If Olympic gold medalist and multi-time world champion wrestler Kyle Snyder decides on a future in mixed martial arts, he will undoubtedly become the top prospect in the history of the sport on the day he books his first fight.

Snyder, 22, is already the youngest American wrestler to ever capture gold at the Olympics, and he just recently became the first U.S. athlete to win back-to-back championships at the prestigious Yarygin wrestling tournament in Russia.

While Snyder's time at Ohio State University is winding down during his senior year, he's still focused on wrestling, especially with the 2020 Olympic games creeping up just around the corner.

That being said, Snyder previously stated that he had every intention of eventually transitioning into MMA. Snyder says that fighting is still something he contemplates quite often, but he also took some valuable advice from UFC light heavyweight champion and heavyweight title challenger Daniel Cormier regarding a future in MMA.

"I've thought about it a little less than when I went to the fights in Cleveland (at UFC 203) and I went to Vegas when Ronda Rousey fought and Cody Garbrandt beat (Dominick) Cruz and that was sick, too," Snyder told FloCombat. "I think the sport is awesome. Every time I go or watch, I get amped up and I want to get in there and feel what it's like. Like you said, I'm going to wrestle for a while. [There are] still a lot of people telling me that I should fight and should get in the cage now."

Cormier, however, was not one of the voices telling Snyder to get into the cage immediately.

"I talked to [Daniel] Cormier about it, and he just said be patient, take your time," Snyder said. "He's 39 years old right now and he's the champ and really no can push him in the 205-pound weight class. So when I'm done wrestling, fighting will still be there if I still want to compete. I think that I could be a really good fighter, but we'll see what happens."





Snyder will only be 24 years old when he competes in his second Olympic games in 2020, and he could easily decide to go for another run in 2024. It's a rare feat to win multiple gold medals in the Olympics — much less three of them — so it's something Snyder could definitely pursue given his stature in the sport and his young age.

For reference, Cormier didn't even enter his first MMA fight until he was 31 years old and past two Olympic cycles. Snyder will still be three years younger than that at 28 if he opted to go after gold in 2020 and in 2024.

"That's the way I see it, too. I've got time," Snyder said. "[I'm] trying to make smart decisions and not get too far ahead of myself. When I see something, I get inspired quickly, and I want to hop in there right away."

For now, Snyder is focused on beating Ohio State rival Michigan this weekend and then looking ahead to the Big Ten championships and the NCAA tournament in March, where he expects to have a fierce showdown with Penn State after the two teams clashed in the most anticipated dual of 2018 this past weekend.

Penn State ultimately earned the team victory by one point, but Snyder is confident Ohio State will rectify that in the team scores at the NCAA Championships.

"I truly believe that Ohio State is destined to win the NCAA tournament this year," Snyder said. "Although it may not look like it as of now that dual meet is going to be a positive."

By Damon Martin