Collegiate wrestling standout Jordan Oliver makes his MMA debut this Friday at Bellator 298.
Oliver has been training at Kill Cliff MMA ahead of his debut, under coaches like Henri Hooft and alongside teammates like Robbie Lawler. He’s a two-time NCAA Division I champion with Oklahoma State and a U.S. Open Championships gold medallist as well, the latter coming in 2019.
Now, it’s on to MMA, and Oliver says he’s treated his training like a fight camp ever since arriving at Kill Cliff.
“I consider, since I moved down here, camp’s started,” Oliver told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “Making this transfer, knowing that the debut will be coming soon, and we’re kind of fast-tracking and jumping right in, learning the different crafts and continuing to not only learn but polish them and try to become the best in all the areas that I can be.”
“I feel great, I’m very, very excited to make my debut. We’ve been putting in a lot of work. I moved down here four months ago. Non-stop work, two-a-days, I’ve been loving the whole process.”
In terms of the nerves, and the feeling, ahead of his mixed martial arts debut, “I definitely would compare it to my college debut. Wrestling for Oklahoma state, knowing that you want to put on a show but also that you want to give the best version of yourself,” explained Oliver. “Sometimes— it’s a spectrum, right? Sometimes when you want to put on a show, you can get a little bit sloppy. And sometimes when you want to be the best version of yourself, you can be a little bit complacent and hold back.”
“So it’s being able to manage that. It’s very exciting, but also a little bit nerve-wracking. This is my first MMA fight, I’m blessed to be in a gym with experienced fighters and coaches around me that have been in the game a very, very long time. That can kind of give me insights of what it’s going to be like for your first time. But with that said, I think it’s your own personal experience.”
Oliver was given insight into how his college wrestling debut would go, “but once I got in there, it was a complete different shock.” It remains to be seen if his mixed martial arts coming out party feels the same.
Jordan Oliver is not the first high-level wrestler to make the transition to MMA, and he’s been watching those names closely, including a few good friends of his. He has trained with former Bellator champ Darrion Caldwell, and knows him from his wrestling days. Oliver is taking a little bit from all those guys, and believes he’s ready for the big show. “I believe I’m ready to perform on such a high stage. I prepared my whole life, even through wrestling, wrestling on the biggest stages and now I’m going to get to compete fighting at the biggest stages. As a top competitor, as a high-level athlete, I want to be the best. So for me to jump in and get to showcase my skills on such a stage as Bellator, and for such a prestigious company, why not? I gotta push myself to be the best, and it’s all part of the journey.”
Most importantly, Oliver is looking to make a lasting impression. “I don’t just want to win my fights, I want to be the best mixed martial artist. I want to showcase, and I want to give the crowd and people something to look forward to each and every fight.”
As for opponent Andrew Triolo, he’s fought once before for LFA — a fight that just so happened to come against Oliver’s teammate, Adamu Isah. “That’s a plus for me, getting the work and hearing from Adamu, what he saw. But ultimately I take it as almost, my mindset is wrestling. See what he brings to the table, but don’t worry too much about what he does. It’s more so, what am I best at, what am I going to do? And what are my keys to victory? As long as I’m smart and I’m very aware of his strengths, it’s more so, how can I be the best version of Jordan Oliver, and be very precise but execute at the highest level?”
“It’s being aware of what he does, but we don’t want to focus too much on what other guys do.”
Watch our full interview with Bellator 298’s Jordan Oliver above.
