The Path To Victory For Frank Chamizo
The Path To Victory For Frank Chamizo
JD breaks down how Frank Chamizo can defeat the two-time defending World champion Kyle Dake.
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Kyle Dake vs Frank Chamizo is the biggest match of the year. Our man Andrew Spey has Kyle Dake as a -110 favorite, and for good reason. The New York native is the two-time defending 79 kg world champion and Frank Chamizo is coming up in weight to face him. Dake also has only lost one time at 79 kg – to world bronze Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov of Russia at the 2018 Yarygin. He’s 35-1 since moving up in 2017.
Watch FloWrestling: Dake vs Chamizo LIVE on FloWrestling
July 25, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST
Don’t be quick to count out Chamizo, however. He’s got an impressive resume when it comes to beating the best in the world. Here’s how Chamizo can add Kyle Dake to resume.
Don’t Get Taken Down
OK, this one could have gone without saying, but it’s important to emphasize this with just how good Dake’s par terre is.
Watch Mike Mal break down the numbers behind Kyle Dake’s gut wrench below.
Also, as with any match, it’s important not to get far behind and have to play catchup. It’s significantly more important when your opponent is defensive specialist Kyle Dake, aka the guy who didn’t give up a single point at the 2018 World Championships.
Score First
However he goes about doing it, Chamizo needs to get on the board first. Kyle Dake is just too hard to come back on. He hasn’t given up a takedown since 2018. When he shuts it down, he SHUTS IT DOWN. We’ve seen this many times and most recently in the Alex Dieringer wrestle off. Now generally speaking you don’t want Kyle Dake trying hard to score points on you. If there’s anyone who might not mind, however, it’s Chamizo with his offense by way of defense style.
Forget About Hitting A Knee
You don’t want to shoot a typical shot on Kyle Dake. Not only is it probably not going to work, you’re just asking to get downblock go behinded. This won’t be an issue for Chamizo who attacks in a variety of ways and rarely shoots a typical penetration shot anyway.
Watch Mike Mal discuss the ways Frank Chamizo Can score on Kyle Dake below.
When Dieringer made the mistake of shooting to a knee in their first match of last year’s special wrestle-off, Kyle Dake used it to circle around and then get a stepout. It’s not just about getting taken down.
Use The Edge
As mentioned above, Kyle Dake is a defensive specialist. While not impossible, scoring a takedown is going to be extremely difficult. Also difficult but maybe slightly less? Step out points. Now, you’re not going to be able to just get to an underhook and move Dake around, he’s too powerful. Chamizo’s either going to have to step into a single, get Dake on one leg, and drive him off, or get Dake to shoot on him close to the edge, but change direction picking up the step out. Those two scenarios are how Dake gave up two points at the Matteo Pellicone. You can view them at the 9:00 mark HERE and the 6:50 mark HERE.
That driving step in single on the edge also might be the best way to take Dake down. Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijan used it at the 2018 World Cup in one of the last few times he was taken down.
Watch Jabrayil Hasanov take Kyle Dake down at the 4:45 mark below.
Also, the more you control the center, the less likely you are to be put on the shot clock. Every point could be crucial in this match.
Do Chamizo Things
At the end of the day, Chamizo’s going to Chamizo and do some crazy stuff that makes no sense to a simpleton like myself. That’s what makes him so great, and maybe that is actually what it takes to beat Kyle Dake because no one else in the world has been able to figure out how to do it in the past 2.5 years.