Saitiev RIP

[AnklePicker]

https://www.newsweek.com/buvaisar-saitiev-dead-moscow-falling-window-2038742

[Gene Mills Fan]

It is sad that politics may have taken this champion!

[gimpeltf]

[Tripnsweep]

  On 3/3/2025 at 6:56 PM, AnklePicker said:

https://www.newsweek.com/buvaisar-saitiev-dead-moscow-falling-window-2038742

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This is exactly what I didn't want to hear but hoped didn't happen. 

[Tom formerly Tofurky]

Man... I knew something wasn't adding up when the news was reporting a high profile, ethnic Chechen died in Moscow from natural causes.

This really sucks, as he was (mostly) great for this sport.

[CHROMEBIRD]

  On 3/3/2025 at 6:56 PM, AnklePicker said:

https://www.newsweek.com/buvaisar-saitiev-dead-moscow-falling-window-2038742

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There's a real defenestration epidemic going on in Russia. Man wtf

[mspart]

Very sad.   I saw this yesterday and couldn't believe it. 

mspart

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

I mean, this guy had some of the best balance and body awareness of anyone outside of the gymnastics world in the history of the planet.  I'm sure he just randomly fell out a window,

[Tripnsweep]

  On 3/4/2025 at 12:59 AM, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

I mean, this guy had some of the best balance and body awareness of anyone outside of the gymnastics world in the history of the planet.  I'm sure he just randomly fell out a window,

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No visible injuries either. Allegedly. 

[flyingcement]

so they changed the cause of death from heart attack to fell out of a window? 

[Tripnsweep]

Apparently he had been speaking out about the shoddy treatment of "volunteers" from Chechnya and Dagestan who were sent to fight in Ukraine. 

[pokemonster]

Anyone know what a State Duma deputy or assistant to the head of Dagestsn means? As per usual with Russia, sketchy af. Taking their own Olympic heros cuz of politics or whatever it may be. 

[wrestle87]

Starting to sound like he spoke out against a topic his medals could no longer shield him from.  Brave man, absolutely the best to ever do it.  

Remember watching him in 2003, couldn’t believe what he did to whoever his opponent was.  Dude didn’t stand half a chance.

[MPhillips]

Alan Fried~

"...give up obvious size differences and still win all the time, like Satiev from Russia.  That level of skill is what I was going for, but in my mind, I never even got close."

[scourge165]

  On 3/3/2025 at 2:40 AM, gimpeltf said:

Maybe of 100 Americans

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Sure. This hardly feels like a point worth arguing.

That physically he wasn't imposing but he was still one of, if not the greatest ever. 

 

Yes, as @MPhillipsquote from Fried points out, this was really all I was saying. He won a world title at 85 KGs weighing about 80s. That's weighing in over 10 pounds under...with guys cutting weight and still winning a world title. So...I feel like most people just looking at him would not have him pegged as the greatest ever. 

  Quote

 

Alan Fried~

"...give up obvious size differences and still win all the time, like Satiev from Russia.  That level of skill is what I was going for, but in my mind, I never even got close."

 

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Edited March 4 by scourge165

[scourge165]

  On 3/3/2025 at 3:08 AM, GrandOlm said:

Not sure why everyone ignores Medved (who also died not that long ago).

He has one more world medal than Saitiev despite the disadvantage of being the bygone era wrestler and he went undefeated in the last 7 years of his career.

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I don't think people ignore Medved. He comes in #2 or #3 on all the all-time great lists I see.

  On 3/3/2025 at 5:24 PM, PortaJohn said:

Then you just happened to find 100 dumb people

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...seriously? We're just talking about their physique....that's all. 

 

I was simply replying to 

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@AnklePickercomment here;

He’d look like a feeble praying mantis out there.  Elbows in, arms like noodles, dangling.  But my god.  Freestyle master.  Could wrestle from anywhere.  I heard he had chronic lung disease.  Not sure about that however.  Sad day. 

 

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Did this somehow get translated to 100 of 100 people think Dake and Burroughs(just two guys I picked, Joe Wiliams could easily have been one or...most Wrestlers at that level) were actually better? 

[scourge165]

  On 3/3/2025 at 11:01 AM, jackwebster said:

True, and not least because he won under 4 (?) different rule sets. But, I just want to clarify that my admiration is primarily aesthetic. He could wrestled any style. In the match I posted above, there wasn't  a lot of the techniques that we have come to identify with him, e.g. west point gut, foot sweep, limp arm from the guy's undertook, etc. Instead, he won with grit. 

His best sequence for me was actually in his loss to Slay. Immediately, after that first takedown, Saitiev doesn't stop. He traps Slys arms and uses a leg elevator to expose Slay. Slay's trying to let go, and the dude won't let him. The look on Slay's face is panic. . . like I am grabbed him but now I'm thinking that wasn't such a good idea.

Same look on Pat Smith's face when he was threw legs and found himself hanging helplessly on Saitiev's back, only to get repeatedly thrown for three.

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Yeah, this one really hit me as I went back and watched some of his matches...and it seemed like guys got in on his legs fairly easily...relatively speaking. Compared to other GREAT MFS Wrestlers and they struggled to finish with that leg in the air, but I thought, 'well, now they'd just be able to walk him out,' and then I kinda caught myself like...'no, of course that's not how it'd go. He went out of bounds there because it wasn't a point. It probably just causes more cartwheels and even more insane scrambles, 

 

I think of the scramble Sadulaev had vs the Bulgarian...which was one of the most impressive scramble and defense to offensive exchanges I've ever seen, but Saitiev had so many. 

[PortaJohn]

  On 3/4/2025 at 8:14 AM, scourge165 said:

I don't think people ignore Medved. He comes in #2 or #3 on all the all-time great lists I see.

...seriously? We're just talking about their physique....that's all. 

 

I was simply replying to 

 

Did this somehow get translated to 100 of 100 people think Dake and Burroughs(just two guys I picked, Joe Wiliams could easily have been one or...most Wrestlers at that level) were actually better? 

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I reread your post.  My bad.  Misunderstood 

[Piper]

  On 3/4/2025 at 8:42 AM, scourge165 said:

Yeah, this one really hit me as I went back and watched some of his matches...and it seemed like guys got in on his legs fairly easily...relatively speaking. Compared to other GREAT MFS Wrestlers and they struggled to finish with that leg in the air, but I thought, 'well, now they'd just be able to walk him out,' and then I kinda caught myself like...'no, of course that's not how it'd go. He went out of bounds there because it wasn't a point. It probably just causes more cartwheels and even more insane scrambles, 

 

I think of the scramble Sadulaev had vs the Bulgarian...which was one of the most impressive scramble and defense to offensive exchanges I've ever seen, but Saitiev had so many. 

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One of the amazing things about Satiev was that he won under 3 very different rule sets.

Edit: including with push outs in 2008

Edited March 4 by Piper

[wrestle87]

If this is what happens to the best wrestler in the world and in the nation’s history, I think that really tells us how much (lack) of a choice the national team wrestlers had in whether or not they could attend those military displays over the past few years.

”You will show up, or you will encounter a situation where you need wings, but don’t have them”

Edited March 5 by wrestle87

[scourge165]

  On 3/4/2025 at 5:36 PM, Piper said:

One of the amazing things about Satiev was that he won under 3 very different rule sets.

Edit: including with push outs in 2008

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I stand corrected and I guess...correct!

I just didn't realize he was Wrestling with the pushout and most of the videos I've seen(I'd just watched the Smith match, but there were a lot) guys were able to get to the leg, but not finish. So...I guess you need not speculate that he'd have solved that as well since he did. 

[jackwebster]

  On 3/3/2025 at 9:45 PM, CHROMEBIRD said:

There's a real defenestration epidemic going on in Russia. Man wtf

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I count 9 public figures in the last 6 months in Moscow alone.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

  On 3/5/2025 at 5:25 AM, wrestle87 said:

If this is what happens to the best wrestler in the world and in the nation’s history, I think that really tells us how much (lack) of a choice the national team wrestlers had in whether or not they could attend those military displays over the past few years.

”You will show up, or you will encounter a situation where you need wings, but don’t have them”

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I mean Saduleev wore a shirt that basically protested Russian control over Dagestan, and he's still alive.  Got him a short suspension from UWW though.

[Crotalus]

  On 3/5/2025 at 10:56 AM, jackwebster said:

I count 9 public figures in the last 6 months in Moscow alone.

Won't be long until this epidemic spreads to the US from our great comrades and allies in Russia.

[Fadzaev2]

  On 3/4/2025 at 7:29 AM, MPhillips said:

Alan Fried~

"...give up obvious size differences and still win all the time, like Satiev from Russia.  That level of skill is what I was going for, but in my mind, I never even got close."

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Alan was one of my very favorite high school wrestlers, along side Kolat....internationally my favorites will always be my team mate Sergei Belaglozov and   (I'll throw Tediashvili in there as well)

Edited March 6 by Fadzaev2