Jordan Oliver falls to Bajrang Punia in gold-medal match at 2019 Dan Kolov International

Former Oklahoma State standout Jordan Oliver dropped a 12-3 decision to Bajrang Punia of India in the 65 kilograms/143 pounds gold-medal match at the Dan Kolov International on Saturday in Ruse, Bulgaria.

Oliver, a two-time NCAA champion for OSU, grabbed a low single for a takedown and a stepout for a 3-0 lead early in the bout. Punia, the 2018 World silver medalist, replicated Oliver’s effort later in the first to tie the bout 3-3.

Punia scored a takedown near the right side of the mat to take the lead for good. Punia, who was awarded two caution-and-one calls, added another leg attack with 50 seconds left then a stepout and one more single-leg takedown for the win.

Oliver, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, outscored his opponents 34-5 en route to the finals. In the semifinals, he dominated 2014 World University champion Selahattin Kilicsallayan of Turkey, 9-2.

Oliver’s tournament got off to a shaky start though with a decision over Agustin Destribats of Argentina before back-to-back technical falls against teammates Bernard Futrell and Evan Henderson. Futrell won by 16-6 technical fall over Kilicsallayan for bronze.

Fellow OSU alum Alex Dieringer won the 79 kilograms/174 pounds Dan Kolov title Friday. The three-time NCAA champion outscored his opponents 37-0 en route to the title.

The Dan Kolov is a United World Wrestling Ranking Series tournament. The UWW determines the top four seeds in each weight class at this year’s World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Wrestlers that place in the top five score points at UWW Ranking Series events.