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Check out these photos from U.S. Olympic Team member Jordan Oliver’s pro MMA debut victory at Bellator 298.
Check out these photos from U.S. Olympic Team member [autotag]Jordan Oliver[/autotag]’s MMA professional debut victory over Andrew Triolo at Bellator 298 in South Dakota. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)
Jordan Oliver, a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member and NCAA champion, only needed 65 seconds to win his MMA debut.
2020 U.S. Olympic Team member [autotag]Jordan Oliver[/autotag] entered Bellator 298 with no in-cage time clocked. He exited with 65 seconds of experience.
At Bellator 298, Oliver (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) defeated Massachusetts’ [autotag]Andrew Triolo[/autotag] (0-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at 1:05 with a first-round submission due to arm-triangle choke. The welterweight bout kicked off the prelims at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Oliver, 33, took one hard straight right hand for Triolo, who moments later was on his back. Following the successful takedown, Oliver snatched the grip of an arm-triangle choke but was on what would be considered the wrong side of a choke. Oliver squeezed, perhaps sensing his grip was strong, and his positioning didn’t matter. Triolo tapped.
𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 to Bellator! 💪
Wrestling prodigy @that_dude_JO gets the job done in his MMA debut.
📺 #Bellator298 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE on YouTube ▶️ https://t.co/NxwCKFQpdS pic.twitter.com/SqwlC1Oy5J
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 11, 2023
A freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, Oliver signed with Bellator in March. He wrestled four years at Oklahoma State University. Oliver is a 2019 U.S. national champion (freestyle), a two-time NCAA Division-I national champion (folkstyle), a four-time NCAA Division-I All-American, and a four-time Big 12 Conference champion (folkstyle).
After college, Oliver set his sights on the Olympics. In 2021, he was a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member as the representative in 65kg men’s freestyle wrestling, but didn’t qualify in the 2021 World Olympic Qualifier.
“I look at this as something bigger than the Olympic gold,” Oliver told MMA Junkie shortly after his signing. “This would mean more to me than Olympic gold. At the time I’m coming in and the work I’m going to have to put in, not only to win, but to win with style and dominate, I think it’ll fulfill me more to win a Bellator world title as a fighter.”
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 298 results include:
[vertical-gallery id=2668878]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from July 10-16.
NCAA champion and U.S. Olympic Team Member Jordan Oliver announced his jump to MMA earlier this year – and now he has a fight set.
2020 U.S. Olympic Team member [autotag]Jordan Oliver[/autotag] has his first MMA fight locked in.
After four months of MMA-centric training at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, Fla., Oliver (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will debut Aug. 11 at Bellator 298. He faces [autotag]Andrew Triolo[/autotag] (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in a featherweight bout at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the bout Tuesday.
A freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, Oliver signed with Bellator in March. He wrestled four years at Oklahoma State University. Oliver is a 2019 U.S. national champion (freestyle), a two-time NCAA Division-I national champion (folkstyle), a four-time NCAA Division-I All-American, and a four-time Big 12 Conference champion (folkstyle).
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After college, Oliver set his sights on the Olympics. In 2021, he was a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member as the representative in 65kg men’s freestyle wrestling, but didn’t qualify in the 2021 World Olympic Qualifier.
“I look at this as something bigger than the Olympic gold,” Oliver told MMA Junkie shortly after his signing. “This would mean more to me than Olympic gold. At the time I’m coming in and the work I’m going to have to put in, not only to win, but to win with style and dominate, I think it’ll fulfill me more to win a Bellator world title as a fighter.”
Triolo, 31, made his professional MMA debut in April 2022 for LFA. He lost to fellow debutant Adamu Isah by first-round TKO and has not competed since.
With the addition, the Bellator 298 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie/YouTube, 5:30 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.
Jordan Oliver, a 2020 U.S. Olympic team member, is prepared to embark on his MMA journey after signing with Bellator earlier this year.
[autotag]Jordan Oliver[/autotag] reached heights many prospective wrestlers can only dream of.
The next in a long lineage of Oklahoma State University standouts to try their hand in mixed martial arts, Oliver (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has similar goals and aspirations as notable alumni such as UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier and Johny Hendricks – championship aspirations.
An MMA future was always on Oliver’s mind, even when it solely existed in his subconscious as he dominated increasing levels of wrestling competition. Now it’s on the forefront as Oliver and Bellator recently announced his signing, signaling the start to his MMA journey.
“It was something that always intrigued me, but when you see guys that you’re close with and train with, it becomes really realistic,” Oliver recently told MMA Junkie. “You’re like, ‘Oh, I’d love to do this. I want to do this, and I could win a world title, be the best in the world.’ This is just another step in my competitive career, right? Going from wrestling now to fighting, it would be something I would’ve regret not doing if I passed up the chance and the opportunity to compete in MMA.”
Inspired by his brother, Oliver started wrestling at 4. In high school, he won four Pennsylvania state titles. The success continued with two NCAA Division I national championships and four Division I All-American designations. In 2020, he was a member of the U.S. Olympic team but failed to qualify for the Olympics during the World Qualification Tournament when he lost to reigning Individual World Cup champion Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, 3-2.
While it was difficult for Oliver to walk away from the sport he’s always known, he sees an opportunity to vindicate past shortcomings with the jump to MMA. He’s always had gold on his mind, and now he’ll have another chance to obtain it, even if it comes in the form of a title belt rather than a medal. An MMA championship, Oliver said, would mean even more.
“A world champion is a world champion, and obviously wrestling has a different set of rules to win the gold, but I look at this as something bigger,” Oliver said. “I look at this as something bigger than the Olympic gold. This would mean more to me than Olympic gold. At the time I’m coming in and the work I’m going to have to put in, not only to win, but to win with style and dominate, I think it’ll fulfill me more to win a Bellator world title as a fighter.”
Oliver, 32, has trained MMA intermittently in the past. Now he’s full-fledged engulfed. In early March, he officially relocated to South Florida to train at his new home base, Kill Cliff FC, under coaches Greg Jones and Henri Hooft.
“There’s a lot of different crafts, as I think about it,” Oliver said. “It took me 28 years to get where I am in wrestling. There are some guys who have been striking a little bit longer, 10 to 12 years, or grappling or whatever it might be. For me, it’s a challenge, but I’m a very disciplined and committed athlete to learn the ways and not only become average but become the best.”
An extensive wrestling resume was his ticket to the dance, but now the slate is wiped clean as far as Oliver is concerned. He doesn’t have a debut on the books yet, as he aims to get himself to the point in which he feels comfortable enough to compete. Once strides start being made, Oliver predicts one-of-a-kind greatness is possible.
“(I want) to be the best fighter there possibly is. When you come to the pinnacle of your sport, whether it’s wrestling, whether it’s basketball, whether it’s golf, people who have been in the sport and witnessed the sport and see the small intricacies and little details can really appreciate and witness greatness,” Oliver said. “That’s what I want to get, where everything is crisp and I’m not considered a wrestler, I’m not considered a striker. I want to be considered a full-packaged mixed martial artist, as well.
“If the time comes and I’m blessed and am able to maintain the belt in whatever weight class, 145, I am, maybe I can become a triple champ.”
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Jordan Oliver, a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member, will make his MMA debut in 2023 under the Bellator banner.
Another high-level wrestler will test the waters in MMA.
After months of teasing a potential jump, [autotag]Jordan Oliver[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has a home with Bellator MMA. Wednesday, the promotion announced it signed Oliver to an exclusive multifight deal.
Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the promotion revealed Oliver will compete at featherweight with a debut in 2023. A specific date or opponent for his debut was not announced.
Oliver, 32, competed in freestyle and folkstyle wrestling. He wrestled four years at Oklahoma State University. Oliver is a 2019 U.S. national champion (freestyle), a two-time NCAA Division I national champion (folkstyle), a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, and a four-time Big 12 Conference champion (folkstyle).
After college, Oliver set his sights on the Olympics. In 2021, he was a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member as the representative in 65kg men’s freestyle wrestling, but didn’t qualify in the 2021 World Olympic Qualifier.
Seems like you’ve got the Bellator fans excited, @that_dude_JO 👊😎 pic.twitter.com/fYdO7qlwRp
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 1, 2023
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