Latest news with #Huskie
Global News
7 days ago
- Sport
- Global News
‘Big Game' Hunter Lee sizing up opponents in transition from wrestling to MMA career
In a sport where weight class matters so much, 25-year old MMA fighter Hunter Lee isn't fazed by opponents 10, 20 or even 30 pounds heavier than he is. That was just the case in late May at Unified 62 in Toronto, as the 185-pound Lee jumped up to the 205-pound division and knocked out opponent Cal Kostiniuk. 'I went and had some all-you-can-eat ribs the night before so that I could be close to his weight,' said Lee. 'He's a big guy, like six-foot-four and I'm five-foot-11, so a big height difference. It doesn't make a difference to me, they've been calling me the 'Big Game Hunter' since then because I'm willing to fight anyone, anytime.' Inspired by MMA fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Canadian great Georges St-Pierre, Lee has become one of the country's rising stars in the sport. Story continues below advertisement Since winning at Unified 62, Lee is coming off a victory by unanimous decision over Chris Choo at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in Florida to improve his professional record to an undefeated 4-0. It's something that doesn't surprise Jesse Boldt, a muay thai instructor at Modern Martial Arts Center in Saskatoon where Lee trains. 'We know what it's like to go with Hunter in the gym,' said Boldt. 'So we know his poor opponents, how they're going to feel going against him. When he wins the way he does, it's expected because we feel it in the gym.' Lee's strength comes from a dominant ground game developed over his collegiate career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies wrestling team between 2017 and 2022, where he'd become a national champion with the program and become an alternate for the Canadian Olympic team. First discovered by coach Daniel Olver with the Huskies' junior program, Lee's progression into the MMA world doesn't surprise the University of Saskatchewan coach one bit. 'It was always something that Hunter wanted to get into,' said Olver. 'We knew that when he was part of the Junior Huskies program and then into the [University of Saskatchewan] Huskies program, this was his end goal here. Story continues below advertisement 'In terms of seeing that success when he was a Huskie now being able to transfer into MMA, we always talk about how excellence is a transferrable skill. He was excellent as a Huskie, he was dedicated to winning and he's transferring that right into MMA. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I'm not surprised that he's having the success that he is.' For Lee, the wrestling background has allowed him to control fights on the ground more effectively while also having a framework to cut weight once he begins fighting more opponents within his planned weight class of 170 to 175 pounds. Calling himself the 'most ducked professional MMA fighter,' he said it's been a struggle to find opponents who want to go up against his wrestling background. 'With wrestling you just compete against whoever shows up,' said Lee. 'You go to the national tournament and you just sign up, whoever is in your bracket you got to go against them and you can't say no. In MMA, guys can say no and then they'll get a different opponent that's easier. 'I had a lot of problems with that earlier in my career. It's because my grappling level from my wrestling career is so much higher than what they're used to seeing.' Part of that transition to MMA life full-time has been gaining confidence on the microphone after matches, a trait which Lee believes helps market the sport and gain interest in young fighters such as himself. Story continues below advertisement 1:15 USask Huskies star guard Grassick named U Sports Female Athlete of the Year That came to life following his Unified 62 victory, as he called out a list of potential opponents just minutes after winning his match. 'I want to put on an interview that people want to see,' said Lee. 'For my first two fights they didn't let me do an in-cage interview because of the time limit and I was earlier on the card. I was like, 'As soon as they give me the mic, I'm going to make it worthwhile so that they want to give me the mic in the future.' I feel like I did that.' Hoping to one day advance through the levels of MMA and reach the vaunted UFC, they're dreams that were born in his hometown of Flin Flon, Man., and grown in his adopted home of Saskatoon over the past seven years. They're communities that Lee said he fights for every time he steps into the octagon. Story continues below advertisement 'I walk out to The Last Saskatchewan Pirate so I always got those roots,' said Lee. 'Even though technically Flin Flon is a border town, so I feel like I represent Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Last Saskatchewan Pirate is my walk-out song, I always carry that sort of representation even into the UFC.' Watching the impact Lee has had on other fighters at their gym, Boldt added there's a sense of magic around his story and the paths toward professional fighting that others in the province can take. 'I think it's really cool because it gives the belief in other people from some small town in the middle of nowhere that they can do big things as well,' said Boldt. 'In small communities, it gives them hope where you don't have to be from Vancouver, Montreal or even Saskatoon. You can be from a small town and do great things.' Lee will look to keep his undefeated record intact later this year, as he's looking to fight at a Unified MMA event in Edmonton in October.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers sign former NIU lineman J.J. Lippe, other former Huskies also sign with NFL teams
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — The Green Bay Packers have brought on board a former Northern Illinois University Huskie. They've signed offensive lineman J.J. Lippe. Lippe went undrafted over the weekend. He started 12 games at left guard and one at right tackle for the Huskies last season. The Huskies' offensive line allowed the fewest sacks in the offense ranked second in the MAC in total offense and 16th in the nation in rushing was First Team All-MAC. He helped the NIU upset Notre is from Milwaukee, so he's somewhat of a local guy for the more former NIU football players who went undrafted have agreed to deals with NFL teams. Safety Nate Valcarcel signed with the Rams. Fullback Brock Lampe signed with the Patriots, and defensive tackle Devonte O'Malley signed with the more Huskies from last season have been invited to rookie minicamps, cornerback JaVaughn Byrd by the Saints and center Logan Zchernitz by the Giants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Discovery of Walter the deer's antler brings Pullman hunt to a close
Mar. 6—A months-long saga involving a white-tailed deer, his unfortunate entanglement with a hammock and the hunt for his purple-laden shed has finally come to a close. Walter, as the deer was affectionately nicknamed, was a sight to behold as he traipsed around Pullman following a run in with a backyard hammock last September. Large portions of the violet fabric remained adorned to his right antler until the young buck shed it in February. During those five months, Walter grew a global fan base, while also being the subject of many calls to the Pullman Police Department. The police department, who were the ones to free Walter from his backyard booby trap, had to inform many a concerned resident of the crimson and gray city that the rival-colored fabric did not impede the deer's quality of life, he'd eventually drop it as all white-tailed do — and that Walter was not the victim of frat-boy hijinx, as Code Enforcement Officer Kayla Loop said last month. The treasure lost to the Palouse winter was found Wednesday, said Judy Willington, founder of a Facebook account serving as Walter's official fan page. Willington said the tattered remnants of the hammock were still attached, although time and the elements have faded the fabric into a more appropriate mix of mauve, lavender and plum. Dave Gibney, fellow Pullman resident, spotted the antler while out for a walk near Reaney Park, home to the Lentil Festival. He's noticed Walter in his neighborhood from time to time after first spotting him in his yard last fall. "I didn't know it was a hammock," Gibney said. "When I first saw him, I called him into the police too, and they told me they knew about him. Frankly, I thought it looked like a Huskie jacket." In what may have been a sign of peace offering after taunting Washington State University cougar fans with their in-state rival's colors, Walter left the antler lying near the foot of the iconic steps running from Reaney Park up the hill to the university. Gibney uploaded some photos of the antler laying in the grass, then posted them to much acclaim in the Facebook group. While a bit vague about the location, Gibney gathered up the antler and left it on his front porch for Willington to find. "I was so happy that he reached out to us, and that he was able to get it to me," Willington said. "I kind of like the way that he did the pictures, but didn't say anything about it. It kind of was, I don't know what to call it, like a treasure map or something." Gibney, a now retired longtime IT specialist at the university, said it made perfect sense to pass it on to Willington. She's a big supporter of Walter, founded the Facebook group and has a plan for the antler and it's remaining fabric. "I don't have a great use for a little fork and horn antler," Gibney said. "I knew she wanted it, so why not?" Willington will mount the antler above her porch, complete with a sign declaring the locale "Walter's Place." The good news spread like wildfire through her Facebook group Wednesday, as Walter fans near and far reveled in Gibney's kindness and Willington's joy. "It'll be fun to just keep on watching and seeing how the rest of the adventure unfolds, when those new antlers grow in," Willington said. "And watching how big they grow, and how many times he'll still come back and visit. "But I sure hope he doesn't find another hammock."
