3 Elite UFC Wrestlers Who Faught With Collegiate Pedigree

Across the UFC’s roster, few traits translate as consistently to Octagon success as a strong collegiate wrestling background. UFC Wrestlers with NCAA‑level experience tend to control space, dictate where fights take place, and weather early‑round adversity better than most. Three current‑era fighters who exemplify this trend are Bo Nickal, Kamaru Usman, and Cain Velasquez—each of whom built a championship‑caliber MMA game on the foundation of a decorated folkstyle career.

Bo Nickal: Penn State

Collegiate wrestling career

Bo Nickal wrestled for Penn State University, where he became one of the most decorated collegiate grapplers of the modern era. A three‑time NCAA Division I national champion at 174 pounds (2017, 2018, 2019), Nickal also earned the Dan Hodge Trophy in 2019 as college wrestling’s top wrestler. Over his four‑year career he amassed an overall record of roughly 183–7, with 31 pins, multiple Big Ten titles, and four All‑American honors. His blend of explosive takedowns, suffocating top control, and high‑amplitude throws made him a nightmare matchup for any opponent in the folkstyle arena. Nickal studied Kinesiology at Penn State, focusing on combining academics with athletics. While his peers were taking advantage of writing essay service for students, he was dominating on the mat.

MMA career

Nickal transitioned to MMA in 2022 and quickly signed with the UFC, where he competes at middleweight. He has finished multiple opponents in the first round—often via takedown‑heavy ground‑and‑pound or tight chokes—showcasing the same relentless pressure he used in college. As of early 2026, Nickal is widely regarded as one of the sport’s most dangerous UFC wrestlers, with a record that includes several finishes and only one professional loss. His ability to chain single‑leg attacks, pass guard, and hunt submissions has made him a top‑tier threat in a stacked 185‑pound division.

Kamaru Usman: Nebraska at Kearney

Collegiate wrestling career

Before becoming “The Nigerian Nightmare,” Kamaru Usman was a dominant force on the Division II circuit. After starting at NAIA powerhouse William Penn, he transferred to the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), where he helped the Lopers win their first team national title in 2008. Usman placed in the top three nationally all three years he competed for UNK, reaching the NCAA D‑II finals twice and capturing the 174‑pound national championship in 2010 with a 44–1 record and 30-straight wins. His combination of power, conditioning, and relentless top‑pressure earned him conference “Wrestler of the Year” honors and later induction into the Jim Koch Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame.

MMA career

Usman leveraged that wrestling base into one of the most dominant welterweight reigns in UFC history — an MMA legend. Early in his career he relied heavily on suffocating clinch work and takedowns, grinding opponents into exhaustion before finishing them on the ground or with ground‑and‑pound. Over time he added crisp boxing and improved his striking‑defense, but his wrestling remained the engine of his success, helping him defend multiple title shots and extend his title‑reign to over four years. Even after losing the belt, Usman remained a top‑five welterweight for a long time thanks to his collegiate‑wrestling‑forged pressure and control continue to define his style.

Cain Velasquez: Arizona State

Collegiate wrestling career

Cain Velasquez’s path to MMA began in the wrestling room, first at Iowa Central Community College, where he won the NJCAA national title at heavyweight in 2002. That performance earned him a scholarship to Arizona State University, where he competed in NCAA Division I for three seasons. Velasquez compiled an overall college record of 86–17, earning All‑American status in 2005 (5th place) and 2006 (4th place) at 285 pounds. He also captured Pac‑10 Conference titles in both years and was named Pac‑10 Wrestler of the Year in 2005, underscoring his status as one of the nation’s premier heavyweights.

MMA career

Cain Velasquez carried that explosive, aggressive wrestling into the UFC, where he became heavyweight champion and one of the most feared pressure fighters in the division’s history. His style revolved around relentless takedown hunting, heavy top control, and devastating ground‑and‑pound, all of which were honed in the folkstyle environment. He defended his title multiple times and headlined several major pay‑per‑views, known for his cardio‑driven, high‑pace attacks that overwhelmed even elite grapplers. Although injuries and a long layoff have limited his recent activity, Velasquez remains a benchmark for how a top‑level collegiate wrestler can translate that skill set into UFC‑level dominance.

Why Collegiate Wrestling Translates Into UFC Wrestlers

What unites Nickal, Usman, and Velasquez is more than just wins and titles; it is the way their collegiate wrestling shaped their fight IQ. They all learned to manage fatigue under constant pressure, solve live‑time problems on the mat, and impose their will through positioning and control—skills that map directly onto MMA’s stand‑up and ground‑game demands. As the UFC continues to draw talent from the NCAA ranks, fighters with this kind of wrestling pedigree will likely remain at the forefront of the sport’s upper echelon.