ILLINIWrestlingBlog

I'm sorry, but I forgot. I wouldn't have known it was about to happen except I left the video running, and I heard the announcement of his match. Cheers!

For the ILLINI RTC, Kamal Bey is into the Semis. Had a win over the Iranian Junior World Champ from a couple years back, then beat a Czech, and most recently, the Georgian. The Bey Bomb came against the Czech. Zac Braunagel had a first-round match against an Olympic medalist and World Champ from Azerbaijan. He lost 1-2, but did an incredible job. He belongs there. IRTC-adjacent Joe Rau lost in the quarters, but won today as well. ... And before I could finish typing this up, Kamal Bey beats the Hungarian in the semis and will be a FINALIST! Dang, they're wrestling'em faster than I can watch'em!

In this tournament, both of the highest-ranked wrestlers are out. I like them both, so it has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. The good news is that 13 wrestlers are still within reach of a tournament win, and Golden Boy Hoshoryu is one of them. Even the two guys I call "The Accountants" are still in the race: Hokutofuji and Takarafuji. I don't think they have much of a chance to win, but I like them very much and would let them do my taxes. It is funny about NattoSumo and the Japanese government TV station NHK: I posted the video at the top of this thread one morning, and that same afternoon, the video is banned by the NHK! But like Jason or Freddy, he keeps coming back. At this point in my Sumo fandom, I watch selected matches from the lower levels. Cheers! Yes! Konichiwa and arigato! Agree that they are hurting for THE SUPERSTAR because the top guys are very injury-plagued. Your history lesson was appreciated. Since becoming a Sumo fan, I have watched videos about these wrestlers, although I did catch the very tail end of the Hakuho era. Wow! He was the Babe Ruth and the Michael Jordan rolled up in one. Cheers!

Overall, I don't know, but at 57kg, Iran and Georgia and Kazakhstan sent two wrestlers, and there was the Bronze at last year's World Championships, and none of those seven medaled. The World Champ jumped to 61kg and won Gold, while last year's Silver lost to Zane at Final X. Lots of Euro, Asian and U23 medalists and champs. Plug in a great Russian wrestler in the field and some suspect wrestlers from Morocco and Peru like you'd have at a World Championship--instead of the extra Irani, Georgian and Kazak wrestlers--and it may be about even.

I swear he had Smanbekov's ankle or foot four or five times between slide-bys and sweep singles. The foreign fella did win the last ranking tournament, and Zane'll hang on next time. Time to get some bronze ranking points.

It's a we problem. By the way, Zane teched a pretty tough Georgian in the first period, 10-0. Flawless victory.

Now I've seen it all. Musukaev with a come-from-behind win over China. Down 8-4 in the second period. He relishes the :30 break like a guy walking into a bordello with somebody else's platinum Visa card. There was an injury timeout and the soccer spray can for the boo boo. America back on the board with a Parris win over Italy.

Not an optimal start for the greatest country in the history of history. Zahid loses to the Iranian. Hale lost. Didn't catch the Finesilver result. Amine won, but he was wrestling for "SMR." Is that short for SMERSH? You may recall that SMERSH kidnapped Vesper Lynd of Section S, and after Bond got into a chase after the kidnappers, he crashed and SMERSH tortured good old 007 with a carpet beater. Amine won with a late takedown of Poland. FloWrestling, if you're out there, Mat A keeps buffering every 15 seconds. Not optimal. For the millions of Zaniacs out there, it will be a little bit before Zane takes the mat.

The WATCH PARTY starts in about an hour. Taking Mat A at approximately 4:30 am (Eastern) and 3:30 am (Central) is America's Zane Richards. He will be wrestling a tough Georgian. This fellow from Georgia looks like Liam Cronin's stronger and bigger Eastern Bloc uncle. I did a Moneyball look at Bujiashvili prior to the World Cup, but Zane didn't wrestle this guy, Suriano did. Anyway, here's that scouting report: In the first round of the ranking series tournament, Zane Richards will wrestle Beka Bujiashvili of Georgia. Certainly not the easiest possible draw, but also a guy the IRTC athlete can handle. We did a Moneyball look at this fellow before because he was a potential opponent for Zane at the World Cup. They did not wrestle. Instead, Suriano handled him 6-3. Here is video of a match between him and Suriano in a ranking series event, which Suriano won 2-1. (Requires FloWrestling sub). He looks like a bearded Liam Cronin here. THE GEORGIAN: BEKA BUJIASHVILI This fellow must see a lot of his fellow countryman and former gold and silver World Championship medalist Beka Lomtadze, who won his medals at 61kg and most recently competed at 65kg. Beka Bujiashvili has been less successful. He is still a very good and dangerous wrestler. In terms of height and weight, he looks like a Caucasus region brother of Zane Richards. He is well-muscled, though not as well-defined as Zane, not particularly tall and has quite a head of hair. He's been around forever, having first wrestled internationally in 2009. He won a bronze medal in 2013 in the Junior World Championships. Since then, he's won a weight class at the Henri Deglane tournament. The Georgian finished 12th in the 2022 World Championships beating an over-matched Spaniard, but then losing to Hasagawa of Japan. He had a fifth-place finish at Matteo Pellicone, but that entailed one win and two losses, though he seemed injured in at least two of his matches (lower back). He did finish third in this year's Russia-less European Championships, which entailed two wins and one loss. Finally, he finished second at Yasar Dogu with a four-and-one record. SPECIAL: Bujiashvili has used a head in leglace, which has been successful. At other times, even when he falls into them after a successful double, he just doesn't seem to know where to begin. He will lead with his right leg even when shaking hands. He will usually use his right leg to gain ground as well. On occasion, he will wrestle from one knee. His arm throw is fast and dangerous. One of the best I've ever seen. He'll roll into it without tying up first. Beka will take a two-on-one and sit through for a very interesting takedown attempt, kicking his opponent over him. He'll also go for a high crotch from the two-on-one. He will often shoot on the whistle. Be ready to defend his incredible arm throw and two-on-one, and you should have success against him. Here are his Moneyball stats:

If Zane Richards beats China's Wanhao Zou in Budapest—and I have Zane favored to beat him—he will have beaten all five of the top five ranked 57kg wrestlers the last time he faced each. Now, I'm not buying Darian Cruz as the fifth-best 57kg wrestler in the world, but UWW is buying it. On the other hand, UWW has Zane ranked 37th. I'm not buying that either. Just thought it was an interesting bit of trivia.

It wasn't bad enough having to go to Northwestern, so ...

Sure, it looks like two giant angry babies titty-bumping in a sandbox, but it's actually pretty awesome. I ask the title question because I'm hooked on the sport, and I wonder if anybody else watches. Earlier today, the first matches in the July tournament took place. A fellow by the name of NattoSumo posts all of the first division matches on YouTube. He keeps getting banned by the Japanese government's TV station, but he keeps coming back. He is now NattoSumo7. This was today's card: There was major controversy in a match, as it appears that the judges gave a win to a wrestler who didn't deserve to win. You see, nothing but the soles of your feet can touch the ground before your opponent touches. In this case, Golden Boy Hoshoryu seems to have grazed his fingers along the sand before his opponent fell to the ground. Exhibit "A" below. It was not seen by the judges, or it was ignored, even though they have a replay system for close calls like this. Hoshoryu is my favorite wrestler so I kinda dug the no call. There were other aspects of today's bouts that were interesting, but I won't bore anybody with them if there is no interest. In any event, here is Exhibit "A," which is particularly damning if you embiggen the image to see the sand falling from the hand and the line drawn in the sand:

How was Outstanding Wrestler decided? Bouzakis wrestled well, for sure, but he put himself in a hole in two matches. There was a guy who won all his matches 11-0 or 10-0 with first-period tech falls and, as you can see, gave up no points in any of his matches. This short video is from his final against a strong fellow who has already spent a year in the University of Guelph's wrestling room:

If this is true—and Mark always seems to have good information—the Tony Madrigal signing not only makes sense finally but also looks like the smart play. Not too long ago, Lucas Byrd was helping to train the ILLINOIS National Duals teams with no apparent injury. Then, he had a pretty big cast or wrap around his wrist and hand. But I still have questions, as always. Byrd was listed as going to the U23 US Open and he had to be the favorite to make the U23 World Team in Greco. He was an age-level World Teamer in Greco. Does that mean he can take an Olympic redshirt? If that is not an automatic qualification, does he use the tail end of an injury redshirt season to prepare for the Olympics? That has to be one of his dreams, right? As for the rest of the tweet, I used to be the keep-the-freshmen-in-redshirt guy, but the freshmen are so good nowadays that I've questioned this policy. Kannon Webster will be wrestling in the Pan Ams this week, Braeden Scoles and Chris Moore are studs. They could certainly fit in. But will they?

Yes. That's him! Thanks.

And you made my day. Cheers!

Beautiful story! Ref whistles, end-of-period horns and even cheering crowds are lost. Coaches can't coach their wrestlers while on the mat. You can't hear your opponent breathing hard. You gotta be tough to even try it! Wasn't there a deaf wrestler on that old UFC show The Ultimate Fighter? He was a bad *** as well. On another note, I forgot to link to the original story on The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond. It has more pictures, links to other cool stories, and that Laura Bridgman narrative from Charles Dickens. It is right here.

The article at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond has links to other inspirational stories about blind wrestlers, including the trailer for A Shot in the Dark. Also, I have included the true story of Laura Bridgman, a young girl who became the first deaf, blind and mute human in history to break free from her dark and soundless cage to learn braille and hand signs and join the world of ideas and words. It is the best thing I have ever read, and it was shared by none other than Charles Dickens. This all happened while Dickens visited America, Hell Ya! Finally, while I was researching the Stephon Breedlove story, I came across this powerful image of Breedlove as a young boy learning to read braille:

ONCE UPON A TIME I wrestled in middle school in ILLINOIS. Our family then moved to Texas for a year, and I wrestled for Western Hills High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Not to sound like too much of a Midwestern wrestling snob, but I was varsity as a freshman at the first practice of the season. The big tournament for us was the Metroplex championships, which involved all of the high schools in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. That's where I encountered my first wrestling hero. He was just a kid like me—probably a freshman as well—but he was super slick on the mat, a sensational wrestler, wore a very cool singlet and was blind. Stephon Breedlove is a name that I have never forgotten. At the tournament, I watched all of his matches and rooted for him the whole time. As a blind wrestler, he always started matches with his hands on his opponent. His opponent was also given this advantage. In neutral, the wrestlers had to maintain contact by rule. How did he know where his opponent was going? How did he know where his opponent's legs were? It was an amazing sight. And yet he dominated that bracket and won a city championship as a freshman. I had heard rumor at the tournament that he was a National AAU champion, and that kind of explained it. Recently, I decided to look up this amazing fellow. The University of Texas at Austin archive had an image of a young Stephon Breedlove learning to read braille. They spelled his first name wrong, but this was still an amazing find. Later, I discovered that he wrestled at Paschal High School in Fort Worth before transferring to Fort Worth Country Day, although he also wrestled for the Texas School for the Blind. Next, I discovered that he had matriculated to that very same University of Texas where he had learned to read braille and eventually graduated with an honors degree in Government. He went on to law school at UT and practiced law in Houston, married a beautiful woman and fathered two children. And so, with that background information, I decided to call my first wrestling hero. We ended up having a lot in common—from education to work experience to family—and not just one wrestling tournament in a large Texas metropolitan area. IWB&F&B: When did you start wrestling? BREEDLOVE: In Sixth grade. IWB&F&B: Did you ever wrestle your brother, who was an amazing athlete in his own right? [He is sighted] BREEDLOVE: No. He was interested in basketball. Haha! IWB&F&B: Did you wrestle for Paschal High School in Fort Worth for one year? BREEDLOVE: Yes. IWB&F&B: Do you recall that DFW Metroplex wrestling tournament? BREEDLOVE: Yes. IWB&F&B: Did you have extra help from any coach? BREEDLOVE: Yes. Coach Murph at Country Day and the Texas School for the Blind. IWB&F&B: Where else did you wrestle? BREEDLOVE: There were tournaments in Canada and Europe. Also, there were AAU tournaments. IWB&F&B: What advice would you give to wrestlers? BREEDLOVE: Go straight at them and take them down. [I think he meant it metaphorically, as in don't dilly-dally around and get after it.] IWB&F&B: What advice would you give to wrestlers without sight? BREEDLOVE: Be ready for obstacles and GO FOR IT!

WHAT THEY DID: Three-point Takedown No Hand-Touch Takedowns Three-Point Nearfall Refs Review All Action During a Challenge First Medical Forfeit in Tournament Equals Loss Ankle Rides Increasingly Penalized Facial Hair Permitted WHAT THEY SHOULD'VE DONE: Facial Hair Required Ten-Point High Amplitude Throw Somebody on Shot Clock at All Times Surprise Animal Introduced into Cage in Second Period

In the most recent European Championships, Matt Finesilver faced off against Ermak Kardanov, who trains with the ILLINI RTC, for the bronze medal. Ermak is from Russia but now wrestles for Slovakia. In the match, Finesilver seemed to have a bigger frame at 92 kg, but I've also heard that Kardanov is dropping to 79 kg for Worlds! A question that I have is this: If a wrestler earns UWW ranking points at one weight, but then drops down to a lower weight, does he keep those points? If you ask me, that wrestler should get bonus points. Something like 1.5x. Of course, the dream of ILLINI fans is for Jesse Delgado to take the leap and wrestle for Mexico and meet Zane in a medal match. Two former training partners going at it!

To be honest, I haven't written the book yet. I haven't even dictated it to my administrative assistant. However, we can co-author the book, and it would be easy. Our target audience is right here. We can also do our research right here on this blog. In fact, I already have a list of some of the things that piss off old people culled from the threads at intermatforums: Pimping Your Child Star pisses off old people. Wrestling Celebrations piss off old people. Cursing on Wrestling Podcasts pisses off old people. Pimping Your Own Content pisses off old people. The book is almost written! On the topic at hand, I have to say that people should realize that nobody investing NIL money in a child knows if Johnny Football is going to grow up and win the Heisman Trophy. More to the point, nobody cares. They want to create, or hitch a ride on, a tiny social media influencer so that his audience hears about their product. The fact that people are already talking about it means $$$.

I guess I should've read the other comments before posting. What a bunch of sour pusses! Y'all realize that every four-year-old girl-toddler in Florida spends her weekends wearing tiaras, bikinis and tap dance shoes, right? Not to mention the glitter, spray-on tan, fake nails and lip gloss! And those childlings can earn 5, 10 even 25-thousand dollar scholarships. Why, what you speak of is Title IX reverse discrimination. You can read more about it in my new book, Pimping Your Child Star and Thirty Other Ways to Piss Off Old People.

My DMs are open. I will get your kid noticed and signed by one of the Big Three: McDonald's, Hasbro or Play Doh. Our company has 348 snappy ready-to-use trademarked catchphrases, you know, like "If you aren't first, you're last" and "WOOOO!" Like those, only better. We'll put your child on a Science Diet like he's a Golden Retriever, and if he needs to get bigger, we know a doctor in Mexico. Finally, we won't promise to put your kid on a box of Wheaties, we promise that he'll be able to buy General Mills. 100% Money Back Guarantee.

This is Truth. In the reflection of Morpheus' glasses is ILLINI Wrestling folk hero Deuce Rachal, also a Judo champion, and recently, a BJJ champion as well.