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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPSMarch 16, 2012Chris HoneycuttST. LOUIS, MISSOURI THE MODERATOR: Questions for Chris. Q. What did the loss to Wilps do to you in the EWL? CHRIS HONEYCUTT: I wrestled him at the beginning of the year, and about a month ago. I don't know if it was lack of preparation. I warmed up more than I always do. Sometimes you lose focus in the fact, he was ranked fourth in the country. He's no joke. He's a tough opponent. Obviously, even the overtime win doesn't compare to what I did a month ago. Maybe he was sick that day. Maybe he had a little cold. Maybe I just broke him or he wasn't feeling his best. It was a reminder that anyone can be beat. I mean, yeah, anyone can go down on any given day. I think it was St.Pierre preached that on any given day anyone can lose. That reminded me of that. I'm actually very happy now that it happened. Last year coming into the tournament 28‑0, I'm almost overlooking some wrestlers. I don't want to say Quentin Wright was one of them, but he's a big‑move wrestler. You can be winning probably between five to eight points, and at any given time he can throw you on your back, get a pin. Get five points. I was fortunate enough ‑‑ well, not fortunate enough.  I got the headlock right in the first period. I had a big hole to dig myself out of. I came up two points short at the end of it. Losing to Wilps, it hurts because I was going for a record of 42‑0 perfect season. If it all works out tomorrow, I win the season at 41‑1. That's a success, but it's goals. It's not just one thing, it's multiples. Q. He really stalled your shots. Third period was a little more cautious. What was he doing where you couldn't get in on him? CHRIS HONEYCUTT: I wrestled him at the beginning of the year. My double legs worked relatively well. I think I picked up a 7‑2 win, I'm not sure. Don't quote me, I think it's 15‑4, I beat him about a month ago. I hit plenty of doubles on him. I know he knew what I was going after. I'm a very simple wrestler. I mean, my double legs is probably one of my better shots. It's not the only thing I have, but I do use it when bigger, stronger opponents want to tie me up and hold me in certain positions. I actually caught myself playing along to his game plan for a while. I should have stayed more on the outside. I like to believe that because I found out today I am the shortest 97‑pounder in the country, I'm probably one of the faster ones, as well. Q. Could you talk about the decision to become a 97‑pounder, why it's worked out so well. CHRIS HONEYCUTT: Last year I cut a decent amount of weight. I'm not going to say my diet was impeccable. I'm sure it could have been better. But as far as I'm concerned, it was pretty decent. I took care of myself. I'm the 205, 210 in the summertime. I got caught up in the whole thing that the old school, whenever you weigh, you go down. If you're a pound or two over weight class, you suck it up an go down. I think it does work for some people. It's not me. I'm stronger, stronger. I depend on being quick. I have more energy, so I'm able to shoot more often, with faster speed, and have more endurance. At the end of the match, I was tired, but I wasn't panting hard. My legs were a little juiced, but that's part of the sport. I was working out with Dustin Kilgore right before the season started. Played a big factor in me being 97. Words of wisdom from Coach Flynn, my former high school coach. Q. You called yourself a simple wrestler. Tomorrow night may be your last match. I can't imagine you as a simple MMA guy. CHRIS HONEYCUTT: That's probably when I turn complex. There's no simple fighters in the UFC. Any MMA, there's so many sports into one. Wrestling's is one of them. Brazilian Jujitsu, boxing, kickboxing. It's amazing. It intrigues me that some people have the belt. You have to be the best at multiple sports. You don't see wrestlers going to the Olympics wrestling and swimming. Not only that, but they're doing it at the same time. Knowing someone can kick you in the head, you have to defend that as well as a double leg, a punch to the face. You also have to be cautious, you could possibly go five of those rounds, not just seven minutes. Something I look very forward to and I do plan on training MMA, and tomorrow will be my last match. Q. (No microphone.) CHRIS HONEYCUTT: I think it actually makes my parents more sad than me. I started wrestling when I was four years old. I was rolling around by myself. When I was three, I wanted to be just like my older brother. He did very, very well in middle school, his first couple years of high school. He had surgery on both shoulders. He chose football to be his sport of choice in college. I chose in in ninth grade that wrestling is my future, it's what is going to get me in college, give me my education, ultimately it's going to get the eyeballs on me and get me an opportunity to perform in mixed martial arts. I sheltered myself for a couple of years wrestling only because I spent a lot of time watching the fights versus wrestling matches. Tomorrow is very exciting. I hope I can go out on a win. To win the National tournament as a fifth‑year senior, it's my last shot, my only time. I mean, it's a dream. It's a step in the right direction. I look forward to actually coming and watching. I think it's more fun watching it than it is actually competing in it. I sit in a room with a cooler for four or five hours. Q. You're the last Edinboro wrestler standing. You don't have anybody to watch tomorrow. CHRIS HONEYCUTT: Well, me being a 97‑pounder, unless our heavyweight was in the finals, I wouldn't get to watch anyone anyways. But, yeah, I mean, no, I don't sleep tomorrow. I watch a little bit of TV. I try to catch a couple of my favorite shows if I can find them here in St.Louis. But, yeah, we have two guys that lost today. Disappointing, but at the same time I told them, after they calmed down obviously, of course, 84, true freshman, youngest guy on the team, he's just a young buck. It's easy for him to look at me, he wants to copy my wrestling style, this and that. I'm 23 years old. I've been in wrestling in college for half a decade now. It's time for me to get out of here. I think he picks me as a role model. He copies me in every positive way. Sometimes I have some flaws. I tell him these are the things you shouldn't do. I'm very proud of our team. For two guys that are redshirt freshmen to come in, I didn't have that opportunity until my second run at the Nationals. I reminded them, Don't put off the feeling. It hurts to lose. I lost to LeBlanc (phonetic) a couple years ago in the round of 12. I beat him in the Reno finals earlier in that year. I mean, he's a hard worker. It hurts. I told him, Don't put that feeling away. Let that feeling burn for a couple weeks, then get back on the matt and use that. Use that to make the right decision, to get up at 2:00 in the morning for 6:30 workouts. Don't sleep till two minutes of. Get a good breakfast in and take your protein. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Chris. CHRIS HONEYCUTT: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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