“This could be it. The biggest upset in the history of the NCAA. Yes, he has done it. Wyatt Hendrickson just beat Gable Stevenson,” an astonished Daniel Cormier screamed into the mic at the 2025 NCAA wrestling championship as Wyatt Hendrickson shockingly took down Gable Steveson in the final moments of their 285lbs Finals clash. ‘DC’s ecstatic pronouncements at the climax of one of the greatest moments in college sports lives rent-free in Hendrickson’s head.
Some have even called it the NCAA wrestling equivalent of Jim Lampley’s iconic 1973 call “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier” during the Frazier-Foreman bout. And you know why the former UFC champ was able to make the iconic call for an iconic moment? Well, as you may know, the New Orleans native is a former collegiate wrestler himself, who lost in the 2001 NCAA championship finals to his nemesis Cael Sanderson. Moreover, the former UFC double champ also represented the Oklahoma State University in his heyday which added an extra layer of ‘brotherhood’ between the duo.
But most importantly, you can’t fake passion, as they say, and Cormier’s Steveson-Hendrickson call is the perfect example. “Let’s Gooooooooooo,” a jubilant Cormier wrote on his Instagram Story along with a news headline announcing the Kansas native’s 2025 Hodge Trophy win.
NCAA, College League, USA Wrestling: DI Wrestling Mar 22, 2025, Philadelphia, PA, USA Wyatt Hendrickson of the Oklahoma State Cowboys defeats Gable Steveson of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship held at Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center PA USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xEricxHartlinex 20250322_eh_se7_02946
The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded annually by the Wrestler Insider News magazine and Culture House to the best collegiate wrestler in the country. A panel votes for who they think deserves the Trophy based on four criteria. 1- record, 2- dominance, 3- quality of competition, and 4- sportsmanship. And this year, the Oklahoma State Cowboy beat five-time NCAA champion, Penn State’s Carter Starocci 30 votes to 26 to lift the Hodge Trophy, the college wrestling equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy.
And Cormier could not be happier. After all, the US Air Force Second Lieutenant beat an Olympic gold medallist who was the heavy favorite and won the fight 4-2 until the final minute. But out of nowhere, in the last few seconds of their contest, Hendrickson managed to take down Steveson. The only time the Olympian had been taken down this season with the final scores reading 5-4, thus scripting one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in American college sports history. And whenever people think of this incredible moment, it would be to the tune of Cormier losing his mind!
Wyatt Hendrickson commends Daniel Cormier’s commentary and dishes on future MMA plans
“Just hearing that commentary, every time I rewatch that last situation with DC commenting, I get off my seat like I don’t know what happened. I get so into it. The goosebumps are just flowing every single time and that commentary was nothing short of absolutely outstanding,” Wyatt Hendrickson told MMA Junkie.
“Just reliving that moment and hearing him yell, ‘Wyatt Hendrickson just beat Gable Steveson. Wyatt Hendrickson just beat Gable Steveson.’ Oh my gosh. That clip is going to be running through my mind rent-free for the rest of my life,” he added.
The type of moment athletes dream of. But does Hendrickson have any plans to follow Cormier’s footsteps? For the uninitiated, Gable Steveson has been working with Jon Jones and talked about wanting to give MMA a try. Does Hendrickson harbor aspirations of crossing over to the Octagon? Well, the Air Force-to-Oklahoma-State wrestler answered this question in a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.
“God gifted me with one body and I want to make sure I take care of it. I don’t want to, you know, try to put myself in a situation where I’m putting my life at risk... But I think for the foreseeable future, I’m obviously, my wrestling career is going to be a big thing. I might start doing some cross-training. It might be exciting, you know, go do a little bit of training, link up with some MMA people, and maybe just feel it out and see where the next path takes me,” Hendrickson told Martin last month.
Right now, the Hodge Trophy winner’s goal is to go to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Now there is a new big goal. Obviously, this year was to be a National Champion — well now the overarching goal for the next couple of years is going to be becoming an Olympic champion.”
This is after which he could cross-over to MMA, or he may not. One career path open to amateur wrestlers is to go pro and hope to make it into the WWE, like Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar, or even Gable Steveson. A lucky few get into the NFL, like Carlton Haselrig or Stephen Neal, while others transition to MMA, such as DC, Ben Askren, or indeed Jon Jones.
However, based on Hendrickson’s comments and his desire not to put himself at needless risk, MMA doesn’t look very likely for him, at least right now. What do you think about Hendrickson winning the Dan Hodge Trophy?
The post After Gable Steveson’s Huge NCAA Upset, Daniel Cormier Fails to Hide His Feelings For Wyatt Hendrickson appeared first on EssentiallySports.
