2020 Russian Nationals Preview: 74 KG

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Names to Know:

  • #1 Zaurbek Sidakov: 2x senior world champ (‘18 & ‘19), 2019 European Games champion, 2x Yarygin champion (‘16 & ‘20)

  • #5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov: 2x 70 KG world champion (‘15 & ‘18), 2020 Yarygin champion, 2020 European championships runner-up

  • #6 Razambek Zhamalov: 2018 65 KG junior world runner-up, 2019 70 KG Russian nationals runner-up, 2019 U-23 world champion, 2020 Yarygin runner-up

  • #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev: 2013 65 KG world bronze, 2016 70 KG world champ, 2018 70 KG Euro champ, 2018 70 KG Alans runner-up, 2019 Russian nationals champion

  • #8 Khetik Tsabolov: 2014 70 KG world champ, 2017 world runner-up, 2019 national runner-up, 2019 Alans champ

  • #9 Timur Bizhoev: 2x Russian nationals bronze (‘18 & ‘19), 2018 Alans champ, 2019 European championships bronze, 2019 Alans bronze

  • #5 (79) Nikita Suchkov: 2x Russian nationals bronze medalist (‘17 & ‘18), 2018 Korkin champ, 2019 U-23 European champion, 2020 79 KG Siberian Federal District champion

  • #17 Darsam Dzhaparov: 2006 66 KG junior world champ 2008 66 KG Russian nationals bronze, 2019 Ali Aliev champ

  • Nadirbek Khizriev: 2019 Korkin champion, 2019 President Cup of Buryatia runner-up, 2016 70 KG University world champ

  • Magomed Dibirgadzhiev: 2017 70 KG Russian nationals runner-up, 2018 Ali Aliev bronze medalist, 2019 Intercontinental cup runner-up

  • Ruslan Bogatyrev: 2018 70 KG Alans 5th, 2019 Alans bronze medalist, 2019 Kunaev champ

The Bracket Breakdown:

There’s nowhere to run and hide or anything resembling easy in this bracket. Everywhere you look the thing is packed with talent in a way, and a lot of that has to do with guys shifting weights but the specific type of Russian “depth guy” that has wins over multiple national place winners or world/Olympic medalists but because of the absurd depth of the weight can never put it together to build up their own ledger. Yes, there are guys here with wins over European and World champions that are depth guys, that is a testament to how deep of a weight that 74 kilograms is. 

The top half starts off with a rematch of the 2018 national finals between 2x world champion #1 Zaurbek Sidakov and 2017 world runner-up #8 Khetik Tsabolov. I take Sidakov in this battle of past and present North Ossetian world champs. Sidakov will cruise by his quarterfinal opponent, Azamat Khadzaragov to set up his semifinal match against old rival #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev. Sidakov’s semifinal match will likely be against returning national champ #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev where Kurbanaliev leads the match series 2-1 but Sidakov won the most recent match (Kurbanaliev 2015 65 KG nationals, 2017 70 KG Alans finals vs. Sidakov 2019 74 KG world team wrestle off) but I expect to see Sidakov to get past Kurbanaliev and into the finals. A Kurbanaliev/Tsabolov rematch of last year’s national finals for bronze is a can’t miss match if it materializes.

The bottom half of the bracket is where things become much more dense with talent and the stakes get even higher. The top qualification round matches are #9 Timur Bizhoev, a 2019 Euro bronze medalist with wins over #8 Khetik Tsabolov and #10 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO), vs. #17 Darsam Dzhaparov, a storied veteran who first placed at nationals 12 years ago at 66 KG and won the Ali Aliev last year and has elite wins over #1 (79) Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR), #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev, and #5 (79) Nikita Suchkov. I take Bizhoev here to grind out the match against the more offensive Dzhaparov. Bizhoev should have a interesting bout against 2019 Nadirbek Khizriev, who defeated #5 (79) Nikita Suchkov and #12 Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE) last year in a surprising title run at the Korkin. I expect to see Bizhoev win another controlled, low scoring match to set up a quarterfinal match opposite 2x world champ and reigning Yarygin champ #5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov. Gazimagomedov is too much of the complete package for Bizhoev to beat and outdoes him in his own department of being a defensively stingy, hand fighting heavy wrestler but unlike Bizhoev actually has more consistent avenues to score in his front head lock go behind series and his double and head outside single. This brings us to the bottom half of the bottom half of the bracket.

Returning 70 KG national runner-up and this year’s Yarygin runner-up #6 Razambek Zhamalov has a clear path through to the semis with his opening round match against #5 (79) Nikita Suchkov and a potential quarterfinal matchup against a game Magomed Dibirgadzhiev. To put it bluntly, what matters most here is the semifinals, because Zhamalov is arguably Russia’s best prospect and is #3 at its deepest weight with less than a year spent at it and the only man stopping him from challenging the #1 Pound For Pound wrestler in the world is past 2x world champion #5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov who beat him in the Yarygin finals by the closest of margins. I have been a Zhamalov truther since 2016 and I will continue here and I think this time Zhamalov finds the way to open up the notoriously stingy Gazimagomedov and get to his underhook offense and set up a finals match against #1 Zaurbek Sidakov. There is no exaggeration in saying that Zhamalov/Sidakov is the most anticipated match of the tournament and for good reason and both men will have proven themselves worthy of it come time for it. Zhamalov/Sidakov as a match, I lean towards Sidakov to win.

Seth Petarra