David Taylor sends message to UFC fighter Diego Lopes after latter's visit to Oklahoma State University

David Taylor, the head coach of the Oklahoma State University wrestling team, shared his gratitude for the visit by the Brazilian UFC fighter Diego Lopes da Silva to the rowdiest arena in the country at Oklahoma State University.

Taylor retired from wrestling after the 2024 World Championship. The wrestler announced his retirement in May 2024 after he was eliminated at the US Olympic trials for Paris 2024. Taylor made a comeback and went on to compete at the World Team Trials and finished off his career with a bronze medal at the World Championship. The same year, the former Penn State wrestler took the position of head coach of the Oklahoma State University Wrestling team.

In a recent Instagram story, David Taylor shared his gratitude for the Brazilian UFC fighter Diego Lopes da Silva. The Brazilian fighter was present at the Gallagher-Iba Arena at Oklahoma State University to share his knowledge of the sport with them and participate in wrestling sessions with them.

Screenshot of David Taylor's Instagram story (@magicmanosu/ig)

Taylor's Cowboy RTC has had a dominating wrestling season at the 2025 Claw US Open, where three of Taylor's wrestlers won the titles, Zahid Valencia, Joey McKenna, and Wyatt Hendrickson claiming the top spot.

David Taylor won the 2025 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year award in his debut year

The OSU head coach, Taylor, had an impressive debut year as wrestling coach. In his first year as the head coach, Taylor has curated a strong wrestling team, leading them to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

For his stellar first-year debut and Cowboy RTC dominance in the wrestling season, Taylor was awarded the 2025 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by the Open Mat. From Wyatt Hendrickson winning the NCAA championship title and the Dan Hodge Trophy, Taylor's Cowboy RTC wrestlers have made his stand stronger.

The Olympic gold medalist Taylor is a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner in his collegiate career with Penn State. Taylor won the World Championship thrice in his career, in 2018 (Budapest), 2022 (Belgrade), and 2023 (Belgrade). The wrestler claimed Olympic glory in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, defeating Hasan Yazdani of Iran.

Edited by Rupesh