MMA SUBMISSION: TEAM TAKEDOWN

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Could Cejudo possibly end up with Team Takedown?

[Ed's note: Check out Mr. Hockensmith discussing possible Team Takedown members of the future on MMA Live right here.]

Here comes Team Takedown.

The Midwest-based startup has been at it now for almost two years, signing a select handful of elite college wrestlers and attempting to turn them into MMA stars. Founder Ted Ehrhardt and his colleagues pay guys around $100,000 a year to focus entirely on training. Fighters receive private lessons, have expenses taken care of and spend quite a bit of time at Xtreme Couture.

Ehrhardt and company needed some legitimate prospects.

Now, they have 'em.

Former Oklahoma State star Jake Rosholt has emerged as maybe the best prospect in all of MMA. The three-time NCAA champion (only the 15th in NCAA history) has mowed through four straight opponents and has been offered a slot on The Ultimate Fighter. After much deliberation, Rosholt and Team Takedown elected to pass on the show, feeling he could get to the UFC on his own. He may: on Sept. 10, he debuts in the WEC. A few wins there, and Rosholt could be popping up on UFC shows.

Same with teammate Johny Hendricks, another former Oklahoma State star wrestler who's with Team Takedown. He won two NCAA titles at OK State; he also gained a reputation as a love/hate hero/villain with fans. College wrestling fans either went crazy cheering for or against him. Hendricks is undefeated, too, at 3-0, and debuts at the WEC's Sept. 10 event.

Another member of Team Takedown, Shane Roller, is already 1-0 in the WEC. Keep an eye on him, too.

Team Takedown hasn't been perfect, though. Former team member Eric Bradley, an All-American wrestler with extensive boxing experience, surged forward a year ago by signing an Elite XC contract. With his resume, MMA insiders thought he had the striking/grappling combo to get to a major fight first. Didn't happen. Ehrhardt fired Bradley a few months ago, then news broke that Bradley had been arrested for his part in multiple robberies in State College, Pa.

And the organization has some other issues as well: Ehrhardt doesn't really want a slew of fighters at the same weights, though he admits it's inevitable; as such, the amount of guys he can sign is limited to the number of MMA weight classes. Secondly, some top-flight guys have gone elsewhere. Former Penn State star Phil Davis, a 2008 national champ, looks like a serious threat in the near future, and he passed on Team Takedown a few months ago.

TOUGHEST PUNTER EVER?

Pittsburgh punter Dave Brytus has an extremely strong leg. Just ask his Panthers teammates…or the many guys he's kicked in the head over the years in fights. Brytus returns as one of the better punters in Big East football, and he's also the only one with cagefighting experience. He has a background in karate (he's a black belt) and boxing (he's a western Pennsylvania junior Golden Gloves champion). And he's an interesting fight matchup—he kicks left-footed and is right-handed.

RAMPAGE UPDATE

Sherdog has a good story on Rampage Jackson pleading not guilty to all the charges stemming from his legal run-in after the Forrest Griffin loss. I'm not sure what will happen with Jackson in the court room. But I can say this: People at the UFC feel very good about Rampage fighting in the future. If he pleads this down and avoids any other trouble, don't expect the incident to affect his career.

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