How to watch Saturday's Little Rock Trojans vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys dual: Start time, event preview, more
All-time wrestling great and former CFFC Match Day commentator David Taylor leads Cowboys in UFC FIGHT PASS debut.
One of the most storied programs in the history of college wrestling, Oklahoma State University, will compete on UFC FIGHT PASS for the very first time, hitting the road to face the intriguing upstarts of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock this Saturday afternoon.
The NCAA Division I Wrestling dual, presented by CFFC Match Day, takes place at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. The UFC FIGHT PASS stream kicks off at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT local time) and features award-winning wrestling play-by-play and analyst Shane Sparks calling the action alongside five-time UFC veteran and former collegiate wrestler Justin Jaynes.
The CFFC Match Day event serves as a lead-in to Saturday's "UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2," which features preliminary bouts on UFC FIGHT PASS immediately after the conclusion of Little Rock vs. Oklahoma State.
The Little Rock Trojans (14-2, 1-0 Pac-12) debuted on UFC FIGHT PASS in January, taking home a 29-14 win over Oregon State in a Pac-12 showdown. Head Coach Neil Erisman, himself a former Oklahoma State wrestler, has done an astounding job building the program at Little Rock, with the team competing for just the sixth year since its inception and already producing a pair of All-Americans in Stephen Little at 197 pounds and Nasir Bailey at 133.
Both men scored victories in Little Rock's first CFFC Match Day appearance, with Little taking home the night's Outstanding Wrestler award and the accompanying championship belt. The team currently sits at No. 16 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association poll.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-0, 9-0 Big 12) are a team with decades of dominance, earning more NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships than any other team in history – 34, to be exact, since the title was first established in 1928.
The program also has produced an incredible number of standout wrestlers who have gone on to enjoy UFC success, including UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture, Daniel Cormer and Don Frye, as well as former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, to name just a few.
While Oklahoma State's last national title was earned in 2006, there is a renewed energy surrounding the program with addition of first-year Head Coach David Taylor. Known as the "Magic Man," Taylor is an Olympic Gold Medalist, three-time World Champion, and two-time NCAA Division I National Champion. Taylor took over the team following the retirement of fellow wrestling legend John Smith, and the Cowboys are currently the No. 2-ranked team in the nation.
Prior to his coaching role, Taylor actually served as color commentator on a pair of CFFC Match Day events on UFC FIGHT PASS, including the "Battle at Liberty" on an active military installation and "Mizzou to the Lou" at the historic Stifel Theatre in St. Louis.
The Cowboys bring a team loaded with talent, including a pair of athletes who already have more than 100 career wins, with Wyatt Hendrickson at heavyweight and Dustin Plott at 184 pounds. Additionally, Dean Hamiti Jr. (174), Cameron Amine (165) and Caleb Fish (157) are all within striking distance of that impressive feat, as well.
While the official starting lineups for Saturday's CFFC Match Day dual will be determined just ahead of the event, the potential matchups include:
125: Jayden Carson (LR) vs. #4 Troy Spratley (OSU)
133: #8 Nasir Bailey (LR) vs. #22 Reece Witcraft (OSU)
141: Brennan Van Hoecke (LR) vs. #5 Tagen Jamison (OSU)
149: #12 Jordan Williams (LR) vs. #17 Carter Young (OSU)
157: #17 Matty Bianchi (LR) vs. #12 Caleb Fish (OSU)
165: #33 Joey Bianchi (LR) vs. #6 Cameron Amine (OSU)
174: Tyler Brennan (LR) vs. #3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU)
184: #17 Brock DelSignore (LR) vs. #3 Dustin Plott (OSU)
197: #5 Stephen Little (LR) vs. #7 Luke Surber (OSU)
285: KJ Miley (LR) vs. #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU)
The 10-match dual streams live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS, the UFC's digital streaming service, which currently offers month-to-month subscriptions, as well as discounted rates for 12-month subscriptions.
Additionally, UFC FIGHT PASS is featuring a special College Wrestling-only subscription to watch all current and past CFFC Match Day duals for just $2.99/month.
UFC FIGHT PASS supports streaming on select web browsers, mobile devices, tablets, streaming sticks, gaming consoles, smart TVs and set-top boxes including laptops, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, iPad, iPhone, Android devices, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and LG Smart TV.
