The flow of high-level college fighters into MMA seems never-ending.
Two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Austin O’Connor is the latest wrestling standout to make the jump. It was a successful first outing on Sunday at Fury FC 91 in Houston when O’Connor (1-0) defeated fellow lightweight pro debutant Camden Fontenot (0-1) by technical knockout in the third round.
As expected, O’Connor mistreated Fontenot in the wrestling department. At one point, he even slammed Fontenot’s head into the canvas, using the ground as a weapon. In the third round, O’Connor dragged Fontenot to the canvas, got on his back and finished the fight with ground-and-pound punches.
The fight was the first for O’Connor, who chose to bypass the amateur ranks and go straight to the professional ranks. O’Connor’s career is currently guided by former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Born and raised in Illinois, O’Connor joined the University of North Carolina wrestling team in 2017 after four straight state championship wins in high school. He won an NCAA championship in 2021 at 149 pounds and another in 2023 at 157 pounds. He was also a five-time All-American and three-time ACC All-American.
Lacking an ideal weight class at the Olympics, O’Connor turned his attention to MMA after his sixth and final year of eligibility.
In preparation for his professional debut, O’Connor trained at the Valle Flow Striking (VFS) Academy in Besenville, Illinois and the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California, while also working as an assistant wrestling coach at the University of Wrestling. of Illinois.
