Friday, November 21, 2014

Immel Mailbag Nov. 21, 2014: Dake versus Julfalakyan, Global Wrestling Championships and Aaron Pico

Well ladies and gents, I have decided to take the plunge.

This will be my first of, hopefully, many mailbag blogs to come. Before I dive into your questions, just a few thoughts why I decided to start writing this segment.

At my current post at USA Wrestling I am exposed to all sorts of wrestling information, stories, fun facts and the like. I really am in an interesting spot in that I get to deal with wrestlers of all levels and build solid relationships with wrestling folk up and down the wrestling hierarchy.

Based on my feelings of responsibility to properly serve the wrestling community, both the people I work with and the fans as a whole, I want to provide a resource for you to have your questions answered and perhaps gain any valuable insight I can provide.

If you have a question, I will look for an answer. It’s as simple as that.

Please do keep in mind my responsibility to the athletes and coaches I work with on a daily basis. I have a journalistic integrity to keep up for both you the audience and those behind the scenes. In the pseudo words of the great Uncle Ben, with great access comes great responsibility. No, I am not Spider-Man, just a movie nerd.

And, of course, I will have my opinions. Not all of my opinions will be correct but they will come from a place of passion for our great sport. Whether you agree or disagree with me just realize I enjoy talking wrestling and hopefully can spark the conversation that much more.

Now, enough chitchat. On to your questions.

Question 1
Interesting that you bring up the Tigers considering I just had the opportunity to do a Google+ Hangout with Coach Smith and a couple of the guys last week. After that chat I see Johnny Eblen in the lineup for sure, which creates a couple of scenarios for Miklus.

Having been around Miklus while he trained at the OTC two years ago I have no idea how he made 184 pounds. He is a big dude. Making that weight consistently throughout the season could be hard for him. I think the best chance for him to make the lineup is to be at 197 pounds meaning a J’Den Cox jump to 285.

This to me is the most likely scenario, but if Cox decides 285 is too much for him we could see an alternative of Miklus at 184 and Eblen dropping to 174, pushing Mike England down to 165.

That to me is the strongest Mizzou lineup possible. Obviously there are a number of variables so it is hard to be certain at this point what route Coach Smith will take.

As far as Lewis goes, I think we see him redshirt. There are a number of guys that could man 165 for the Tigers so the best move for Lewis is to take this season and develop. He will be primed and ready to go for next season.

As you can see Missouri has a lot of options and decisions to make in the upper weights, and we could see a lot of fluctuation. Expect a firm lineup after the Southern Scuffle to build continuity for the post-season.

Question 2
I tell you what, there is no doubt that Kyle Dake has some serious cojones. Taking on the reigning Greco-Roman World Champion Arsen Julfalakyan will be a huge task for a number of reasons.

Dake has been out of the competition circuit for over a year now due to injury. This to me is a huge concern, simply because of the rust factor. We all know how important it is to get quality mat time in addition to practice room training.

Let’s also remember that Dake hasn’t wrestled a competitive Greco match in six years. There is no doubt he is an exceptional talent, but I have seen examples recently of the top freestyle stars not doing so well in Greco (see J.D. Bergman at the Greco World Team Trials last year).

Dake does have a strong Greco pedigree being a member of the 2008 Junior World Team in Greco on top of winning the Junior Nationals and Junior World Team Trials in Greco that same year.

Wrestling is simply in Dake’s blood. He is as tough as a competitor as I have ever been around.

Given all the facts, one would think Dake will struggle in this match, but I get the feeling he will surprise us and be competitive. His style lends itself to Greco. He holds solid position always and can dominate with his underhooks. Throw in the fact that Julflakyan is coming off the tournament of his life, might be overlooking Dake to a degree and it is in New York, it is my opinion this will be a competitive bout.

I think Julfalakyan pulls out a narrow win, but this could be a huge stepping-stone for Dake and give him the confidence to make a name for himself on the Greco-Roman circuit.

Greco-Roman wrestling in the U.S. needs guys like Dake in the mix. It is a win-win all around.

Best of luck to Kid Dynamite!

Question 3
When it comes to the Global Wrestling Championships I am intrigued to say the least. I see six of the top wrestlers on the U.S. freestyle circuit competing and $30,000 in prize money on the line. What is not to like?

I love this for the athlete’s sake. They all deserve a big payday for what they do. We all know wrestlers do not get the payouts they deserve, so this is a great venture to help support our athletes.

My main concern is whether or not this “pro league” will be the one that sticks, or if it falls into the same category as AGON or RPW that falls into the abyss. Being funded by Andy Barth and the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club this league is in capable hands and could be something special.

As far as the matchups go I think we will see some close bouts.

Ramos will be the favorite over Hazewinkel, but both of the matches these two wrestled at the World Team Trials were close, so do not be surprised to see a Haze win.

Dake versus Howe is my favorite matchup. We all remember the overtime donnybrook from the Trials two years ago where Dake got the takedown after about 10 minutes of extra time to win it. It will be another close bout. Filp a coin for the winner.

In the heavyweight bout Tervel is the man until proven otherwise. Fortune has the explosiveness to compete with just about anyone in the world, but Tervel has had his number. I think that scenario holds true this time around as well with Tervel winning, but here’s hoping to an exciting, competitive bout.

One thing to keep in mind is the implementation of the five, three-minute periods. This brings the conditioning factor to a whole new level. I am interested to see how that shakes up the results here.

Question 4
Excellent question.

Pico is no doubt a polarizing figure in the wrestling community. He is talked about ad nauseam on the message boards. There is always some new speculation about what his plans are and how he is progressing.

The kid is an exceptional talent, has a good head on his shoulders and has a great support system in place with his family and coaches. If there is one person the hype will not get to it is Pico.

We will no doubt see him challenge at 65 kg through 2016, and if you ask me he will go through 2020 also, no matter what his results are over the next two years.

From what I have seen first hand, he is fully committed to his wrestling and has taken the necessary steps to be a serious contender for the 2016 Olympics should he stay on his current path.

I am told Bellator is supportive of his wrestling venture and wants to see him win an Olympic or World title before he makes the transition. I think the biggest reason for this move now is just security for the future.

As I said before the kid is bright. He has a longterm plan, but that will not hinder his wrestling. Expect big, big things from Pico, maybe even as early as next year. I know I sure do.

To submit your questions for the Immel Initiative Mailbag either email them to rimmel@usawrestling.org or tweet them to @richard_immel.


This opinions in this article are that of the author only and are in no way affiliated with USA Wrestling.
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