The revolving door at the top of the 125-pound rankings kicked out its latest upset victim Friday night. 

Returning NCAA finalist Matt Ramos of Purdue used a second-period double-leg to grab the lead against newly-minted #1 Drake Ayala, fought off a deep third-period attack by the Iowa sophomore and claimed a 4-1 victory inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

The top spot in the 125-pound rankings has been a rental property with a high turnover rate. The Ramos win over Ayala marked the eighth time the top-ranked wrestler at 125 has taken a loss this season. 

Eighth-ranked Ramos has been on all sides of the 125-pound chaos. He started the season occupying the #1 spot but lost to high school junior Marcus Blaze at the Clarion Open in the first weekend of November. Lock Haven’s Anthony Noto then took over at the top, but he got bounced from the #1 spot after losing to Ramos. 

Since then, North Carolina State’s Jakob Camacho, Stanford’s Nico Provo, Camacho again, Noto again and Ayala have all taken turns at the top. 

Trailing 4-0 to start the third period Friday night, Ayala threatened to maintain his grip on the #1 spot when he scored a quick escape and then got in deep on an outside-step attack in the center of the mat. The Hawkeye couldn’t secure the finish, though, and Ramos got back to his feet near the boundary and ultimately went out of bounds with no points scored.

Matt Ramos just started the @PurdueWrestling dual off with a 💥!

No. 2 at 125 @Matt_Ramos2 wins a 4-1 decision over the No. 1 Drake Ayala. 💪 pic.twitter.com/tfCYZzkc1g

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) January 20, 2024