Must-watch battles at World Championships
https://uww.org/article/six-must-wat...-championships
FS 65kg - Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) vs. Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)
In a weight with endless heavy hitters, offensive juggernauts Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) continue rising to the top while somehow avoiding each other.
Otoguro has been the weight's most dangerous offensive threat since 2018 when he became the youngest Japanese male to win world gold. He's a guy with cat-like reflexes, is highly elusive, and isn't afraid to give up a point to get a point. His counter-offensive abilities make him super dangerous. He gets to his angles better than anyone in the weight.
Though he has changed his style a little, Otoguro will need his old-school run-and-gun mentality to take out Amouzad.
Since Otoguro's absence after the Tokyo Olympic Games, Amouzad has emerged as the most-feared wrestler at 65kg.
Amouzad is a tactician when it comes to breaking down his opponents—mentally and physically. He's a guy with relentless forward pressure and a bottomless gas tank. He uses that patented Iranian underhook to close the distance on his opponents and control the mat area. He's only 22 years old but remains poised like a veteran in close matches. He’s confident wrestling in a phone booth but can attack from space, and that makes him a nightmare to wrestle.
This match comes down to Otoguro's ability to solve Amouzad's underhook and put six consecutive minutes together. On the other side, Amouzad has to be methodical when picking his shots and anticipate where and when Otoguro's going to reattack.
GR 67kg - Luis ORTA (CUB) vs. Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
It’s a rare occurrence having Olympic champions share a bracket together, but that’ll be the case as Reza GERAEI and Luis ORTA (CUB) will share the 67kg bracket in Belgrade. Both of these guys possess a high wrestling IQ and experience, making this potential matchup a must-watch.
Geraei is a true 72kg competitor who struggles to make 67kg, while Ortz Sanchez is a true 63kg pushing to make 67kg.
Geraei, despite losing the final last year, has been a top wrestler at 67kg over the last few years, catapulting himself up the pound-for-pound rankings after winning world and Olympic gold medals.
On the other side, Orta won Olympic gold at 60kg but moved up to 67kg at the beginning of 2023. After wrestling at five competitions this season at 67kg, and winning golds at the Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan-American Championships and the Grand Prix of France, Orta found his stride at 67kg and is starting to feel at home in his new weight class.
“I felt the difference at first in the strength, but I think I have adapted well,” said Orta. “I think that at 67kg there are good wrestlers and will be one of the divisions where there will be several very good matches. I hope to be in the final and put on a good show.”
Of course, one of those guys Orta is referring to is the heavily-targeted Geraei.
“I have thought about wrestling [Geraei] and think it would be a good match. Maybe it could be the World Championship final,” said Orta. [His] greatest strength is his size for the division and he is a very complete wrestler.”
If they were to meet, Orta must focus on stopping Geraei’s most valuable assets -- the misdirection duck under and the reverse lift from par terre.
Meanwhile, Geraei has to focus on match management and not emptying his gas tank too early. The World Championships is a two-day weigh-in competition so conserving energy for the five-match stretch is really important.
The late entry of HUSIYUETU (CHN) knocked Ortz out of the No. 8 seed. He’ll now have a blind draw into the bracket, which means he could meet Geraei as early as the opening round on Saturday, September 23.
FS 125kg - Gable STEVESON (USA) vs. Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)
Despite only being 22 years old, Gable STEVESON (USA) and Amir ZARE (IRI) have already disrupted the heavyweight pecking order and become worldwide superstars.
The two have engaged in repeated exchanges on social media, each staking their claim as the "Heavyweight King." Belgrade could potentially put an end to that debate.
Steveson is one of wrestling's most remarkable talents, possessing a type of athleticism never seen by a wrestling heavyweight. He's a lightweight at heart that’s stuck in a heavyweight's body. A showman who has incorporated backflips into his post-match celebrations, Steveson is a master at mental warfare, oozing with a confidence that can be felt, more than it's seen.
But if there's one guy who can match what Steveson does on the mat and what he says off the mat, it's Zare. That was on display after he won world gold in Oslo, when he put a superficial crown on his own head, staking claim as the heavyweight king.
"[Gable] is a good talent and I think he has a different wrestling style than others; he is very bold. In my opinion, his biggest strength is his self-confidence," said Zare.
When it comes to the remaining heavyweight field, other tier-one talents include Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), both of whom are also world champs. But Zare already has wins over Akgul and Petriashvili, leaving one guy on the hit list.
"Defeating [Gable] doesn't mean anything to me like other competitors because of the sense of competition I have with him. Winning against him makes me happy because we have a common goal in this competition," said Zare.
Freestyle opens up the 2023 World Championships, and with Steveson being unseeded, we could see this match as soon as September 15.
https://uww.org/article/six-must-wat...-championships
FS 65kg - Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) vs. Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)
In a weight with endless heavy hitters, offensive juggernauts Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) continue rising to the top while somehow avoiding each other.
Otoguro has been the weight's most dangerous offensive threat since 2018 when he became the youngest Japanese male to win world gold. He's a guy with cat-like reflexes, is highly elusive, and isn't afraid to give up a point to get a point. His counter-offensive abilities make him super dangerous. He gets to his angles better than anyone in the weight.
Though he has changed his style a little, Otoguro will need his old-school run-and-gun mentality to take out Amouzad.
Since Otoguro's absence after the Tokyo Olympic Games, Amouzad has emerged as the most-feared wrestler at 65kg.
Amouzad is a tactician when it comes to breaking down his opponents—mentally and physically. He's a guy with relentless forward pressure and a bottomless gas tank. He uses that patented Iranian underhook to close the distance on his opponents and control the mat area. He's only 22 years old but remains poised like a veteran in close matches. He’s confident wrestling in a phone booth but can attack from space, and that makes him a nightmare to wrestle.
This match comes down to Otoguro's ability to solve Amouzad's underhook and put six consecutive minutes together. On the other side, Amouzad has to be methodical when picking his shots and anticipate where and when Otoguro's going to reattack.
GR 67kg - Luis ORTA (CUB) vs. Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
It’s a rare occurrence having Olympic champions share a bracket together, but that’ll be the case as Reza GERAEI and Luis ORTA (CUB) will share the 67kg bracket in Belgrade. Both of these guys possess a high wrestling IQ and experience, making this potential matchup a must-watch.
Geraei is a true 72kg competitor who struggles to make 67kg, while Ortz Sanchez is a true 63kg pushing to make 67kg.
Geraei, despite losing the final last year, has been a top wrestler at 67kg over the last few years, catapulting himself up the pound-for-pound rankings after winning world and Olympic gold medals.
On the other side, Orta won Olympic gold at 60kg but moved up to 67kg at the beginning of 2023. After wrestling at five competitions this season at 67kg, and winning golds at the Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan-American Championships and the Grand Prix of France, Orta found his stride at 67kg and is starting to feel at home in his new weight class.
“I felt the difference at first in the strength, but I think I have adapted well,” said Orta. “I think that at 67kg there are good wrestlers and will be one of the divisions where there will be several very good matches. I hope to be in the final and put on a good show.”
Of course, one of those guys Orta is referring to is the heavily-targeted Geraei.
“I have thought about wrestling [Geraei] and think it would be a good match. Maybe it could be the World Championship final,” said Orta. [His] greatest strength is his size for the division and he is a very complete wrestler.”
If they were to meet, Orta must focus on stopping Geraei’s most valuable assets -- the misdirection duck under and the reverse lift from par terre.
Meanwhile, Geraei has to focus on match management and not emptying his gas tank too early. The World Championships is a two-day weigh-in competition so conserving energy for the five-match stretch is really important.
The late entry of HUSIYUETU (CHN) knocked Ortz out of the No. 8 seed. He’ll now have a blind draw into the bracket, which means he could meet Geraei as early as the opening round on Saturday, September 23.
FS 125kg - Gable STEVESON (USA) vs. Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)
Despite only being 22 years old, Gable STEVESON (USA) and Amir ZARE (IRI) have already disrupted the heavyweight pecking order and become worldwide superstars.
The two have engaged in repeated exchanges on social media, each staking their claim as the "Heavyweight King." Belgrade could potentially put an end to that debate.
Steveson is one of wrestling's most remarkable talents, possessing a type of athleticism never seen by a wrestling heavyweight. He's a lightweight at heart that’s stuck in a heavyweight's body. A showman who has incorporated backflips into his post-match celebrations, Steveson is a master at mental warfare, oozing with a confidence that can be felt, more than it's seen.
But if there's one guy who can match what Steveson does on the mat and what he says off the mat, it's Zare. That was on display after he won world gold in Oslo, when he put a superficial crown on his own head, staking claim as the heavyweight king.
"[Gable] is a good talent and I think he has a different wrestling style than others; he is very bold. In my opinion, his biggest strength is his self-confidence," said Zare.
When it comes to the remaining heavyweight field, other tier-one talents include Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), both of whom are also world champs. But Zare already has wins over Akgul and Petriashvili, leaving one guy on the hit list.
"Defeating [Gable] doesn't mean anything to me like other competitors because of the sense of competition I have with him. Winning against him makes me happy because we have a common goal in this competition," said Zare.
Freestyle opens up the 2023 World Championships, and with Steveson being unseeded, we could see this match as soon as September 15.
Comment