MINNEAPOLIS — Former Gopher All-American and current Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Jacob Volkmann will be on hand to sign autographs on Sunday afternoon prior to the fourth-ranked Gophers’ dual against No. 3 Wisconsin.
A three-time All-American at Minnesota, Volkmann remains one of the best wrestler’s to ever don the Gophers singlet. His career record of 127-36-0 and 34 career pins each rank ninth all-time at the school while Volkmann was an integral part of the first national championship team in Minnesota history. In his first-year on the mat for the Gophers, Volkmann fought his way to a fourth-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championships as one of 10 All-Americans for the Gophers that year – a feat that had never been accomplished by a team at the national tournament up to that point. Volkmann followed up with a third-place finish at the national championship in 2003 and a fourth-place finish in 2004, the same year he claimed his first Big Ten championship at 165 lbs.
A native of Henning, Minn., Volkmann currently competes in the UFC lightweight division and holds 12-2 mixed martial arts record with a three-bout winning streak. His latest fight was a three-round split decision victory over Antonio McKee on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125: Resolution in Las Vegas.
Sunday’s dual pits two of the top wrestling programs in the nation against each other as the No. 4 Gophers host No. 3 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. The Gophers wrestling team will be signing autographs following the dual.