Carter Starocci is looking to make the most of his wrestling return this year. With history on the line, Starocci has the opportunity to achieve a feat that no one else has done so far. After winning the NCAA title four times, he is coming back for his fifth. While usually an athlete only gets four years to compete, thanks to COVID-19, Starocci has gotten the rarest of the rare chances. However, his latest decision is surely not devoid of controversies. 

As a matter of fact, Carter Starocci initially announced that his 2023–24 year would be his final act for Penn State. In a video statement a year ago, Starocci thanked his family and his coaches for all the support. On the same lines, Starocci also vowed to retire after claiming the 4th NCAA title and also teased about a potential Olympic run. 

In reality, the NCAA wrestling icon did actually win his 4th championship, but it was not his last as he promised. Thus, as soon as Starocci announced his return for a fifth time, things soon started to go north. He faced immense criticism for his decisions. But recently, the champion wrestler has opened up about why he came back to the NCAA once again. 

In a recent media interaction at the Rec Hall, Starocci doubled down on his love for wrestling. He pointed out that while winning titles definitely felt special, the records were not something for which he returned one more time. Elaborating on his comeback decision, Starocci stated, “I just truly love going out there and smashing somebody. That’s part of the reason I chose to do the all-star match (this Saturday at Penn State). I don’t have to do the all-star match, but I just love wrestling. That’s honestly why I chose to come back. I love the competition. I love the fight. That’s kind of how I was raised. I can do it all day long.”

Well, now that he is back, there will be a wave of hype regarding whether Starocci can make history. There is also the brutal verbal back-and-forth with AJ Ferrari that has added intrigue to the entire angle. Meanwhile, this was not the only interesting decision that Starocci took in recent times. Moving on from wrestling, Starocci had high ambitions for the Dana White-led company. 

Carter Starocci once expressed interest in the UFC 

Carter Starocci has always been a champion who loves new challenges. Likewise, after dominating the NCAA realm for a fairly long time, the 23-year-old decided it was time to try something new. Thus, back in 2023, Starocci made up his mind to join the UFC. While there are no doubts regarding Starocci’s skill sets, he could, in fact, be a fine prospect. Considering the dominance of wrestlers in the UFC, Starocci could well have been a super prospect. After all, the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and more come from a sound wrestling background. 

In fact, Starocci also fancied fighting in the welterweight division and called out Colby Covington. He said, “Give me Colby Covington right away because he’s another piss poor wrestler and his hands are very average. That’s another wrestling match that would be pretty easy.” Well, despite the warning shots, his transition to UFC did not happen yet. Aiming for wrestling glory this year, we can surely fancy Carter Starocci fighting it out inside the Octagon with the best of the MMA lot.