2020 U.S. Olympic Team member Jordan Oliver entered Bellator 298 with no in-cage time clocked. He exited with 65 seconds of experience.
At Bellator 298, Oliver (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) defeated Massachusetts’ Andrew Triolo (0-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at 1:05 with a first-round submission due to arm-triangle choke. The welterweight bout kicked off the prelims at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Oliver, 33, took one hard straight right hand for Triolo, who moments later was on his back. Following the successful takedown, Oliver snatched the grip of an arm-triangle choke but was on what would be considered the wrong side of a choke. Oliver squeezed, perhaps sensing his grip was strong, and his positioning didn’t matter. Triolo tapped.
𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 to Bellator! 💪
Wrestling prodigy @that_dude_JO gets the job done in his MMA debut.
📺 #Bellator298 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE on YouTube ▶️ https://t.co/NxwCKFQpdS pic.twitter.com/SqwlC1Oy5J
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 11, 2023
A freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, Oliver signed with Bellator in March. He wrestled four years at Oklahoma State University. Oliver is a 2019 U.S. national champion (freestyle), a two-time NCAA Division-I national champion (folkstyle), a four-time NCAA Division-I All-American, and a four-time Big 12 Conference champion (folkstyle).
After college, Oliver set his sights on the Olympics. In 2021, he was a 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member as the representative in 65kg men’s freestyle wrestling, but didn’t qualify in the 2021 World Olympic Qualifier.
“I look at this as something bigger than the Olympic gold,” Oliver told MMA Junkie shortly after his signing. “This would mean more to me than Olympic gold. At the time I’m coming in and the work I’m going to have to put in, not only to win, but to win with style and dominate, I think it’ll fulfill me more to win a Bellator world title as a fighter.”
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 298 results include:
- Jordan Oliver def. Andrew Triolo via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:05
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.
