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Star high school wrestler Bo Bassett's decision to decommit from the Iowa Hawkeyes drew a fiery response from UFC legend Chael Sonnen.
Bassett is considered as the No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestling prospect in the class of 2026, per MatScouts.
The Bishop McCort High School product out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, bosts a 126-0 high school record, won his second state title at the PIAA State Wrestling Championships this spring and has represented the US in international competitions.
Bassett committed to wrestling powerhouse Iowa back in February. However, he backed off that pledge on June 23 and re-opened his recruitment in favor of Penn State, Oklahoma State and Nebraska.
The reason for the decommitment from 24-time national champion Iowa wasn't directly disclosed, but Bassett did note that the Hawkeyes aren't the "right fit" for him as a wrestler, person or for his faith.
“After a lot of prayer and talking with my family, I’ve decided to decommit from the University of Iowa,” Bassett wrote on Instagram. “This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a wrestler, a person, or for my faith journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll never speak a bad word about their program. This is about finding the place God wants me to be. This is a huge decision in my life and it has to be the right one."
Sonnen sharply criticized Bassett's controversial decision. The Oregon wrestling icon first disclosed that he offered Bassett $1 million for his NIL rights, but Bassett did not respond.
“Now I got to tell you, from the beginning, in full disclosure, I tried to do business with Bo, and I didn’t get my way,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I tried to reach Bo, and I finally even went publicly and told him, 'Here’s the deal. I will give you $1 million. In exchange, you’re going to sign over your NIL rights to me. Whatever I can do with that is on me, but you’re guaranteed a million dollars.'"
Bassett's move didn't make much sense to Sonnen, who seemingly took offense to not only the decommitment but also the wording in the announcement. High-profile decommitments and flips are a common occurrence within college recruiting.
However, Sonnen appears to view Bassett's announcement as subtle shot at Iowa.
“Your word’s either good or it’s not," he said. "People have the right to change them, and there’s no such thing as decommit. ... You’re lying. Gotta be a man about it. Now there is such a thing as changing your mind, and young people get grace to change their mind, but when you took a shot, you fired a shot at the ethics of the most ethical program in wrestling’s history. Excuse me. You do not stand on the moral high ground, not on this one.”
“He took a shot at the Hawks, and it was nasty," Sonnen said. "It was a very nasty thing. And much like the commit, he used words that made it sound as though he had the moral high ground. ... He slipped the word faith in there like nobody can ever argue against faith, just it’s one of these things that’s very uncommon. ... We’re dealing with a kid. He gets grace. I do understand that, but he took a shot at men. If you want to fight with the men, you’re gonna get treated like a man.”
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TODAY'S BEST
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