Austin O’Connor has two NCAA wrestling championships on his résumé, however he at all times felt like MMA was his future.
Regardless of these two titles and turning into the first-ever five-time All-American from the College of North Carolina, the now 26-year-old prospect had designs on preventing after faculty was over. A part of that call got here all the way down to loving MMA, however O’Connor was additionally lifelike about his future in wrestling — a sport that sees most of its athletes dream of turning into an Olympic champion someday.
“There’s a number of points that went into it,” O’Connor informed MMA Combating. “A giant one for me was the burden courses. If you take a look at wrestling, you see the very best accomplishment of the game could be the Olympics. Nicely, they take out 70 kg within the Olympics. Yeah, it’s a World [Championships] weight and I might be a World champ, however I wish to be an Olympic champ. For me to both make 143 [pounds], which is 65 kg, or go as much as 74 kg, which is, like, 165 [pounds], one’s too massive, one’s too small, particularly when it’s day-of weigh-ins. It was that.
“Making a U.S. group is sort of as arduous as profitable the Olympics now. I might have completed good in wrestling for a number of years, however you’re competing towards one of the best on this planet in your nation each single yr. It’s powerful to make these groups.”
That actuality mixed with an curiosity in attempting MMA led to O’Connor talking to his coaches at North Carolina about making some connections within the struggle enterprise.
The 2 coaches have been four-time All-American Coleman Scott and assistant coach Jamill Kelly, who each wrestled at Oklahoma State. That simply occurs to be the identical faculty that UFC Corridor of Famer Daniel Cormier attended, and the place all three turned buddies.
“In the future I simply requested them after wrestling, I’ve type of been enthusiastic about moving into MMA, you bought any connections?” O’Connor stated. “[My coach] stated, ‘[Cormier] truly reached out to me a number of weeks in the past.’ I stated you must have informed me! He stated he’ll attain out to ‘DC,’ and ever since then it simply clicked. He’s been serving to me out ever since for the previous three or 4 years now.”
Teaming up with Cormier paid off in additional methods than O’Connor might have imagined.
The previous two-division UFC champion has served as a mentor, coach, and supervisor, serving to O’Connor get arrange with the absolute best trainers and teammates to make the transition from wrestling to preventing as clean as potential.
As he ready to make his MMA debut, O’Connor traveled out to San Jose to work with Cormier on the American Kickboxing Academy, which can be residence to a slew of champions together with reigning UFC light-weight king Islam Makhachev and present Bellator light-weight titleholder Usman Nurmagomedov.
“I believe he’s been an incredible mentor,” O’Connor stated of Cormier. “He has me down at [AKA] coaching, he has one of the best companions surrounding me. He does an incredible job with me, simply being within the room teaching me. He’s been an amazing mentor. However I really feel like he will get somewhat excited too attempting to get me in there, get me to struggle, and typically I inform him I’ve to decelerate and take my time, and he’s very understanding about that too. He’s at all times in my ear like, ‘Come on! Let’s do that!’
“I believe each of us are actually enthusiastic about this primary struggle and seeing the place my journey takes me. I’m positive he’s glad to be alongside for the trip. It’s been nice working with him.”
O’Connor appreciates that Cormier took such an curiosity in him as a result of it’s made his transfer into MMA a lot simpler than most 0-0 prospects might ever think about.
“I like it,” O’Connor stated. “DC’s an incredible man, an incredible particular person. He’s helped me out in any means I might think about. I’m glad I used to be I introduced in below his wing for my profession. I do know with him in my nook, I’m at all times going to be going the appropriate path, doing the appropriate factor. I simply bought very fortunate to have DC.”
So far as the long run goes, O’Connor doesn’t wish to get too far forward of himself as a result of he prefers to take every little thing day-by-day.
He understands there’s going to be a brighter highlight on him than most up-and-coming fighters as a result of he’s not solely a two-time NCAA champion, he additionally has a legend like Cormier in his nook.
Whereas he’s resolved to take issues sluggish and straightforward in his struggle profession, O’Connor embraces the eye he’s going to obtain now that he’s making his debut. In some ways, he’s already carried out below intense stress when he gained his wrestling titles, and he truly relishes experiencing that very same feeling now that he’s competing in MMA.
“I really feel just like the NCAA match, being within the NCAA finals is a reasonably shiny highlight,” O’Connor stated. “I’m used to that power and that focus. I really feel like my finest matches have been below the highlight.
“I’ve at all times carried out nicely below the stress. I don’t suppose MMA’s going to be any completely different. I really feel like I’m able to go. I welcome it.”
O’Connor fights on Fury FC 91 principal card on Sunday, which airs stay on UFC Battle Cross.
