Nicholas Piccininni (born December 16, 1996) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the flyweight division. As a wrestler, Piccininni became a three–time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n and a four–time

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

champion out of the

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

for John Smith.

Wrestling career

High school

Piccininni was born and raised in East Setauket, New York, and went on to attend

Ward Melville High School Ward Melville High School is a Public school (government funded), public high school in the Three Village Central School District of Suffolk County, New York on Long Island, serving grades tenth grade, ten through twelfth grade, twelve. It is f ...

. He made the

varsity team In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams. Varsity in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

when he was in the

eighth grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

, year in which he placed third at the state championships. He won the state title in every year of

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, making him a four–time

NYSPHSAA The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is the governing body of interscholastic sports for most public schools in New York outside New York City.http://www.nysphsaa.org/ ''nysphsaa.org'', accessed 15-JAN-2008. The ...

champion at four different weight classes (106, 113, 120 & 126 respectively). He also competed at FloNationals, tournament in which he was the runner-up on 2013 and the champion on 2014. He graduated with a record of 226–3 and was awarded the 2015 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. After

graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

, Piccininni committed to the

to wrestle for the Cowboys.

College

After compiling a 16–4 record in open tournaments, claiming the OCU Open and the Bob Smith Open titles as a redshirting athlete, Piccininni went 27–8 during his

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

season (2016–2017) competing at 125 pounds, and went on to claim his first

title before the NCAAs. At the National tournament, he went 5–2 with both losses coming from returning NCAA runner–up from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Thomas Gilman Thomas Patrick Gilman (born May 28, 1994) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, Gilman is a 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist and the 2021 World Champion (finalist in 2 ...

, to place fourth and earn All–American honors. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

(2017–2018), Piccininni claimed his second Big 12 title in a row,

pinning Pinning may refer to: * Pinning, the effect of certain weapons that cause their targets to be pinned down * Pinning ceremony (nursing), a symbolic welcoming of new graduates into the nursing profession * Pinning force, a force acting on a pinned ob ...

Zeke Moisey from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

in the finals. After two wins, Piccininni was pinned by freshman phenom and three–time age–group World Champion from Iowa

Spencer Lee Spencer Richard Lee (born October 14, 1998) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms (125 pounds). In freestyle, he was the '19 US National champion and a three–time age–group World Champion, once as a ...

(eventual winner of the championship) at the NCAAs, and went on to be eliminated by Ethan Lizak from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

after losing by technical fall, compiling an overall record of 24–5 and not placing at the tournament despite his sixth seed. Piccininni showed major improvements as a junior (2018–2019), building his record up to an undefeated 31–0 record before the NCAAs, notably avenging his loss to the now returning NCAA champion from Iowa

and claiming his third Big 12 Conference title. At the National tournament, Piccininni racked up three wins before once again losing to Lee and getting thrown to consolations, where after being downed by 2016 Cadet World Championship runner–up from

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Vito Arujau, he got a win over Pat Glory to place fifth and secure his second All–American mention. In his

senior year Senior Year may refer to: * Senior (education), the final year in high school or college * ''Senior Year'' (2010 film), the 2010 film by Filipino director Jerrold Tarog * ''Senior Year'' (2022 film), a film starring Rebel Wilson * The Lockheed U-2 ...

(2019–2020) he captured 26 wins and 2 losses, became the ninth

Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

to win four conference titles when he defeated Alex Mackall from

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

in the finals of the Big 12 Conference championships. Piccininni was the third–seeded wrestler for the 2020 NCAA Championships, however, the event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, rendering him and all the qualifiers unable to compete. Piccininni earned first–team NWCA All–American honors after the season. Piccininni graduated from the

with a 112–17 record, four

titles and three All–American honors.

Freestyle

During his

academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...

s, Piccinini did not compete very regularly in

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

. In June 2018, he competed at the US U23 Nationals, where after a four–match win streak he was quickly downed by Vito Arujau, placing sixth. A year later, he competed at the 2019 US Open in April, going 3–2. He made another brief appearance at the 2019 Beat the Streets of May, where he was tech'd by Jack Mueller.

Coaching

In April 2020, it was announced that Piccininni had joined the coaching staff of the wrestling team at

Gilroy High School Gilroy High School is a co-educational public school located in Gilroy, California, that serves the city of Gilroy. A part of the Gilroy Unified School District, is one of two public comprehensive high schools in the city and has an approximate ...

Gilroy, California Gilroy is a city in Northern California's Santa Clara County, south of Morgan Hill and north of San Benito County. Gilroy is the southernmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a population of 56,766 as of the 2019 U.S. Census Projection ...

, along with notable athletes from

AKA Aka, AKA or a.k.a. may refer to: * "Also known as", used to introduce an alternative name Languages * Aka language (Sudan) * Aka language, in the Central African Republic * Hruso language, in India, also referred to as Aka * a prefix in the n ...

such as Daniel Cormier and

Deron Winn Deron Andrew Winn (born June 13, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. A professional mixed martial artist since 2017, he formerly competed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA, fighting in th ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In April 2020, Piccininni announced his transition to

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and signed a contract with Zinkin Entertainment & Sports Management. He started training at American Kickboxing Academy, MMA powerhouse where former Cowboys such as Daniel Cormier and

Kyle Crutchmer Kyle Crutchmer (born May 5, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist, freestyle wrestler and graduated collegiate wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a tw ...

train. Piccininni made his professional debut in June 18, 2021, at XFN 371, winning by submission in the first round. He made his sophomore appearance in the sport against Joseph McCormick at XFN 376 on December 10, 2021. He won the bout via first-round submission. His third bout took place on June 24, 2022, at XFN 381 against Shawn Gustafson. He won the bout via unanimous decision. He then faced Freddie Rodriguez at Fury FC 72 on December 18, 2022. He won the bout via first-round submission.

Championships and accomplishments

Folkstyle wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

All–American out of the

(

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) *

125 lbs Championship out of the

(2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) *

New York State Public High School Athletic Association The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is the governing body of interscholastic sports for most public schools in New York outside New York City.http://www.nysphsaa.org/ ''nysphsaa.org'', accessed 15-JAN-2008. Th ...

State Champion out of

(2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) **

All-State out of

(2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jomar Pa-ac , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fury FC 92 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:43 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Freddie Rodriguez , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Fury FC 72 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Shawn Gustafson , Decision (unanimous) , Xtreme Fight Night 381 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Joseph McCormick , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Xtreme Fight Night 376 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Chancey Wilson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xtreme Fight Night 371 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, United States ,

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - , Loss , 7–4 , align=left, Jack Mueller , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%", May 6, 2019 , style="font-size:88%", 2019 Beat The Streets: Grapple at the Garden , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 7–3 , align=left, Frank Perrelli , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 24–27, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2019 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, - , Win , 7–2 , align=left, Bernardino Gomez , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 6–2 , align=left, Ian Timmins , style="font-size:88%", 8–1 , - , Loss , 5–2 , align=left, Darian Cruz , style="font-size:88%", 2–4 , - , Win , 5–1 , align=left, Christian Sharp , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 4–1 , align=left, Vito Arujau , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, June 1–3, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2018 US U23 National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

, - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Jens Lantz , style="font-size:88%", 8–1 , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Micky Phillippi , style="font-size:88%", 2–2 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Ryan Haskett , style="font-size:88%", 11–9 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Hunter Kosco , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , -

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2019 NCAA Championships 5th at 125 lbs , - , Win , 11–6 , align=left, Pat Glory , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, March 20–22, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6,

2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place from March 21 to March 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena. The tournament was the 89th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and featured seventy teams across that l ...

, - , Loss , 10–6 , align=left, Vito Arujau , style="font-size:88%", 1–5 , - , Loss , 10–5 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–11 , - , Win , 10–4 , align=left, Pat Glory , style="font-size:88%", 9–5 , - , Win , 9–4 , align=left, Elijah Oliver , style="font-size:88%", MD 13–2 , - , Win , 8–4 , align=left, Korbin Meink , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2018 NCAA Championships DNP at 125 lbs , - , Loss , 7–4 , align=left, Ethan Lizak , style="font-size:88%", TF 0-16 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, March 15–17, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4,

2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships The 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place from March 15 to March 17 in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Quicken Loans Arena. The tournament went into its 88th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and featured 62 teams across that leve ...

, - , Loss , 7–3 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 7–2 , align=left, Sean Russell , style="font-size:88%", 6-3 , - , Win , 6–2 , align=left, Travis Piotrowski , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2017 NCAA Championships 4th at 125 lbs , - , Loss , 5–2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–13 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=7, March 15–17, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=7,

2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships In 2017, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, a U.S. college wrestling tournament, was held in St. Louis, Missouri. The winning team was Penn State, and Kyle Snyder won the individual heavyweight competition. Team results Champ ...

, - , Win , 5–1 , align=left, Jack Mueller , style="font-size:88%", INJ , - , Win , 4–1 , align=left, Sean Russell , style="font-size:88%", SV–1 6–4 , - , Win , 3–1 , align=left, Brock Hudkins , style="font-size:88%", 7–5 , - , Loss , 2–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Josh Rodriguez , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Elijah Oliver , style="font-size:88%", Fall , -

Stats

! Season ! Year ! School ! Rank ! Weigh Class ! Record ! Win ! Bonus , - , 2020 , Senior , rowspan=4,

, #3 (DNQ) , rowspan=4, 125 , 26–2 , 92.86% , 71.43% , - , 2019 , Junior , #3 (5th) , 35–2 , 94.59% , 75.68% , - , 2018 , Sophomore , #7 (DNP) , 24–5 , 82.76% , 48.28% , - , 2017 , Freshman , #8 (4th) , 27–8 , 77.14% , 34.29% , - , colspan=5 bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", Career , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 112–17 , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 86.84% , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 57.42%

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piccininni, Nick Living people 1996 births Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestlers American male sport wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from New York (state) Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling People from East Setauket, New York Flyweight mixed martial artists