huskers’ method of recovery for this drill, which is a 3:1 time ratio. For example, if it takes a minute to a minute and a half to complete the length of the mats, the team rests for 3 to 4 minutes before the next rep.

“If you shorten the recovery, then you start to work the aerobic system and that is not what we are trying to train,” Greenfield says. “We are trying to work the anaerobic system, and without the appropriate rest, you will not get the proper quality of the drill.”

The Huskers perform 4 to 6 reps of this drill. If there is only one mat in the wrestling room, run the length of the mat twice to constitute one rep.

Coaching point: Greenfield’s wrestlers perform a hand touch on each line. “It makes it a good change of direction drill because they will have to flex their knees as though they were wrestling,” he explains.

Stance and Motion Drill

Sometimes referred to as phantom or shadow wrestling, this drill simulates having an imaginary opponent.

Greenfield’s wrestlers get into a solid wrestling stance with knees bent and hands in front. Then, they shuffle in all directions. While in that stance and moving, Greenfield calls “shot” or “sprawl.” When he calls shot, the wrestlers take a double-leg or high crotch shot (wrestler’s preference) at the imaginary opponent. When Greenfield calls sprawl, the wrestlers sprawl back as though avoiding a shot. Greenfield continues this drill for 1 to 2 minutes as he calls about 15 shots and sprawls each. The Huskers perform 10 reps of the drill with an approximate 3:1 recovery ratio.

Coaching point: Greenfield emphasizes the three keys to this drill: Get back into stance as quickly as possible after the movement, move the feet as fast as possible and remain in stance for as long as possible.

Foot Speed Circuit

“When you are tired in a match, the reason you get taken down is because you are not moving your feet,” Greenfield says. So, to keep the Huskers off their backs, Greenfield works on foot speed for an extended period of conditioning. All the drills are performed over a tapeline. The wrestlers go through a circuit, performing each drill for 30 to 45 seconds and resting for 45 seconds to a minute. Perform as many repetitions as possible during the allotted time. When anaerobic threshold increases, add 2 to 3 sets of knee-ups at the end of the circuit to increase difficulty.

• Lateral Hops—Hop side to side over the line with the feet together.
• Front to Back Hops—With feet together, hop forward and backward over the line.
• Foot Fires—Chop feet in place as fast as possible.
• Knee-Ups—Jumping as high as possible, bring the knees to the chest. Repeat immediately upon landing.
• Right Leg Lateral Hops—Hop using only the right foot.
• Right Leg Front to Back Hops—Hop using only the right foot.
• Left Leg Lateral Hops—Hop using only the left foot.
• Left Leg Front to Back Hops—Hop using only the left foot.

Coaching point: Keep track of how many you perform to gauge effort and improvement over time.

The Breakdown

The Huskers condition at the end of every practice, five days a week. Greenfield advises against having practice, conditioning and weight training lumped together. “Your body fatigues and you don’t get the same out of the lifting that you need to,” he says. Consequently, the Huskers weight train in the morning then practice and condition in the afternoon.

To ensure the wrestlers get the best possible conditioning results, the reps and numbers in the program change a few times throughout the year. Greenfield breaks the year into three parts: preseason, competition season and postseason. He explains, “Our training is set up where our conditioning is going to be heavy-ended in the preseason. We are going to anaerobically train our bodies.”

During the intense conditioning stage, the wrestlers perform drills and live wrestling. Once wrestlers are anaerobically prepared for competition, Greenfield cuts back on conditioning and increases the live wrestling time. Toward the end of the year, Greenfield cuts the wrestling back and ups the conditioning again. He does this “to get their bodies healthy and keep them off the mat to prevent them from getting strained elbows, bad fingers, poked eyes and all that stuff.” During this time, the wrestlers focus on technique and conditioning rather than live wrestling.

Because he is more concerned with quality than quantity, Greenfield uses minutes rather than sets to establish the program’s routine. In preseason, the Huskers spend about 30 minutes on conditioning and 10 minutes on live wrestling. Once the competition begins, they perform 15 minutes of conditioning and 25 minutes of wrestling. The Huskers go back to 30 minutes of conditioning and 10 minutes of wrestling in the weeks leading to the Big 12 and national championships. This is all in addition to warm-up, drilling and instructional portions of practice.

Although Nebraska conditions every day after practice, Greenfield explains that what or how many drills are done a day depends on how many minutes of conditioning are required for the day. On a light day, the Huskers might do one conditioning drill; during a heavy phase, Greenfield might combine two drills to fill the extended time. During the off-season, Nebraska combines aerobic conditioning in the form of distance running with weight training and voluntary mat time to increase wrestling skills.

- Josh Staph

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A featherweight bout between Raphael Assuncao and L.C. Davis is in the works for November's WEC 52 event.

Assuncao Tweeted news of the bout earlier today. A source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com verbal agreements are in place but that bout agreements haven't been signed.

WEC 52 takes place place Nov. 11 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Earlier today it was announced that Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) would be replacing Vitor Belfort (9-8) at the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Germany. Marquardt will square off against Japanese fighter Yushin Okami (25-5) at UFC 122 on Nov. 13.

Rumors swirled as to why Belfort was replaced on the card, and UFC president Dana White broke the news on his Twitter site.

Vitor is not injured. He is going to fight anderson for the title and the winner of marquart and okami are next.

Speculation is that the title bout between Belfort and Champion Anderson Silva (27-4) will go down on Jan. 1st in Las Vegas in the headliner for UFC 125.

MMAjunkie.com talked with Belfort’s manager, Fabiano Farah, about the title bout “We shall immediately sign the contract for the bout once the date is confirmed.”

Belfort has won his last five fights including his last bout, a 195 pound catchweight fight against Rich Franklin. Belfort has fought from heavyweight to middleweight throughout his career. Silva defended his title for the seventh straight time, earning a submission victory after being dominated by Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.

No word on whether the bout between Marquardt vs. Okami would remain a top contender fight. UFC 122 takes place on Nov. 13 at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. The event will air on same-day tape delay on Spike TV.

Marquardt is coming off a first round TKO win last week over Rousimar Palhares at the UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares event in Austin, Texas. The win helped Marquardt bounce back from a #1 contender loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109. Okami, meanwhile has won his last two with wins over Mark Muñoz and Lucio Linhares. The Japanese fighter has gone 5-1 in his last six since losing a #1 middleweight contender bout to Rich Franklin at UFC 72.

Satoshi Ishii makes his DREAM debut and meets veteran Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa at this weekend's DREAM.16 event, officials today announced.

The surprise booking is an open-weight bout, though Ishii, a judo gold medalist in the 2008 Summer Olympics, likely will have a nearly 30-pound advantage.

DREAM.16 takes place Sept. 25 at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. The event airs on HDNet in North America early Saturday morning (2 a.m. ET).

London, England – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organisation returns to Germany on November 13 when UFC 122 emanates from König-Pilsener-Arena in Oberhausen.

In the high-stakes main event, mixed martial arts legend Vitor ‘the Phenom’ Belfort will face Japanese powerhouse Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami in a three-round contest to determine who will challenge for the UFC Middleweight Championship in 2011.

UFC 122 is the first UFC event to take place in Germany since the world’s premier combat sports organisation made its mainland Europe debut in Cologne last June.

UFC Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik said: “We are glad to be coming back to Germany with UFC 122 and to reward our loyal UFC fans in Germany. Both Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami are one win away from a shot at the UFC Middleweight Title and are coming to Germany with a great deal to win and lose. This is a sporting event with tremendous international significance, and we are delighted to have been able to bring this event to Oberhausen.”

Marek Lieberberg of MLK, the UFC’s promotional partner in Germany, said: “We are excited to bring the world’s most popular combat sport back to Germany, following our great event last summer. Mr Belfort and Mr Okami are two of the greatest martial artists in the world and this is an excellent main event attraction. Vitor holds a black belt in judo as well as jiu-jitsu and has competed as a professional boxer while Yushin is an outstanding martial artist in his own right.”

Tickets for UFC 122 are priced at €225, €145, €85, €65 and €45 and will be available on Monday, September 20 to UFC Fight Club members from Tuesday 21 to UFC and MLK Newsletter subscribers and to the general public from Wednesday 22 September. Tickets will be available from eventim.de, the arena box office and Bundesweite Ticket Hotline: 01805 – 570 000.

Please note tickets are only available to over 18s, and that ID will be checked at the arena on the night.

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort, 19-8 a career which began in 1996, has earned his reputation as one of the greats in his sport. The 33-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has spent a decade and a half travelling the world and defeating a who’s who of mixed martial arts; ‘The Phenom’ holds wins over the likes of Tank Abbott, Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba, Randy Couture, and Matt Lindland, and he most recently stopped Rich Franklin in just three minutes.

Rightly considered a pioneer of MMA, Belfort believes he is also the future of the 185lbs middleweight division, and knows victory in Germany will put him in striking distance of becoming only the third man to ever win UFC world titles in two different weight divisions.

“It is a joy to go to other parts of the world and fight for fans there,” said Belfort. “I am here to regain my legacy as one of the best fighters in the world. I’ve accomplished so many things in my career, but I am always happy to be in the gym and working on getting better.

“The German fans will see a 100% performance from me against Okami. I am looking for the knockout, I always look for the knockout. I know Okami is the type of guy who can bang a little and also has that judo style, but I am on a mission to be the UFC Champion once again.”

Obe of the most feared fighters in the middleweight division since his UFC debut win over Alan Belcher four years ago, Kanagawa, Japan, native Yushin Okami, 26-5 in MMA, is finally in a position to force his way into title contention. ‘Thunder’ already holds victories over Mike Swick, Evan Tanner, Dean Lister and most recently Mark Munoz, and he knows a win over an icon like Belfort will cement his status at the top contender at 185lbs.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to fight a great like Vitor Belfort in the main event of a big card,” said Okami. “Vitor Belfort is still kind of my idol, so I am very excited. He will bring out the very best in me. Belfort is a great fighter but I feel I have certain advantages I can use in the fight. I will shock MMA fans around the world with my performance.”

Further bouts for UFC 122 will be announced shortly.

PRESS RELEASE / CHICAGO, Ill. (September 17, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the Local Feature Fights for Bellator 30 taking place in Louisville, KY at Fourth Street Live! on September 23rd. Headlining the local main event is well-rounded Louisville favorite John Troyer (10-6) facing off against undefeated Richmond-native Josh Clark (3-0) in a middleweight fight.

In the local co-main event of the evening, two undefeated Louisville-based heavyweights go to war when massive knockout artist Ron “The Monster” Sparks (5-0) collides with ground-and-pound specialist Greg Maynard (2-0). Standing at 6’5” and tipping the scales near the 265 pound weight limit, Sparks has been known for ending his fights early with 4 (T)KO’s to his credit in 5 professional outings.

Additionally, two more Louisville-based fighters clash when undefeated Thomas “TJ” Barber (3-0) takes on B.J. Ferguson (5-2) in fast-paced Featherweight action.

Louisville’s Mike “The Crazii Cajun” Fleniken (3-2) will be looking for payback after suffering a loss in his prior Bellator appearance when he faces off against undefeated up-and-comer Jeremiah Riggs (1-0) in a middleweight match-up.

Rounding out the card will be Stoney “The Skuller” Hale (3-1) fighting Louisville product Mike O’ Donnell (2-2). Hale is no stranger to Bellator action, recording an impressive submission victory over Mike Fleniken in his previous outing at Bellator 23.

“Our last event at Fourth Street Live! was a huge success, so it was a no brainer to make a trip back to Louisville,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We have a great local card to go along with a stacked main card. Our goal here is to over-deliver for the great fans in Louisville.”

Bellator 30’s main card includes:

* A Bellator Special Feature Fight between Season 2 Middleweight Tournament finalist Bryan “The Beast” Baker (10-2) and battle-tested UFC and PRIDE veteran Jeremy Horn (85-19-5), who brings more than a hundred fight’s worth of experience to the fight.
* The Bellator Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament moves into the semifinals when Zack “Fun Size” Makovsky (10-2) squares off with the dangerous Bryan Goldsby (15-8) for one of the two spots in the Bantamweight Championship Title match.
* The Bantamweight semifinals continue when the crowd-pleasing Ed “Wild” West (14-4) takes on hard-hitting Jose Vega (9-2) for the second spot in the finals.
* A Bellator Season 4 Welterweight Qualifying match rounds out the main card as Jacob “Tick Tock” McClintock (6-1) meets Louisville based Brent Weedman (16-5) in a battle of Bellator veterans.