While the decision had long been expected, the cancellation of the event marks an important moment in wrestling's story during this crisis. We are now left to deal with a second major break to the normalcy of the wrestling calendar. The kids won't be able to win their titles and college coaches won't have a chance to recruit in-person. It's yet another in a series of minor setbacks that when added together signal a larger loss to the continuity and health of the community.
For now, we are all isolated, and because of wrestling's tight quarters we can expect that to continue for some time. Mat time is coveted and for those who can achieve a safe workout operation might soon be some chances to get back to action. However, the large-scale intermingling of wrestlers, along with fans and coaches is far, far off. Several months in the best-case situation; a couple of years in the worst-case scenarios.
There are a number of small ways we as a community can counterbalance that loss of kinship found on the mats, but we know that nothing can replace the act of wrestling. We are the world's oldest and greatest sport because we allow for the facade of toughness to be torn down through proximity and invite close friendship through shared struggle. Zoom calls won't replace the lessons of the mat and it's foolish to think it could. For now, we mourn the loss of our sport, but soon we will be back.
Like many of you my heart goes out to the young wrestlers who are having these moments lost to the pandemic and poor response of our leaders. These young men and women deserve the opportunity to compete and form bonds with friends and teammates. To lose that is something that they can't replicate at home or recover in the future.
To your questions …
Mark Madsen with the Denmark flag after winning silver at the 2016 Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: Mark Madsen is undefeated in MMA and fighting in the UFC. At 35 years old, do you think he could be a UFC champion someday? Or do you think his window has closed?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I was able to hire Madsen as a color commentator for the United World Wrestling World Championships in 2019 and because he was training for a fight we spent the breaks rolling jiu-jitsu. Though he's not a black belt in jiu-jitsu he has the perfect mentality for a wrestler fighting on the ground in MMA. He doesn't pause on his butt. He fires up to his feet and immediately tries to reverse control. Also, his neck is massive and he's basically impossible to submit because as a Greco-Roman wrestler he's used to not extending his arms.
All this is to say that he does have a real chance of competing for a belt in the next 18 months. He's a foreign fighter, which makes it tough, but because he has the Olympic credentials, he could be used as a certifying win for another up-and-comer. Given that opportunity, I could see him winning that type of matchup and making his way into a title fight.
Window is wide open.
Q: I've heard that the NWCA is proposing to delay the start of the NCAA wrestling season to January? Do you have any insight or clarification on this? Is there any traction?
-- Rich C.
Foley: As of today the single-semester season has become the most popular logic among coaches and administrators. There are already myriad benefits to the single semester season, but in a year of uncertainty in public health and football (which controls the purse strings) the delay to a single season allows for preparation.
Wrestling -- by virtue of the fact it's antithetical to "social distancing" -- won't be the first sport out of the gate. The best option, according to those who make these types of decisions, seems to be to delay and hope for the best.
It's the right strategy. We have no idea of predicting what will happen in the summer and fall, much less the winter which we could guess would be prime for a re-emergence of COVID-19. Still, there is A LOT of jockeying that'll need to take place both by the NWCA and the NCAA, not to mention the various stakeholders for conference and national tournament hosts. To think of a shortened season gives me faith that there is a path forward. Even an 8-week spring seasons is preferable to what could become a 20-month break from the sport at the collegiate level.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Jordan Burroughs released a statement on the murder of George Floyd. Please read.
Q: The United States has been producing some successful women's wrestlers. Sara McMann, Tatiana (Padilla) Suarez and a few others have done well. Do you think we will see any from the current crop transition to MMA after this Olympic cycle? Who do you think could do well in MMA?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The move to MMA is an obvious one for several male fighters, but for women the calculus has always been more complex. The age at which some women are finding success at the top-level is a little bit later than the male average, and those who do finish their careers don't have a tradition of running into the gym.
Now, that could all change with the addition of an atomweight division and a larger number of overall women's wrestlers at the collegiate and international level. Wrestlers like Haley Augello and Victoria Anthony have a real chance of being superstars in MMA, with the latter having the potential for mega super stardom. Inside trips, great takedowns, seemingly unafraid of injury and a great personality that also translates online is a recipe for success in Bellator and the UFC.
I'm not so familiar with the intentions of the women, but I do feel that almost all of the middleweights would have the potential to compete at the top level rather quickly. Helen Maroulis may avoid it due to her history of head injuries, but Mallory Velte is someone who could really find a path in the cage post-wrestling.
Let's also not forget the international wrestling community. There is some thought that a number of the Russian women will transition to MMA, including Ektarina Bukina who though she is kind, has the look of someone you'd never want to fight.
Q: Fargo was the last shoe to drop. The pandemic started right before a busy spring and summer competition calendar for USA Wrestling. I saw a tweet from someone at USA Wrestling last week that "Not a single person laid off or furloughed from @USAWrestling during this trying time." Any idea what the financial fallout will be for USA Wrestling?
-- Mike C.
Foley: That's remarkable nobody was furloughed or laid off. Really impressive. I don't know the fallout, but I'm sure they are girding for some hit to revenue based on fewer licenses and the lost income from Fargo.
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