Previewing the six matches on Wrestling Underground’s inaugural card this Sunday

Graphic courtesy of Wrestling Underground.

This Sunday, at an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest, Wrestling Underground will be hosting a six-match Senior-level card. Wrestling Underground is collaborating with former UFC star and Greco-Roman National Team member Chael Sonnen to host the event, which will be streamed exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
The matches will be held inside a cage, however the rules will remain very similar to traditional freestyle and Greco-Roman. Action against the cage will be allowed, however if neither wrestler is able to advance their position, they will be returned to the middle.
“The UWW rules will be observed as closely as possible aside from the apparatus,” stated Sonnen.
The event will take place with significant precautions due to COVID-19. The only individuals that will be inside the ring room will be the two wrestlers competing, their corners, the referee and a doctor. All of the cameras will be set up before the event, and the rest of the event staff will be working remotely, including Sonnen who will be providing commentary for the fights.
The matches will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass, a subscription service with monthly memberships priced at $9.99, providing the opportunity for wrestling to gain exposure with combat sports fans outside of wrestling.
“I trust that we will get the wrestling fans. I also believe that we will draw from other sports. They seem to have every kind of base you could imagine over there (on UFC Fight Pass), from kickboxing fans, to MMA fans, to jujitsu fans. The viewers of Fight Pass are specifically people who want to see one-on-one combat,” said Sonnen.
While gaining exposure for wrestling is a driving factor in putting together this card, the primary goal is to give world-class athletes the chance to compete in a time of limited opportunities. Below, let’s dive into the six bouts that will be featured on this Sunday’s card.
Main Event – Kyven Gadson vs. Nick Gwiazdowski (Heavyweight)
The main event features 125 kg World Team member Nick Gwiazdowski facing off with No. 2 on the National Team at 97 kg Kyven Gadson.
Gwiazdowski has made the last three World Teams and took bronze at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. Collegiately, Gwiazdowski was an All-American for Binghamton as a true freshman before transferring to NC State where he was a three-time NCAA finalist and two-time NCAA champion.
Gwiazdowski is looking forward to getting back on the mat and facing an opponent he hasn’t seen before.
“Kyven has been on the Senior Circuit for as long as I have. He’s been around the block. He knows wrestling, and I’m enthusiastic about the opportunity Chael Sonnen and Wrestling Underground has given us to compete and provide,” he said.

Gadson echoed Gwiazdowski’s eagerness to wrestle a top-tier opponent.
“I’m truly excited to compete against Gwiz, who has been one of the top international heavyweights since 2017. I’m grateful for the opportunity to showcase the work I’ve been putting in back home,” he said.
Gadson has been No. 2 on the National Team the past three years only behind Olympic and World champion Kyle Snyder, one of the pound-for-pound best wrestlers on the planet. Gadson was a National champion and three-time All-American for Iowa State.
Tommy Gantt vs. David McFadden (185 pounds)
The match was initially scheduled to feature Tommy Gantt vs. Cadet and two-time Junior World Champion Mark Hall. However, Hall was forced to withdraw due to injury. Replacing him will be fellow Pennsylvania Regional Training Center athlete David McFadden.
Gantt, like Gwiazdowski, competed collegiately for NC State, where he earned All-American honors in 2016. Since moving to the Senior level, Gantt has found considerable success, winning the 2018 Bill Farrell International and the 2019 Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France. Additionally, Gantt was a 2019 U.S. Open finalist and a 2019 Senior Nationals third-place finisher.

McFadden was a three-time NCAA All-American for Virginia Tech. Although he was unable to compete in his final NCAA tournament due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, he was named a first-time NWCA All-American last season. In freestyle, McFadden earned a spot on the 2018 U23 World Team and finished seventh at the World Championships in Bucharest, Romania.
It will be interesting to see how McFadden, a newcomer to the Senior level, fares against Gantt who has already established himself as one of the nation’s top wrestlers.
Deron Winn vs. Kollin Moore (213 pounds)
At 213 pounds, previously retired Deron Winn will square off with recent Ohio State graduate Kollin Moore.
Winn is a former National Team member who left his shoes on the mat in December of 2018 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts full-time. He currently holds a 6-2 record and competes in the UFC. As a wrestler, he placed at a variety of events including finishing fourth at the U.S. Open on three separate occasions. In college, Winn won two JUCO titles for St. Louis Community College before transferring to Lindenwood University, where he earned NAIA All-American honors.
Kollin Moore was a three-time NCAA All-American and 2020 NWCA first-team All-American. Going into this year’s NCAA Tournament, Moore was undefeated and the No. 1 seed. Moore has seen significant International success at the age-group level. He is a two-time Junior World Team member, finishing with bronze at the 2017 Junior World Championships. Additionally, Moore took silver at the 2018 U23 World Championships. On the Senior level, Moore placed fifth at the 2019 U.S. Open and second at the 2019 Senior Nationals.


Shakur Rasheed vs. Sammy Brooks (190 pounds)
Shakur Rasheed will be making his freestyle debut against Sammy Brooks at 190 pounds. Rasheed was a three-time NCAA qualifier and 2018 All-American for Penn State. Although he battled injuries throughout his college career, Rasheed was known for his prowess with cradles. If he will be able to transfer that to freestyle remains to be seen.
Brooks, a two-time All-American for Iowa, has made Cadet, Junior and U23 World Teams, earning bronze at the 2011 Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. On the Senior level Brooks won the 2019 Henri Deglane Challenge, placed third at the 2019 U.S. Open and fifth at the 2019 Senior Naitonals.
RaVaughn Perkins vs. Ben Provisor (180 pounds)
The sole Greco-Roman bout on Sunday’s card will feature 2018 World Team member and 2016 Olympic Team Trials Champion RaVaughn Perkins vs. two-time Olympian and 2017 World Team member Ben Provisor. In recent years, Perkins has been competing at 72 kg while Provisor has been at 87 kg, a difference of over 33 pounds. However, for the Olympic year both are moving to 77 kg.
Perkins is a two-time Pan Am Championships gold medalist (2018, 2019), a two-time Dave Schultz Memorial champion (2016, 2017) and a two-time U.S. Open champion (2014, 2018). In his most recent tournaments, Perkins finished fifth at the Matteo Pellicone Tournament in Rome, Italy, third at the 2019 Senior Nationals and second at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Provisor is a 2017 Pan Am champion, a two-time Dave Schultz Memorial champion and a three-time U.S. Open champion (2011, 2013, 2018). Currently, he is No. 2 on the National Team at 87 kg. Provisor has not yet competed at 77 kg. In his last competition, he fell to Joe Rau at Final X: Rutgers last July.


Tyler Berger vs. Joey McKenna (159 pounds)
The opening match of the night will feature two three-time All-Americans Tyler Berger and Joey McKenna. Berger competed collegiately at 157 pounds, while McKenna wrestled at 141 pounds, so this is another match where there could be a substantial size difference.
Berger wrestled for Nebraska and was a 2019 NCAA finalist. His last freestyle matches were at the 2019 Senior Nationals where he went, 3-2 at 74 kg, finishing one match shy of making the podium.
McKenna started his college career at Stanford before transferring to Ohio State, where he was an NCAA finalist in 2019. McKenna, No. 2 on the National Team at 65 kg in 2018, now trains at the Pennsylvania RTC. In his career, he has made a Cadet World Team, two Junior World Teams and a U23 World Team, bringing home a silver medal from the 2014 Junior World Championships and a bronze medal from the 2017 U23 World Championships. He is also a 2018 U.S. Open champion and a 2019 Senior Nationals third-place finisher.
The card will kick off at 9 pm EST, and can only be streamed through UFC Fight Pass.