Oklahoma State University Athletics
Former Cowboy Wrestling Standout Nick Piccininni Begins MMA Career Friday Night
June 17, 2021 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State wrestler Nick Piccininni will follow in the footsteps of many other Cowboys as he transitions from wrestling to mixed martial arts on Friday night.
He's the newest addition of the Oklahoma State to MMA pipeline that has produced the most UFC champions of any school with three. Piccininni's quest to be the fourth begins when he enters the octagon to face Chancey Wilson at XFN 371.
He believes the mindset developed in his time at OSU will help him accomplish his goals in his newest journey.
"I think it's the reason why you go to Oklahoma State," Piccininni said. "You get coached by the staff there to program you to be a champion, so you know what it takes to work hard. You know what hard work looks like, what it feels like, so I've been through it for five years. I know what hard work is and apply that to martial arts. When I'm lacking, I go back to my days at Oklahoma State and say 'how did I feel there and what did I do there to make sure I'm doing enough.' It's definitely helped with OSU programing your mindset and work ethic."
Since leaving Stillwater, Piccininni has moved to San Jose, California, where he trains at American Kickboxing Acadrmy with former OSU teammates, Jacobe Smith and Kyle Crutchmer.
"Those guys are not only my teammates, but those are my roommates," Piccininni said. "Those are my brothers and every day we go through the same grinds. Whether we're just going out to eat or going anywhere, we're always together. It's been nice having Kyle out there first with him being through the process already and continuing to fight. It's been a blessing to have him and Jacobe out there who are two guys I know really well and have grinded with before."
A four-year standout in the Cowboy lineup at 125 pounds, Piccininni earned All-America honors three times in his OSU career, finishing as high as fourth place in 2017. The New York native became the ninth wrestler in program history to win four individual conference titles and finished his collegiate career with a 110-17 record.
Throughout his training, Piccininni has faced the challenge of developing other skills such as jiu-jitsu and striking to compliment his wrestling abilities.
"It's getting well-versed in other disciplines of the sport not just one with wrestling," he said. "I'm adapting to those other sports and using what I learned in wrestling and applying my mindset and work ethic to those."
While he doesn't have a specific vision of how he wants the fight to end, he knows how he wants the fight to go.
"My expectation is to go out there and dominate," Piccininni said. "To do what I've always done in wrestling and apply it to MMA. I want to be very tactical and get my hands on this guy, drag him down and do what I do best. I want to dominate in all positions and in all aspects of the cage."
Taking place at the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, a stream of the event will be available beginning at 7 p.m. CT with UFC Fight Pass.
He's the newest addition of the Oklahoma State to MMA pipeline that has produced the most UFC champions of any school with three. Piccininni's quest to be the fourth begins when he enters the octagon to face Chancey Wilson at XFN 371.
He believes the mindset developed in his time at OSU will help him accomplish his goals in his newest journey.
"I think it's the reason why you go to Oklahoma State," Piccininni said. "You get coached by the staff there to program you to be a champion, so you know what it takes to work hard. You know what hard work looks like, what it feels like, so I've been through it for five years. I know what hard work is and apply that to martial arts. When I'm lacking, I go back to my days at Oklahoma State and say 'how did I feel there and what did I do there to make sure I'm doing enough.' It's definitely helped with OSU programing your mindset and work ethic."
Since leaving Stillwater, Piccininni has moved to San Jose, California, where he trains at American Kickboxing Acadrmy with former OSU teammates, Jacobe Smith and Kyle Crutchmer.
"Those guys are not only my teammates, but those are my roommates," Piccininni said. "Those are my brothers and every day we go through the same grinds. Whether we're just going out to eat or going anywhere, we're always together. It's been nice having Kyle out there first with him being through the process already and continuing to fight. It's been a blessing to have him and Jacobe out there who are two guys I know really well and have grinded with before."
A four-year standout in the Cowboy lineup at 125 pounds, Piccininni earned All-America honors three times in his OSU career, finishing as high as fourth place in 2017. The New York native became the ninth wrestler in program history to win four individual conference titles and finished his collegiate career with a 110-17 record.
Throughout his training, Piccininni has faced the challenge of developing other skills such as jiu-jitsu and striking to compliment his wrestling abilities.
"It's getting well-versed in other disciplines of the sport not just one with wrestling," he said. "I'm adapting to those other sports and using what I learned in wrestling and applying my mindset and work ethic to those."
While he doesn't have a specific vision of how he wants the fight to end, he knows how he wants the fight to go.
"My expectation is to go out there and dominate," Piccininni said. "To do what I've always done in wrestling and apply it to MMA. I want to be very tactical and get my hands on this guy, drag him down and do what I do best. I want to dominate in all positions and in all aspects of the cage."
Taking place at the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, a stream of the event will be available beginning at 7 p.m. CT with UFC Fight Pass.
Players Mentioned
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