Townsend Saunders

Townsend Saunders (born April 20, 1967) is an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling.^[1] Collegiately, Saunders was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American at Arizona State University and an NCAA Division II National Champion for California State University-Bakersfield. Townsend was also a Goodwill Games gold medalist in 1994 and won two Pan American Games gold medals in 1991 and 1995.

Townsend Saunders

Personal information
Born	April 20, 1967 (1967-04-20) (age 57) White Sands, New Mexico, U.S.
Home town	Torrance, California, U.S.
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Event(s)	Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team	Arizona State Cal State Bakersfield
Club	Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
Team	USA
Coached by	Bobby Douglas
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta 68 kg Pan American Games 1991 Havana 68 kg 1995 Mar del Plata 68 kg Goodwill Games 1994 Saint Petersburg 68 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Arizona State Sun Devils NCAA Division I Championships 1989 Oklahoma City 142 lb 1990 College Park 150 lb Representing the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners NCAA Division II Championships 1987 Edwardsville 142 lb

Biography

Saunders was born in White Sands, New Mexico. Known in college as "Junior" Saunders,^[2] he adopted his given name in international competition. In 1985, he was a California State runner-up while wrestling for Torrance High School in Torrance, California. Townsend Saunders has also competed in mixed martial arts for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at UFC 16 and UFC 18.

Saunders is married to Tricia Saunders, a four-time FILA World Champion in women's freestyle wrestling, and is the father of three children.

In 2019, Saunders was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.^[3]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

2 matches	0 wins	2 losses
By decision	0	2

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	0–2	Mikey Burnett	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 18	January 8, 1999	1	15:00	Kenner, Louisiana, United States
Loss	0–1	Pat Miletich	Decision (split)	UFC 16	March 13, 1998	1	15:00	Kenner, Louisiana, United States	MMA Debut.

Submission grappling record

Result	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Notes
Win	Andre Pederneiras	Decision	The Contenders	1997	5	5:00

References

1. Dan, Gable (December 1, 1998). Coaching Wrestling Successfully. Human Kinetics. ISBN 978-0-87322-404-8.
2. Rowe, Reginald E. (May 9, 2016). The Golden Era of Amateur Wrestling: 1980S. Archway Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4808-2963-3.
3. Townsend Saunders. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Townsend Saunders from Sherdog
• Townsend "Junior" Saunders at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame site
• Townsend Saunders at UFC