ESPN posted a feature on Ring of Honor star Jeff Cobb. The article tells the story of Cobb’s path to professional wrestling and his break through in ROH.
Before becoming a star on the independent wrestling scene, Cobb was an accomplished amateur wrestler. He made his way to the 2004 Olympics as a wrestler for Guam and was the flag bearer for the country.
“It was awesome,” Cobb said of being a flag bearer. “One person from the whole country gets to do that every four years, so being chosen for that was amazing.”
At the Olympics, Cobb would suffer a 10-0 defeat, which is the equivalent of a ‘mercy rule’ in wrestling. The wrestler who handed him that defeat? That would be current UFC star and UFC middleweight title contender, Yoel Romero.
“He is probably one of the baddest men on the planet,” Cobb said. “I remember 2003 at the world championships I watched him in the finals. To see that and then literally a year later having to step foot on the mat against him, I was intimidated.”
“I knew his reputation 15 years ago. He was just a beast,” Cobb continued. “Now he’s killing people in the UFC. It’s awesome to see. I still got a picture of us backstage at the Olympics, so if I ever run into him I’ll be like, ‘Hey man, you beat me up at the 2004 Olympics.'”
You can read the full feature on ROH star Cobb at ESPN.com.
