Mason Parris is preparing for the Olympics with Muhammad Ali in his mind. Parris, who competes in both the free and folkstyle wrestling, is an NCAA Division 1 champion. Representing the Michigan Wolverines, the young wrestler also won the Big Ten Conference Championship along with the Dan Hodge trophy. Parris also clinched the World Wrestling Championship gold at the junior level in 2019. 

However, it was not until recently that he began to bloom at his full potential. Mason Parris won the Grand Prix two times straight in 2023 and 2024. He also clinched gold at the 2023 Pan American Games and went on to win the Pan American Championship in 2024. And now, looking to bask in the ultimate glory, Mason Parris’ eyes are fixated on Olympic qualification. And he remembers the great Muhammad Ali on his journey. 

Mason Parris “floating like a butterfly”

In his quest for the Paris Olympics, Mason Parris’ next stop would be at the Poland Open. While Parris is grinding hard on the mats, practicing his skills to perfection, the young athlete is also taking inspiration from Muhammad Ali’s famous quote. In a recently uploaded Instagram story, Parris was spotted grappling with his partner. However, what garnered interest was his swift foot movements resembling the great boxer, Ali. Parris captioned the story, “Floating like a 🦋😂 @imiz cusa”. This was a direct reference to Muhammad Ali’s now immortal quote, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” 

Going by Parris’ recent show on the mats, he is surely doing some significant floating and singing. Competing at the Pan Americans in February, Parris kicked off proceedings by obliterating Richard Deschatelets 10-0 in his opening bout. However, Parris’ semifinal and final opponents both bailed out because of injuries, handing him the gold.

Riding high on confidence, Parris then entered the 2024 Budapest Wrestle Series. Dominating his opponents, Parris clinched the gold once more as he defeated Yusup Batirmurzaev via a fall. Thus, with things looking bright for ‘King Parris’, his French dreams are not looking distant anymore. Interestingly, there is a little secret associated with his nickname of ‘King’. 

Mason Parris decodes his nickname

Mason Parris is popularly known by his nickname ‘King Parris’. But Parris has not yet done anything phenomenal to be called so. Thus, there’s a lingering curiosity about the origin of such a nickname. Recently, Parris put an end to all the speculations himself. Speaking in an interview, the wrestler shed light on his nickname, saying, “My old club wrestling coach kind of started calling me that in high school.”

Parris further explained, “Just being a heavyweight wrestler, they associate the biggest weight class with being the king. So whenever I see him, he always calls me that.” This might be his side of the story till now. But Mason Parris does have a golden opportunity to win big in France and indeed, ascend himself to the rank of being recognized as a real ‘King’ in US and world wrestling.