Jan. 6, 2005

Fresno, Calif. - The Fresno State athletics department has announced that UFC fighters Chuck Liddell and Josh Koscheck as well as WWE performer Daniel Puder will appear at the Jan. 9 wrestling match between Fresno State and Iowa. The three former wrestlers will be appearing in between the fifth and sixth matches in the evening.

Chuck "Iceman" Liddell is well known in mixed martial arts circles. At one time the No. 1 Light Heavyweight Contender, Liddell has continued to be one of the most successful and famous UFC fighters and trainers in the world. A former wrestler at Cal Poly, Liddell has compiled a 14-3 record in Ultimate Fighting Championship matches, and is a native Californian now living in San Luis Obisbo.

Josh Koscheck has risen to prominence as a contestant on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, now appearing on Spike TV. The 27 year old Koscheck has an impressive background in both wrestling and kickboxing. He was named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year, and also won the 2001 National Championship at 174 pounds while wrestling at Edinboro University, as well as a four-time All-American.

Daniel Puder is an up and coming star in the WWE after winning the Tough Enough 4 reality competition for a WWE contract. Puder, originally from Sunnyvale, Calif., has already appeared on one pay-per-view event for the WWE, and will be participating in the main event at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view show, which is occurring at the Save Mart Center on January 30.

These three athletes will speak to the crowd during the intermission at the Fresno State-Iowa match on January 9th, and will be available to meet fans and sign autographs at the event as well for no charge. Last year, the wrestling match at the Save Mart Center against Iowa State was host to 9,750 fans.