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Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling received a massive shocker as one of their best wrestlers suffered an unexpected loss. Squaring off against Purdue, Drake Ayala entered the mat in perfect form after recently jumping to rank one in the 125lbs weight class. However, the grappler and his new ranking fell flat on their face with a humiliating loss.

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Purdue Boilermakers wrestling superstar Matt Ramos was the man behind the high-voltage victory over Drake Ayala. A social media post broke the news of the staunch victory of Ramos over Ayala as the Iowa Hawkeyes star failed to outscore him. This is the second top-ranking Iowa wrestler Ramos has defeated in his NCAA career.

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Matt Ramos changes the course of Purdue’s wrestling history

Big Ten Wrestling tweeted a video of the final moments of the Matt Ramos versus Drake Ayala match. The tweet carried the caption, “Matt Ramos just started the @PurdueWrestling dual off with a bang! No. 2 at 125 @Matt_Ramos2 wins a 4-1 decision over the No. 1 Drake Ayala.”

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The video showed Ramos circling the mat and waving to the crowd after his remarkable victory. Before this, however, the footage showcased the offensive dominance ensured by Ramos over the Iowa Hawkeyes star. With this win, Purdue ended an over half-a-century losing streak against Iowa Hawkeyes. Purdue’s last win against Iowa was a 23-9 victory in 1961 in Iowa City. 

Matt Ramos has been one of the most consistent wrestlers despite being in the fragile 125lbs weight class. Ramos has been an eyesore for the Iowa Hawkeyes even before. While he defeated Ayala today, he has already secured a victory against Iowa’s 3x NCAA Champ Spencer Lee as well. 

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Purdue wrestler digs up the old wound of Iowa Hawkeyes

Spencer Lee is one of the most proficient wrestlers to ever represent the Iowa Hawkeyes. While the 125-pounder won the NCAA Championship thrice, he could have won the title four consecutive times. But, despite holding the number one rank in his weight class, he lost to Matt Ramos, who held the fourth rank.

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To add insult to injury, Ramos didn’t just steal Lee’s chance for a fourth title, he also ended his unbeaten collegiate career record. Apparently, at 57 wins, it was the longest win streak in the history of NCAA at the time. Speaking about his win against the Iowa Hawkeyes wrestler, Ramos said that he truly believed that he could defeat Lee before stepping on the mat. Will head coach Tom Brands ever be able to find an answer for Purdue’s Hawkeye Killer?

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ALSO READ – Why Is AJ Ferrari Still Not Wrestling as a Hawkeye Despite Acceptance in University of Iowa?

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Ankit Singh

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Ankit Singh is a senior Olympic Sports correspondent at EssentiallySports who covers gymnastics, track and field, and the NCAA Women's Division 1 Volleyball. In his early days at ES, Ankit covered two prime track and field events - the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. During the 2023 NCAA Division 1 women’s Volleyball championships, Ankit covered the Nebraska Huskers and the Wisconsin Badgers rivalry, and later covered the transfer portals after the Texas Longhorns lifted the victory. A basketball player himself, Ankit clinched a silver medal in the divisional-level championships and continues to bring the same thrill to his written content. Find more about Ankit on:-

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BHUJAYA RAY CHOWDHURY

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