A New Grip on Talent

"I basically love the brutality and the thrill of overpowering somebody," Bulger said.

'I've Found a Way to Get Paid'

Before the rise of MMA, collegiate wrestlers such as American University junior Andrew Silber would often see their competitive athletic careers end at graduation. Now, with multiple federations such as the UFC and IFL offering well-paying, televised bouts, they have established professional options outside the theatrical Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment.

When he was 13, Silber worked at his father's wallpaper manufacturing factory in Clark, N.J., manually moving heavy equipment or filing paperwork. His second job was as a ride operator at Bowcraft Playland in Scotch Plains, N.J., and his third job was landscaping.

Now all Silber wants to do is fight. He says he is primarily at American so he can wrestle, and he devotes much of his free time to thinking or reading about MMA.

"I would never sit in an office for the rest of my life," Silber said. "All I want to do is compete for the rest of my life and be in shape. It used to be that you just go to work to make money, but now people want to find what really makes them tick. [In MMA], I've found a way to get paid doing something I'd do for free."

Silber's coach at American, Mark Cody, encourages his wrestlers to take part in MMA. One of his best, senior and defending NCAA 197-pound champion Josh Glenn, estimates that 50 people -- including Lindland -- have approached him in the past year to gauge his interest in a professional MMA career.

"The common question a few years ago was, 'Are you going to wrestle internationally after college?' " said Glenn, who plans to decline any MMA opportunities in favor of a career in coaching or the military. "Now you have the same question immediately followed by, 'Are you going to fight after college?' That kind of shows how society has changed and picked up MMA as a more common interest. It's just something wrestlers do. It's an extension of your career."

Silber has wrestled since he was 7 years old and took his first MMA class in summer 2006. He ultimately would like to draw the eye of Lindland, whom Cody coached at the University of Nebraska and in preparation for the 2000 Olympics.

"It's a way for college guys to go out and make money," Cody said. "Unless you're an Olympic champion or a world medalist, it's hard to make money off of wrestling. A lot of people say there's a better way to make a living without getting your head bashed in, but a lot of these guys are really educated. They just like to compete."