Cole Konrad joins Bellator heavyweights
Cole Konrad is the latest in a series of heavyweights announced to participate in the Bellator Fighting Championship’s Season 3 Heavyweight tournament. He follows such giants as the six foot six Neil Grove to become the seventh official selection of the current field.
A Promising Start
Earning his nickname of “King”, Konrad stands at an imposing six foot five inches tall and has competed as heavy as 285 pounds. His size will allow him to take full advantage of Bellator’s 265 pound cap. This gives Cole a distinct advantage over smaller opponents in the current seven man field, including 236 lb Rogent Lloret, 229 lb Eddie “The Manic Hispanic” Sanchez, and the 5’11 230 lb Hae Joon Yang, who very well may run into the King during the course of the tournament.
Konrad currently hold an undefeated record of 4 – 0 in mixed martial arts since his debut in January of this year, including two wins in the Bellator Fighting Championship. Both of these wins came via unanimous decision. Since his transition to MMA, he has demonstrated impressive ground and pound skills and hard hitting standup.
This is no surprise, considering Konrad’s training regime. He has been a training partner of current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar since before his MMA debut. Both fighters are alumni of the University of Minnesota wrestling program. Since his debut, Cole has been under the tutelage of the older fighter and has even been often referred to as Lesnar’s protégé. Due to their similarity in raw size, power and wrestling ability, they make an ideal match.
“Second to None”
According to Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, "Cole Konrad's pedigree as a wrestler is obviously second-to-none”. With a career spanning almost half of his life, Konrad delivers on this promise.
He holds a gold medal from the 2005 Pan American championships, and was the NCAA championship title holder in 2006 and 2007. But his background in the sport goes back much farther than that.
As a senior at Freedom High in Freedom, Wisconsin, the 18 year old Konrad seized the 2002 Wisconsin State Championship in wrestling, boasting an impressive record of 101-15, earning him listings as an All-American. Adept at both Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, he went on to win the Junior National Championships that same year.
After moving to the collegiate level at the University of Minnesota, Cole continued to rise. His overall record during this time was 155-13, going undefeated his last two seasons, which earned him the NCAA title twice. He currently holds the University of Minnesota record for the longest win streak, at 76
Great Expectations
"I'm taking it one fight at a time, but I'm planning on winning this tournament. If I wasn't planning on winning, I wouldn't bother showing up," said Konrad.
The young wrestler is optimistic, but untested. Although he has not yet been defeated in MMA, he faces incredibly tough competition, from striking specialists such as Neil “Goliath” Grove to submission artists such as Rogent Lloret. Fight fans should see some explosive action as the former wrestling champion tests his mettle against a field of varied opponents.
“This tournament is going to provide me with the greatest test that I’ve faced so far in my fighting career,” according to Cole. “But this is exactly the kind of test I’m looking for. I want to get as many fights under my belt as I can and I want to keep fighting tougher guys. This tournament is going to allow me to do that.”
Season Three of the Bellator Fighting Championship starts August 12 on FOX Sports Net.
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