Plenty of attempts have been made over the years to get amateur wrestling into a professional style circuit domestically, peaking with Real Pro Wrestling (of which Daniel Cormier and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal were champions of), and now another company will be opening its doors: Agon Wrestling Championships.
An amateur wrestling of BJJ superstar led Metamoris, current Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren will headline the first card. A press conference in Milwaukee, WI, will take place with Askren being in the city to corner teammate Anthony Pettis at UFC 164.
Askren has one of the most substantial amateur careers of any current MMA fighter. A multiple time NCAA champion at Missouri, and a 2008 Olympian, Askren will headline the card set to take place October 22 at the Rio in Las Vegas, NV. Askren went 153-8 in college, making the NCAA finals in all four years he competed, and has been a mainstay on every “Best Wrestler of the 2000s” list.
Askren has agreed to face Quentin Wright in the promotion’s first main event. Wright holds two NCAA titles, and four All-American campaigns, to his credit. Also on the card Lance Palmer, a burgeoning prospect in MMA, will take on Oklahoma State standout Jordan Oliver.
