While Oklahoma State University is on a seven-match undefeated streak, weather-related travel issues have halted that momentum. “Tomorrow’s dual against NC State has been rescheduled for Monday at 7 p.m..” posted the official Cowboy Wrestling handle on X. However, despite the setback in OSU’s planned schedule, it’s not been all bad for David Taylor‘s wrestling team.

That’s because the boy at OSU wrestling got the opportunity to train with none other than UFC featherweight star Diego Lopes. Taylor dropped news of the surprise collaboration on Instagram. “It’s been great to have @diegolopesmma in town this week,” Magic Man wrote while sharing Diego Lopes’ post featuring the featherweight contender and himself at the OSU gym.

The Olympic champion and MMA star’s sweat-soaked informs were proof that they’d undergone some grueling training. Taylor showered praise on the fighter on a five-fight win streak. “His story is inspiring & glad he could share with the team,” David Taylor added while sharing Lopes’ post on his Instagram story. Lopes also shared multiple posts about training with other OSU wrestlers.

So while OSU’s clash with NC State got delayed, Diego Lopes’ presence would have kept the OSU student’s spirits high. After all, it’s not every day that a student-athlete gets to train with a UFC star who made it all the way to the big leagues from humble beginnings in Amazonas, Brazil. Lopes was equally grateful for the opportunity to train with the former Olympic champion and his pupils.

“Thanks coach @magicmanosu and all the guys at @cowboywrestling for all the support,” the 30-year-old wrote on Instagram. While this was the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist’s latest post, his first post about training at OSU came three days ago. “We started camp. See you soon,” the featherweight posted while starting his training under David Taylor. However, the OSU coach wasn’t the only one who had good things to say about the Brazilian mixed martial artist.

A UFC legend indirectly labels David Taylor as the best

Former two-division UFC champ and Cowboy wrestling alum Daniel Cormier took notice of Digeo Lopes’ decision to train at Oklahoma. The former Olympian, who continues to be active in the college wrestling community, thought it would be perfect for Lopes to expand his ground game with wrestling. Already an expert BJJ grappler, learning to wrestle would only benefit Lopes.

However, while passing the featherweight for his smart decision, Cormier also made a bold statement. “This is so sick! Very smart @diegoleesmma learn from the best!” DC captioned his Instagram story. Cormier has been keeping an eye on Magic Man’s success as a coach. However, the 45-year-old’s latest statement revealed that he believes Talyor is already the best coach.

Cromier’s statement comes months after he spoke about the former world champion in April 2024. “I love David, but David better stick to wrestling,” the UFC champion-turned-commentator told MMA Fighting. DC explained that champions such as Taylor should teach the coming generations. Looking at OSU’s current run, it’s safe to say Cormier was right about Taylor.

Meanwhile, despite announcing the start of his training camp, Diego Lopez didn’t disclose who he’d fight. MMA content creator @realkevink dropped a hint. “Diego Lopes vs. Yair Rodriguez IN THE WORKS for UFC Mexico on March 29th Targeted to be the Main Event!” Kevin wrote on X. However, this isn’t confirmed, nor do we know how long Lopes will train with David Taylor. However, the MMA icon’s trip to OSU will remain a memorable one for himself and the young student-athletes.