UFC Featherweight Thankful of David Taylor and Cowboys After Oklahoma Visit Turns Into Memorable Experience

David Taylor and his Cowboys squad have been on a rollercoaster that only seems to go up! Not so long ago, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were set to go up against NC State. However, a pesky weather delay shook things up. They pushed the match to Monday night. However, it did not slow down the adrenaline for the Cowboys. But why? Well, because the UFC featherweight Diego Lopes was in town!

Lopes is a fighter on a five-match win streak who, rather serendipitously, stepped onto the OSU mats. He joined the Taylor crew’s intense training camp, making the weather woes feel like an afterthought. In fact, Taylor put on his Coach hat and went on to post, “It’s been great to have @diegolopesmma in town this week.” The posts that showed sweaty Diego did not stop with just that. The UFC fighter from Brazil seemed so inspired that he stayed back for the NC State duel!

After the NC State Showdown, Diego Lopes All Love for the David Taylor squad!

When the NC State duel finally went down, it was worth the wait, to say the least! It was an evident show of how strong David Taylor’s coaching has been. The OSU Cowboys went on to win 34-3. And Diego Lopes was right there in the stands soaking it all in! In fact, he even took to X and wrote, “The energy inside was incredible, eight thousand people watching the wrestling matches.” So why was the energy so high?

Let’s start with what happened at 133 pounds! Cael Hughes went on to pin #7 Kai Orine in the third period after a scoreless battle. Hughes secured his highest-ranked win, setting the tone for the night. This was followed by Tagen Jamison, who went on to take down Tyler Tracy with a 21-5 tech fall at 141 pounds. Then came Carter Young, who had a 5-2 win over No. 33 Koy Buesgens. However, as the 157-pound duel began, things were looking difficult!

At 157 pounds, Caleb Fish went up against the 2023 All-American Ed Scott. Despite it being close with a 5-4 score late into the match, Fish managed to pull a seven-point move, putting the scores at 12-5. This win also pushed OSU’s lead to 17-3 at halftime. And the second half? The momentum was not lost, to say the least. Cameron Amine took down No. 32 Derek Fields, 5-2. Dean Hamiti Jr. followed this and secured an 8-4 win over No. 19 Matty Singleton. Then came the heavyweight duels!

At 184 pounds, Dustin Plott went up against No. 11 Dylan Fishback. Plott went on to win rather comfortably with a 5-0 score. And at 197 pounds, Luke Surber won by technical fall after a 6-1 start. However, the most exciting match happened at 285 pounds, where David Taylor’s prodigy returned after being missing from the Air Force match! Wyatt Hendrickson and fourth-ranked Isaac Trumble went head-to-head at 285 pounds. The result?

As expected, Hendrickson controlled the match from the very first minute and went on to win a 10-4 decision. This not only kept Hendrickson’s undefeated record alive but also the OSU Cowboys’ record intact. David Taylor’s squad now has an 8-0 streak. With such kind of matchups, it’s no surprise that Diego Lopes was excited. In fact, the crowd of 8,212 Cowboys fans went on to give him an extra cheer. As Lopes himself puts it, “Thank you all for the love when I was announced on screen.” While there is no doubt of dominance, the season is far from over for the Cowboys!

What’s next on the charts for Coach Taylor and his team of champions?

Next, the OSU Cowboys will go up against West Virginia. Now, considering the OSU history against the Mountaineers, this might not be all that hard. Their matchup in 2024 ended with a 29-9 win over West Virginia. To add on, unlike David Taylor and his team, West Virginia has not had a great streak. They are in fact coming with a 7-3 record this season. To make matters worse, they will be missing one of their key wrestlers on the mat!

Ty Watters, the 149-pound wrestler from West Virginia, has decided to sit out this season due to injuries. However, they have names like Peyton Hall, who wrestles at 165 lbs, returning to the mat. And Sam Hillegas will be wrestling instead of Watters at 149 pounds. All might not be lost for the Mountaineers just yet. However, taking down David Taylor’s squad is going to be a rather tough mountain to climb.