Stephen Abas
Template:Short description Stephen Anthony Abas (born January 12, 1978) is an American Olympic freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. Abas became a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion in the Template:Convert weight division while attending Fresno State University.[1] He has competed in two world freestyle championships and received a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.[2]
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox martial artist
Early life
Abas graduated from James Logan High School as a star wrestler. During high school, Abas was a three-time California wrestling state champion.[3] Prior to JLHS he attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley. He and his brother Gerry Abas were members of the Wan Tu Wazuri wrestling club at Oakland Technical High School in Oakland.[4]
College career
Wrestling for Fresno State from 1998 to 2002, he earned four All-American honors and three National Championships at the NCAA DI wrestling championships. Abas placed fourth in the 118-pound weight class as a freshman and won the next three years in the Template:Convert weight class. He finished his college career with a 144–4 record, with 46 pins, going undefeated his last three college seasons at 125 pounds. Voted top 15 wrestlers in NCAA history.
International wrestling career
Abas also is a decorated freestyle wrestler; competing in two world freestyle championships and receiving a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. At the 2005 NCAA championships, he was named as one of the fifteen greatest wrestlers in NCAA history, alongside other standouts such as Kurt Angle, Cael Sanderson, and Dan Gable. Abas was also elected to the NCAA 75th Anniversary Wrestling Team.
Abas tried out for the 2008 USA Olympic Team and reached the finals of the Olympic Trials, losing to Henry Cejudo in a best-of-3 series, 2 matches to 1, even though he competed with a damaged knee. In 2008, he retired from competitive wrestling.
Mixed martial arts career
He began an MMA career. He teaches and trains out of The Arena MMA gym in San Diego, alongside other notable athletes such as Diego Sanchez, Joe Duarte, Rani Yahya, K. J. Noons, Fabricio Camoes, and Xande Ribeiro.
MMA record
Template:MMArecordbox Template:MMA record start |- | style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | align=center | 3-0 | Clint Gerona | TKO (Retirement) | Rebel Fighter – Annihilation | August 13, 2011 | align=center | 3 | align=center | 5:00 | Amador County Fairgrounds, Plymouth, California | |- | style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | align=center | 2-0 | Joey de la Cruz | Decision (Unanimous) | TPF 5: Stars and Strikes | September 7, 2010 | align=center | 3 | align=center | 3:00 | Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, Lemoore, California | |- | style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | align=center | 1-0 | Sam Stevens-Milo | Decision (Majority) | TPF 4: Cinco de Mayhem | May 5, 2010 | align=center | 3 | align=center | 3:00 | Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, Lemoore, California | Bantamweight debut
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Personal life
In 2009, Abas was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame.[5] In 2018, Abas was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[6]
References
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Stephen Abas. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- Pages with script errors
- Living people
- 1978 births
- Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in wrestling
- American male sport wrestlers
- Wrestlers at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
- American male mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling
- Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- James Logan High School alumni
- Sportspeople from Alameda County, California
- Pages with reference errors