Greg Kerkvliet
"Greg"
Cuts the cage, changes levels, drowns opponents in control time.
Fight Plan: Greg Kerkvliet
A coach-ready game plan — historical weaknesses opponents have exploited and what to drill in camp.
- History of lower-body injuries affecting consistency
- Drill takedown defense and cage-wall scrambles
- Stack southpaw sparring partners in camp
- Underhook battles and posture work off the back
Fighter fingerprint
Six-axis profile — the shape tells you the style at a glance.
Wrestling and Fight IQ are the standout edges; opponents should expect their game plan to lean on these. Finishing is the lowest axis — exploit it.
- Aggression0
- Cardio90
- Wrestling98
- Fight IQ95
- Distance Control67
- Finishing0
Prep for camp: Greg Kerkvliet
Recommendations a coach can act on tomorrow — opponent tendencies, drills, and the sparring styles to stack against this fight.
- Utilizes high-level mat control and defensive positioning cultivated in the Big Ten
- Aggressive early starter, often securing first-period pins or early technical falls
- Heavyweight with lighter-weight mobility and technical freestyle-influenced agility
- Drill reactive sprawls — bait the shot off your right hand
- Match their pace through round 2, then turn the screws in 3
- Win exchanges with volume, not single shots — they walk through power
- Posture and frame drills off bottom — never give up the back
- Mix unscripted looks in sparring — they thrive on patterns
- Southpaw pressure striker
- Chain-wrestling D1 partner
- Black-belt grappler comfortable on bottom
- Marathon partner — 5x5 hard rounds, no rest
See it on film
Every read above should be verifiable. Jump straight to the footage on the platforms that host it legally — official channels first, archive sites second.
Clinch work, level changes, control time
Last 3 performances, full rounds and post-fight breakdowns
Coaches: official clip embeds per fighter are coming next — for now, deep links open searches pre-filtered to Greg Kerkvliet.
How Greg has changed
Trend lines across the last three years of tape.
Synthesized from recent fight tape · refresh to recompute
Stylistic neighbors
Closest matches across attributes, finish profile, and discipline — useful for sparring partner selection.
Status / Injuries
Withdrew from recent tournament due to unspecified injury while placing sixth with a 3-2 record; previously recovered from a high school ACL injury (2018).
Checked 6/22/2026
Recent Form
- W2024-03-23vs Lucas DavisonDecision · NCAA Championships Final
- W2024-03-10vs Nick FeldmanDecision · Big Ten Championships
- L2023-03-18vs Mason ParrisDecision · NCAA Championships Final
Availability
Signed with Lehigh Valley Regional Training Center in September 2024 to pursue senior-level freestyle opportunities alongside his final Penn State season.
Attribute Profile
Scouting Summary
Greg Kerkvliet is the 2024 NCAA Division I heavyweight champion and a standout international freestyle competitor. Known for his technical dominance and agility at 285 pounds, he has evolved from a top-ranked recruit into the premier heavyweight in collegiate wrestling under Cael Sanderson at Penn State.
Primary source ↗Tendencies
- Utilizes high-level mat control and defensive positioning cultivated in the Big Ten
- Aggressive early starter, often securing first-period pins or early technical falls
- Heavyweight with lighter-weight mobility and technical freestyle-influenced agility
- Dominant on top, frequently using major decisions to secure team points
Signature Moves
- Mat Return
- Single Leg Takedown
- Snap Down
- Pinning Combinations
Weaknesses
- History of lower-body injuries affecting consistency