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A.J. Ferrari

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AJ Ferrari
Personal information
NicknameMr. Fast Twitch[1]
Born (2001-07-24) July 24, 2001 (age 23)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight197 lb (Folkstyle)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle
Folkstyle
College teamCal State Bakersfield (2024)
ClubCowboy RTC (2020–2022)
Coached byJohn Smith (2020–2022)
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Men's freestyle wrestling
Cadet World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Zagreb 92 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 St. Louis 197 lb
Big 12 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Tulsa 197 lb

A.J. Ferrari (born July 24, 2001) is an American freestyle wrestler and folkstyle wrestler who competes internationally at 92 kilograms and collegiately at 197 pounds.[2][3] He was previously signed by the WWE under its NIL (Next in Line) program. In freestyle, he claimed a bronze medal at the 2018 Cadet World Championships and was the 2020 US junior national champion.[4][5]

In folkstyle, Ferrari is an NCAA Division I national champion and Big 12 Conference champion out of Oklahoma State University, and was the top-ranked high school wrestler at the time of his commitment.[6][7] Ferrari left the OSU wrestling team after local police announced he was under investigation for sexual assault.[8][9] On August 3, 2022, Ferrari was charged with felony sexual battery.[10] The case was dismissed on October 2023.[11]

Amateur wrestling career

[edit]

High school

[edit]

Born and raised in Texas, Ferrari first attended Allen High School, where he became a two-time state champion and claimed a Walsh Jesuit Ironman title, as well as a Cadet Fargo National Championship in freestyle wrestling.[12][13][14][15] In 2018, Ferrari claimed a Cadet World Championship bronze medal before he and his family moved to New Jersey, where he attended Blair Academy as the top-ranked 195-pounder in the country.[16][17] While in Blair, he claimed a Beast of the East title by beating the second-ranked wrestler in the nation Jacob Cardenas (helping to the team title)[18] and another Ironman title (also helping to the team title).[19] He then transferred to Bergen Catholic High School,[20] where he was also dominant but not eligible to compete in the post-season, like in Blair.[20] After that, he moved back to Allen, Texas,[21] where his senior year was derailed by an ankle injury.[22] In 2020, Ferrari claimed the US Junior National Championship in freestyle.[3]

College

[edit]

In October 2019, Ferrari, the top-recruit in the country, committed to Oklahoma State University,[23] over Rutgers, Penn State, Nebraska and Ohio State.[24]

2020–2021

[edit]

During regular season, Ferrari compiled a 12–1 record, with his only loss being handed to him by the highly ranked Noah Adams from West Virginia.[25] Entering the post-season, Ferrari ran through the bracket to claim his first Big 12 Conference title, becoming the first true freshman to be named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament since 2005.[6] At the NCAAs, Ferrari, the fourth seed, clinched three matches to make the semifinals, notably defeating All-American Jacob Warner from Iowa and highly–ranked Tanner Sloan, before facing the Olympian and B1G Champion Myles Amine.[26] Ferrari was able to prove himself by soundly defeating the highly skilled three-time All-American on points to advance to the finals, taking out the top–seed.[27] In the finale, he defeated Nino Bonaccorsi from Pittsburgh, becoming an NCAA champion as a true freshman, the third in the Cowboys' history.[28]

In April, Ferrari bumped up 17 pounds to make his senior freestyle debut at age 19, at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials in April 1–3 as the sixth seed at 97 kilograms, in an attempt to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[29][30] In the first round, he was defeated by 2018 NCAA champion Michael Macchiavello, and lost controversially to 2019 graduate Ben Honis in the consolation bracket.[31]

2021–2022

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With an undefeated 10–0 record midway through the season,[citation needed] Ferrari and Oklahoma State cross country runner Isai Rodriguez were involved in a serious car accident where Ferrari's car was completely destroyed.[32] Ferrari was airlifted to OU Health in Oklahoma City for treatment for internal bleeding and fluid on his lungs.[33] Ferrari withdrew from the rest of the season since his injuries required surgery.[34]

Mixed martial arts career

[edit]

Ferrari is preparing for a transition to mixed martial arts and has been training in various striking martial arts, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu alongside Rodolfo Vieira and Jorge Masvidal from American Top Team.[35]

Personal life

[edit]

Ferrari is from Allen, Texas, and he started wrestling after the family's move to Dallas.[36] Ferrari's family are Italian Americans.[37]

Criminal charges

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On July 5, 2022, a woman filed for an emergency protective order against Ferrari, alleging he sexually assaulted her on July 2 in her home.[10] On July 14, Oklahoma State University confirmed Ferrari had left their wrestling team.[8] An hour later, the Stillwater Police Department announced Ferrari was under investigation for sexual assault.[9] On August 3, 2022, Ferrari was charged with felony sexual battery in Payne County District Court. The case was dismissed on October 6, 2023, in Payne County District Court."[38][39]

Freestyle record

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Senior Freestyle Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2020 US Olympic Team Trials DNP at 97 kg
Loss 0–2 United States Ben Honis 10–11 April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials United States Fort Worth, Texas
Loss 0–1 United States Mike Macchiavello 1–3

NCAA record

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NCAA Division I Record
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event
Start of 2023–2024 Season (senior year)
DQ Zach Glazier December 30, 2023 [40][41]
End of 2022–2023 Season (junior year)
Start of 2022–2023 Season (junior year)
End of 2021–2022 Season (sophomore year)
Win 30–1 TJ Davis MD 12–2 January 23, 2022 Lehigh - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 29–1 Sam Wustefeld Fall January 16, 2022 Columbia - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 28–1 Brooks Sacharczyk Fall January 8, 2022 Oklahoma State - Little Rock Dual
Win 27–1 Evan Bockman 6–3 December 20, 2021 Oklahoma State - Utah Valley Dual
Win 26–1 Stephen Buchanan 4–2 December 17, 2021 Oklahoma State - Wyoming Dual
Win 25–1 Kayne Hutchison TF 19–4 Oklahoma State - Air Force Dual
Win 24–1 Jake Woodley 6–3 December 12, 2021 Oklahoma State - Oklahoma Dual
Win 23–1 Santino Morina TF 17–2 November 28, 2021 Drexel - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 22–1 Michial Foy MD 12–4 November 20, 2021 Oklahoma State - Minnesota Dual
Win 21–1 Nick Stemmet MD 16–3 November 13, 2021 Stanford - Oklahoma State Dual
Start of 2021–2022 Season (sophomore year)
End of 2020–2021 Season (freshman year)
2021 NCAA Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 197 lbs
Win 20–1 Nino Bonaccorsi 4–2 March 18–20, 2021 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win 19–1 Myles Amine 5–1
Win 18–1 Jacob Warner 3–2
Win 17–1 Tanner Sloan 5–0
Win 16–1 Colin Mccracken TF 18–2
2021 Big 12 Conference 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 197 lbs
Win 15–1 Stephen Buchanan 6–1 March 6–7, 2021 2021 Big 12 Conference Championships
Win 14–1 Tanner Sloan 7–1
Win 13–1 Jake Woodley 8–4
Win 12–1 Jake Woodley 4–1 February 21, 2021 Oklahoma - Oklahoma State Dual
2021 Cowboy Challenge Tournament 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 197 lbs
Win 11–1 Luke Surber MFOR February 14, 2021 2021 Cowboy Challenge Tournament
Loss 10–1 Noah Adams 2–3
Win 10–0 Jace Punke TF 17–1
Win 9–0 Dylan Johnson Fall February 7, 2021 Little Rock - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 8–0 Jake Woodley 3–2 Oklahoma - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 7–0 Yonger Bastida 5–2 January 30, 2021 Oklahoma State - Iowa State Dual
Win 6–0 Kegan Moore 10–4 Oklahoma State - Northern Iowa Dual
Win 5–0 Kayne Hutchison TF 20–5 January 22, 2021 Oklahoma State - Air Force Dual
Win 4–0 Dylan Johnson TF 22–7 January 17, 2021 Oklahoma State - Little Rock Dual
Win 3–0 Austin Andres TF 18–2 Oklahoma State - Southern Illinois Edwardsville Dual
Win 2–0 JJ Dixon MD 16–3 January 10, 2021 Oregon State - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 1–0 Logan Andrew MD 16–5 Chattanooga - Oklahoma State Dual
Start of 2020–2021 Season (freshman year)

Stats

[edit]
Season Year School Rank Weigh Class Record Win Bonus
2022 Sophomore Oklahoma State Cowboys #1 (DNC) 197 10–0 100.00% 70.00%
2021 Freshman #4 (1st) 20–1 95.24% 38.10%
Career 30–1 96.77% 48.39%

[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "AJ Ferrari (@mrfasttwitch)". twitter.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "AJ Ferrari - 2020-21 - Wrestling". Oklahoma State University Athletics. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cain, Brandon M. (November 15, 2020). "Oklahoma State wrestling: AJ Ferrari wins 2020 UWW Junior National title at 92 kilograms". Cowboys Ride For Free. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Andy. "USA Wrestling Medalist History at Cadet World Championships". Trackwrestling. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Duckworth, Seth (November 15, 2020). "AJ Ferrari Dominates his Way to Junior National Title". Pistols Firing. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Cowboy Wrestling Claims Ninth-Straight Big 12 Tournament Title". Oklahoma State University Athletics. March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. ^ James Kratch (October 3, 2019). "A.J. Ferrari, nation's top-ranked wrestling recruit, commits to Oklahoma State over Rutgers, 3 other schools". nj.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Wright, Scott (July 13, 2022). "A.J. Ferrari no longer with Oklahoma State wrestling team". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Hines, Kelly (July 13, 2022). "OSU wrestler AJ Ferrari accused of sexual assault, no longer on the team". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Wright, Scott (August 3, 2022). "Ex-OSU wrestler A.J. Ferrari faces felony charge of sexual battery, warrant for arrest". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  11. ^ "Sexual battery charge dropped against former Oklahoma State wrestler A.J. Ferrari". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "AJ Ferrari is your National Cadet Freestyle Champion". Wrestlingtexas. July 17, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  13. ^ "Ferrari Headlines OSU's Top Ranked Recruiting Class". Oklahoma State University Athletics. September 21, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  14. ^ Smith, Earl (December 12, 2019). "Walsh Ironman Champions from the Last Ten Years". The Open Mat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  15. ^ CalGrappler (July 24, 2017). "FARGO: Cadet & Junior National Results". CalGrappler - The Home for California High School Wrestling. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "AJ Ferrari headed to Croatia for Cadet World Championships". Wrestlingtexas. June 29, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  17. ^ "Blair Academy begins season No. 1 in Fab 50 for eighth straight season". InterMat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  18. ^ Bill Evans (December 23, 2018). "Colaiocco wins 4th Beast title; Ferrari captures 1-2 matchup, Blair rolls to team crown". nj.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "Blair Academy wins Ironman title by record-margin 100 points". InterMat. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Patrick Lanni (January 22, 2019). "2 of nation's best wrestlers join powerhouse lineup after transfer". nj.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  21. ^ Kosko, Nick (June 10, 2019). "Rutgers Going All In for Top Ranked Wrestling Recruit AJ Ferrari". On the Banks. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Duckworth, Seth (April 22, 2020). "OSU Wrestling: Q&A with Top-Ranked Recruit and OSU Commit AJ Ferrari". Pistols Firing. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  23. ^ Duckworth, Seth (November 23, 2020). "Anthony Ferrari Commits to Wrestle at Oklahoma State". Pistols Firing. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  24. ^ Miller, Zach. "AJ Ferrari commits to Oklahoma State wrestling". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  25. ^ a b "AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) Profile | WrestleStat". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  26. ^ Press, Jason Elmquist/Stillwater News (March 19, 2021). "UPDATE: Ferrari joins Fix, Lewallen in NCAA semifinals". Stillwater News Press. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  27. ^ Guymon, J. Carl. "NCAA wrestling: Oklahoma State's AJ Ferrari upsets No. 1 seed en route to national final". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  28. ^ Goodwin, Cody. "'That's crazy, man': How Oklahoma State freshman AJ Ferrari won the NCAA wrestling title". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  29. ^ "Gophers' Gable Steveson shares Hodge Trophy with Iowa's Spencer Lee". Star Tribune. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  30. ^ "A.J. Ferrari: A Day in the Life for the NCAA Champ Preparing for Olympic Trials". Pokes Report. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  31. ^ Duckworth, Seth (April 3, 2021). "Fix, Ferrari Fall as Oliver Makes Olympic Trial Finals". Pistols Firing. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  32. ^ "Okla. St. wrestling, track stars hurt in bad crash". ESPN.com. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  33. ^ Wright, Scott (January 24, 2022). "Oklahoma State wrestler A.J. Ferrari recovering after car accident Monday night". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  34. ^ Wright, Scott. "'No chance that he's back this year': Oklahoma State wrestler A.J. Ferrari needs surgery, out for season". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  35. ^ Jones, Phil (January 26, 2023). "NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari Starts Training BJJ With Rodolfo Vieira For MMA Move". JitsMagazine. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  36. ^ Blaine Henry (August 3, 2021). "AJ Ferrari: Future 5x NCAA National Champion". fight-library.com. The Fight Library.
  37. ^ Duckworth, Seth (April 22, 2020). "OSU Wrestling: Q&A with Top-Ranked Recruit and OSU Commit AJ Ferrari". Pistols Firing. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  38. ^ Wright, Scott (October 6, 2023). "Sexual battery charge dropped against former OSU wrestler A.J. Ferrari". The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  39. ^ Simmons, Beau (October 6, 2023). "Sexual battery case dismissed against AJ Ferrari". Stillwater News Press. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  40. ^ Iowa wrestling wins big at Soldier Salute, AJ Ferrari gets heated, DQ'd Des Moines Register
  41. ^ A.J. Ferrari, former OSU wrestler, gets disqualified following win at Iowa dual Tulsa World
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