Some Of The World's Best Wrestlers Come To Arkansas

We know the sport is expected to grow and thanks to some special athletes, we do expect its popularity to increase.

It's a lot harder than it looks. It takes discipline, strength, and technique.

And you may not recognize the athletes by face but they're some of the best in the world under the watchful eye of a 6-time world champion, two time Olympic champion John Smith.

"It's a situation where we can get away from our hometown and focus on just wrestling and prepare to try to make this Olympic team. It takes that kind of focus," says Smith.

That's right Olympic athletes. Like Olympic silver medalist Jamill Kelly who's visiting Arkansas for the first time.

There's Daniel Cormier, considered the best in the world in his weight class, and Olympic hopefuls like Tyrone Lewis, a NCAA National Champion looking to make the team for the first time.

On Wednesday, Arkansas became 49th state to sanction high school wrestling.

"Outside of basketball and football more people wrestle in the country at the high school level than any other sport: track and field and baseball. So it's big for Arkansas," says Cormier

There's a reason these high profile wrestlers are here in Arkansas and why Arkansas will soon catch on to the sport of wrestling. It's Pat Smith, brother of John Smith.

"Pat has a lot of influence in the wrestling community. He's gonna bring good wrestlers here to teach your kids," says Cormier. "Your kids will get to watch some of the best in the country and it'll pass that down to them. You know nothing's more important than seeing it."

John Smith adds, "You're gonna know wrestling. It's just a matter of time before the Arkansas people understand wrestling."

The Arkansas Wrestling Academy's numbers continue to increase and by the way, the Olympic trials for these wrestlers will begin June 14 in Las Vegas.