A couple of interesting results at the Muhamet Malo event in Albania

[maligned]

A couple of matches at the Albanian senior event this past weekend that caught my eye:

#5 (at 57kg) Abakarov of Albania was up at 65kg and beat Okorokov, who will represent Australia at the Olympics, 3-2, in the final. Okorokov used to be a 57kg like Abakarov. I'm guessing Zain wouldn't have big problems with Okorokov, but he's a real opponent, unlike some qualifying out of the Africa/Oceania path.

New Albanian Olympian, Chermen Valiev, struggled a bit, 6-4, with the Moldovan, Diacon, who hasn't done much at the senior level. Valiev's results continue to be "enough," but not on a Sidakov or Dake level, I don't think.

[Shibboleth]

44 minutes ago, maligned said:

A couple of matches at the Albanian senior event this past weekend that caught my eye:

#5 (at 57kg) Abakarov of Albania was up at 65kg and beat Okorokov, who will represent Australia at the Olympics, 3-2, in the final. Okorokov used to be a 57kg like Abakarov. I'm guessing Zain wouldn't have big problems with Okorokov, but he's a real opponent, unlike some qualifying out of the Africa/Oceania path.

New Albanian Olympian, Chermen Valiev, struggled a bit, 6-4, with the Moldovan, Diacon, who hasn't done much at the senior level. Valiev's results continue to be "enough," but not on a Sidakov or Dake level, I don't think.

Thanks, I just checked the results.

Abakarov is big, he used to wrestle 65 and 61 too at different tournaments. I think Spencer would have an issue with him had they fought at 65. But at 57, he has a shot.

As for Okorokov, he is legit, but Zain won't be facing him, because they are both unseeded and there are 8 seeds, and Okorokov isn't getting around any seeded wrestlers, like Tevanyan, Amouzad, Mamedov, Tomor-Ochir, Musukaev, Rivera, Dudaev, and whoever else is there I forgot.

Valiev also somehow regressed, he was giving pretty toough matchups to Sidakov, lost 3-2 and to Zhamalov he barely lost, he was a champion of Russia as well. He won't be seeded either and my guess is he'll fall in the 1st round if he faces Dake, Sidakov, Bayramov, Cabolov, Salkazanov, Takatani. Against others he has a shot. Also, Valiev is pretty small and the cut is no issue for him, as opposed to Dake, who is what, way over 80 kilos? Kougioumtsidis is big too, so is Kadimagomedov but he ain't seeded. Bekzod is huge too, if he's selected over Zhamalvo. The rest are relatively on weight. Sidakov is lean, Bayramov is pretty small. 

 

[Truzzcat]

Abakarov seems to be optimal at 61kg, I think he may have won worlds last year had he been there. He beat Vito about 6 weeks before worlds and had the refs not been terrible in the finals against abasghadzi Vito would have essentially dominated that entire field. Harutyunyan and micic are probably my two biggest worries for Spencer although Im not sure how long Stevan can continue to make that weight effectively.