Kyven Gadson is set to make his professional MMA debut in a heavyweight bout against Jacob Eades at Absolute Combat League 8 on Saturday in Ankeny, Iowa. Along with Gadson, two Iowa State students and an alumnus will make the walk in amateur bouts.
Gadson won the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championship in the 197 pound weight class for Iowa State and after finishing his collegiate career, he has continued to serve Iowa State. He serves as the director of development for the Iowa State Foundation and is a wrestling coach at Myriad MMA Academy in Ames.
“I’m excitedly nervous,” Gadson said. “I believe nerves just show you’re aware of the situation and your body is working. I’m excited. I feel like the preparation has gone really well.”
Since graduating, he has continued to compete in amateur wrestling and competed at Sub Spectrum No-Gi State, a jiu-jitsu competition in Des Moines, Iowa, in July 2024.
In June, Gadson made his amateur MMA debut and beat Asante Moore via submission by Americana in a minute and 22 seconds. Even though it was a dominant win, Gadson said the biggest benefit he got from it was getting the nerves out of the way.
“It was good to get that out of the way, to just have an opportunity to make the walk,” Gadson said. “I’m excited to have another chance to do so, and I’m blessed to be healthy enough to do so.”
This fight is certainly a step up in competition, as Eades is 1-0 in professional MMA and ranked as the No. 5 heavyweight in Iowa on Tapology. In Eades’ pro debut, he was likely losing the fight and was knocked down in the third round. In the final minutes, he shot a takedown and was inadvertently punched in the back of the head, which is an illegal strike. He subsequently won via disqualification.
Eades found success on the amateur circuit before turning pro. He was 20-5 as an amateur, and 19 of his wins came via stoppage.
“I want to move forward, keep my head off-center and get to where I’m an expert at,” Gadson said. “We’re aware of the things he does well, and so not necessarily trying to go to those areas, but be who I am and where I am. I think if those things go my way, it’ll be a good night.”
Gadson touched on the mindset he will bring into the cage Saturday and how it guides his life.
“I think the thing that I’ve been used to doing my whole life is, if you have the capacity to do so, be the best in the world at something,” Gadson said. “Even in my day job as a fundraiser at the ISU Foundation, when I started in 2022, it was like I wanted to be the best at this. I think in a simpler way, the goal is to be the best, most creative, most thoughtful and most intentional version of myself.”
Gadson fights out of and coaches wrestling at Myriad MMA Academy. Since Myriad opened in 2021, the gym has seen numerous spaces, but one thing has remained consistent: the strength of the community they have built.
“It’s really just a community of people that love mixed martial arts,” Gadson said. “Everyone just loves the challenge, the mental fortitude it takes, the problem solving and those things.”
Craig Omozeje and Joel Dudley are both students at Iowa State who fight out of Myriad and will have amateur bouts on the ACL 8 card. Omozeje is 2-1 in amateur fights as a lightweight and lost his last outing via split decision. Dudley, a welterweight, is 3-1 and lost his last fight via submission.
Matt White, an Iowa State alumnus, is also representing the gym in an amateur fight on the card.
ACL 8 takes place at the Prairie Trail Sports Complex in Ankeny, Iowa Saturday. Bouts begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Absolute Combat League website.