Complete Preview & Predictions - RTC Cup Presented By Titan Mercury
Complete Preview & Predictions - RTC Cup Presented By Titan Mercury
Bray dives into day 1 duals and tells you everything you need to know before you watch the RTC Cup, plus the team makes predictions for each dual.
The pools are set for the RTC Cup Presented by Titan Mercury where we'll see two days of incredible action. Here's a breakdown of the weight classes and the matches we expect to see during pool competition and how they could set up Saturday's bracket.
Watch the 2020 RTC Cup Pres. by TMWC LIVE on FloWrestling
Friday, Dec 4 - Saturday, Dec 5
Ohio RTC vs NJRTC/SERTC (2:00 PM)
This one starts off with 2018 Final X Champion Nahshon Garrett and 2018 U23 World 5th place finisher Jack Mueller. Nahshon's resume and size make him the favorite although Mueller's freestyle savvy is formidable.
The second bout will be critical, and we'll find out how James Green looks coming off the scale. This will be the two-time World medalist's first time wrestling less than 70kg since 2016. If he's fresh, he might be the favorite in any match he has. He'll see either Sammy Sasso or Anthony Echemendia. Both fell short on the Burroughs vs Zahid Card against seasoned opponents, but both are long-term threats at this weight.
Junior World champ Mekhi Lewis will be the favorite in match 3, but Carson Kharchla has the feeling of someone who could open a lot of eyes next weekend. At 86kg, Sammy Brooks will look to get back to his winning ways against Nate Jackson who beat him for the first time in freestyle at the 195 lb 8-Man Challenge in October. Before that, Brooks had two monster comebacks over Jackson. The guarantee when these two have met over the years has been action, and we'll hope to see that again.
Up at 97kg, Kollin Moore will also try to replicate a win. He beat Ty Walz in a wild 4-4 criteria match at Senior Nationals in October. The final match between Amar Dhesi and Jordan Wood is a rematch from the NCAA quarters where Wood got the 7-3 win.
| Ohio RTC | WT | NJRTC/SERTC |
| Jack Mueller | 57 | Nahshon Garrett |
| Anthony Echemendia/Sammy Sasso | 65 | James Green/Matt Kolodzik |
| Carson Kharchla | 74 | Mekhi Lewis |
| Sammy Brooks | 86 | Nate Jackson |
| Kollin Moore | 97 | Ty Walz |
| Amar Dhesi | 125 | Jordan Wood |
Predictions
Bray: NJRTC/SERTC
CP: NJRTC/SERTC
Bratke: NJRTC/SERTC
Askren: NJRTC/SERTC
Spey: NJRTC/SERTC
JD: Ohio RTC
Ohio RTC vs Spartan Combat RTC (3:00 PM)
Jack Mueller vs Vito Arujau and Anthony Echemendia vs Yianni Diakomihalis are dream matches. In October at Senior Nationals, Mueller and Arujau met for the first time since the 2017 Junior World Team Trials. As expected it was an action packed bout that Vito won 11-6, and a third match between the two should be just as exciting.
Yianni's next-level scrambling and Echemendia's power and unique feel create a clash of styles that should yield entertaining exchanges. This just might be the start of a budding rivalry. Yianni's two Cadet World gold medals and two NCAA titles make him the favorite, but Echemendia has been looking forward to this one, and it could be anyone's match.
Carson Kharchla is just a freshman at Ohio State, but he's probably the favorite over Canada's Jevon Balfour who's filling in for Dake. Both teams have replacements at 86kg, so we'll get Sammy Brooks for the Ohio RTC and Drew Foster for Spartan Combat. Brooks has won their two previous meetings, but Foster has been coming on. In their most recent meeting, Foster jumped out to an 8-2 lead but Brooks ended up winning 19-11. Until Foster proves otherwise, Brooks is the favorite.
Kollin Moore is #4 at 97kg domestically, and he'll be the favorite over Boykin. At Heavyweight, Amar Dhesi and Dom Bradley will meet in a rematch of the 2019 Bill Farrell semis. That one was all Bradley, and he'll be the favorite here as well.
| Ohio RTC | WT | Spartan Combat RTC |
| Jack Mueller | 57 | Vito Arujau |
| Anthony Echemendia/Sammy Sasso | 65 | Yianni Diakomihalis |
| Carson Kharchla | 74 | Jevon Balfour |
| Sammy Brooks | 86 | Drew Foster |
| Kollin Moore | 97 | Scotty Boykin |
| Amar Dhesi | 125 | Dom Bradley |
Predictions
Bray: Spartan Combat RTC
CP: Ohio RTC
Bratke: Ohio RTC
Askren: Ohio RTC
Spey: Spartan Combat RTC
JD: Ohio RTC
Spartan Combat RTC vs NJRTC/SERTC (4:00 PM)
This dual starts off with a bang when former training partners Nahshon Garrett and Vito Arujau meet for the first time in a match. Vito is one of the top challengers at 57kg, but since this match is +3 kilos, Nahshon's size could be a big factor. Familiarity could help Vito, but Nahshon is the favorite.
James Green vs Yianni Diakomihalis sounds like a hypothetical match posed by wrestling superfans, but we could actually see it! At this point, Green will have been off the scale for several hours, but the cut could still have lingering effects. He has made five consecutive World Teams and brought home two medals, so he's the favorite, but Yianni's senior level progression suggests he could definitely win this match.
Junior World champ Mekhi Lewis will be the favorite over Jevon Balfour at 74kg. At 86kg, we'll see a rematch of a semi from this year's Senior Nationals between Nate Jackson and Drew Foster. Jackson won that one 7-4, and we should expect a competitive rematch. Spartan Combat will probably need Foster to flip that result to have a shot at winning this dual. Foster is capable as he beat Jackson during their college days.
Ty Walz is the favorite at 97kg over Scotty Boykin, and the veteran Dom Bradley is the favorite over Jordan Wood at 125kg.
| Spartan Combat RTC | WT | NJRTC/SERTC |
| Vito Arujau | 57 | Nahshon Garrett |
| Yianni Diakomihalis | 65 | James Green/Matt Kolodzik |
| Jevon Balfour | 74 | Mekhi Lewis |
| Drew Foster | 86 | Nate Jackson |
| Scotty Boykin | 97 | Ty Walz |
| Dom Bradley | 125 | Jordan Wood |
Predictions
Bray: NJRTC/SERTC
CP: NJRTC/SERTC
Bratke: NJRTC/SERTC
Askren: NJRTC/SERTC
Spey: Spartan Combat RTC
JD: NJRTC/SERTC
Cliff Keen WC vs Gopher WC (6:00 PM)
Seth Gross is filling in for Stevan Micic who will be heading to Serbia for the UWW Individual World Cup, and he'll be a favorite over either Sanders or Russell. It will be interesting to see if Dylan Ragusin takes the mat for Cliff Keen as he had a technical superiority win over Sean Russell in the Senior Nationals semis.
The combination of Habat and Pantaleo has just a little more senior level seasoning that Gopher WC's McKee, Lee combo, so Cliff Keen is favored here, but don't forget that Mitch McKee made a Junior World final and has a devastating head-pinch.
Logan Massa and Evan Wick have quite a rivalry in Folkstyle. Wick is 3-2 vs Massa in college matches, but the two haven't hit recently in freestyle. Massa's two consecutive Senior Nationals titles give him the edge, but this one is intriguing.
At 86kg, Myles Amine is a heavy favorite over Pfarr or Skatzka. His hard-earned Olympic qualification proves that he's one of the top 86kg freestylers in the world. Zillmer and Dudley met twice at Senior Nationals in the quarterfinals and 3rd place bout and Zillmer won both times. The first match was close but the second wasn't.
At heavyweight, we have all kinds of possible matches, but the one people are most curious about is Gable Steveson vs Mason Parris. Gable has gotten the better of Mason in the past, including the 2020 Big Ten finals, but they haven't had a senior level freestyle match. Gable is the favorite, but Mason is right there.
| Cliff Keen WC | WT | Gopher WC |
| Seth Gross/Dylan Ragusin | 57 | Zach Sanders/Sean Russell |
| David Habat/Alec Pantaleo | 65 | Mitch McKee/Brayton Lee |
| Logan Massa/Malik Amine | 74 | Evan Wick/Elroy Perkin |
| Myles Amine/Dominic Abounader | 86 | Brett Pfarr/Devin Skatzka |
| Timothy Dudley | 97 | Hayden Zillmer |
| Mason Parris/Adam Coon/Youssif Hemida | 125 | Gable Steveson/Tony Nelson |
Predictions
Bray: Cliff Keen WC
CP: Cliff Keen WC
Bratke: Cliff Keen WC
Askren: Cliff Keen WC
Spey: Cliff Keen WC
JD: Cliff Keen WC
Cliff Keen WC vs Wolfpack WC (7:00 PM)
We could see a matchup of NCAA Champions right out of the gate here as Seth Gross and Darian Cruz are in the lineup for these two squads. Gross won when they met in the 2019 Bill Farrell semis, so we'll see if Cruz has made the right adjustments.
Both Habat and Pantaleo have had more freestyle success than Jack or Wilson, so Cliff Keen will expect to win at 65kg. At 74kg, Massa could see Hidlay, who finished 3rd at Senior Nationals, or Gantt, who split with Massa in 2019. Either matchup would be incredible, but Massa is the highest ranked US wrestler of this group at #6, so he's the favorite.
Myles Amine makes four favorites in a row for Cliff Keen. He was 5th in the world in 2019 and the most accomplished of this group, but Reenan was second on the US ladder in 2018 to David Taylor. If he can find that form, he could make this interesting.
Mike Macchiavello was 3-0 against Tim Dudley in 2019 between the US Open and World Team Trials, and the Wolfpack WC will be counting on him here.
The 125kg bout is the most anticipated match of this dual. We should find out how prepared Junior World champ Mason Parris is for senior level success when he takes on two-time World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski in this heavyweight super pool.
The Wolfpack WC can certainly pull off an upset in one of the first four matches, but the Cliff Keen WC is expected to win this dual.
| Cliff Keen WC | WT | Wolfpack WC |
| Seth Gross/Dylan Ragusin | 57 | Darian Cruz/Jakob Camacho |
| David Habat/Alec Pantaleo | 65 | Kevin Jack/Tariq Wilson |
| Logan Massa/Malik Amine | 74 | Hayden Hidlay/Tommy Gantt |
| Myles Amine/Dominic Abounader | 86 | Nick Reenan |
| Timothy Dudley | 97 | Michael Macchiavello/Timmy McCall |
| Mason Parris/Adam Coon/Youssif Hemida | 125 | Nick Gwiazdowski/Owen Trephan |
Predictions
Bray: Cliff Keen WC
CP: Cliff Keen WC
Bratke: Cliff Keen WC
Askren: Cliff Keen WC
Spey: Wolfpack WC
JD: Cliff Keen WC
Wolfpack WC vs Gopher WC (8:00 PM)
The final dual of day 1, starts with Darian Cruz against either Zach Sanders or Sean Russell. Cruz's recent addition to the squad is critical as he was 2-1 against Sanders and 1-0 against Russell in 2019.
The Gopher WC just might have the edge at 65kg as Junior World silver medalist Mitch McKee's freestyle accomplishments are a notch above Jack and Wilson's.
At 74kg, Wick has battled both Hidlay and Gantt in the past. He has split with Hidlay but lost their most recent meeting in the 3rd place bout at Senior Nationals. He lost a 10-4 match to Gantt in 2019 as well. Wolfpack may be the on paper favorites here, but this is a coin flip.
Hidlay will be the favorite over Pfarr at 86kg based on their results at Senior Nationals, and Macchiavello is favored over Zillmer at 97kg since he won when they met at the World Team Trials in 2019.
That sets up a rematch from Final X in 2019 between Gable Steveson and Nick Gwiazdowski. Gwiz won both matches in that best of three series on criteria. He showed the ability to score late, coming from behind in both of those matches to get the better of Gable.
The Wolfpack WC is in position to win this dual. If they do, and if the other two duals play out according to paper, pool B will finish like this 1) Cliff Keen WC, 2) Wolfpack WC, 3) Gopher WC.
| Wolfpack WC | WT | Gopher WC |
| Darian Cruz/Jakob Camacho | 57 | Zach Sanders/Sean Russell |
| Kevin Jack/Tariq Wilson | 65 | Mitch McKee/Brayton Lee |
| Hayden Hidlay/Tommy Gantt | 74 | Evan Wick/Elroy Perkin |
| Nick Reenan | 86 | Brett Pfarr/Devin Skatzka |
| Michael Macchiavello/Timmy McCall | 97 | Hayden Zillmer |
| Nick Gwiazdowski/Owen Trephan | 125 | Gable Steveson/Tony Nelson |
Predictions
Bray: Wolfpack WC
CP: Wolfpack WC
Bratke: Wolfpack WC
Askren: Wolfpack WC
Spey: Wolfpack WC
JD: Wolfpack WC
The Bracket
The duals above are just the ones we know we'll see, but don't forget that these bouts all build toward Saturday's bracketed tournament. The first place finishers in each pool will have a bye to the semis while the second place finisher from each pool will wrestle the third place finisher from the opposite pool in the quarterfinals.
Based on the on-paper predictions above, that would mean that the Cliff Keen WC would see the winner of the NJRTC/SERTC and the Gopher WC while the Spartan Combat RTC would wait for the winner of the Wolfpack WC and the Ohio RTC. Don't count on the bracket looking exactly like this though. Somebody's going to pull an upset and topple this whole thing.
Regardless of how the bracket gets seeded, it's worth knowing that the quarterfinal losers will meet for 5th, semifinal losers will meet for 3rd, and semifinal winners will square off for the $50,000 grand prize. Check out the team's predictions for who takes home the $50,000 grand prize:
Predictions
Bray: Cliff Keen WC
CP: Cliff Keen WC
Bratke: Cliff Keen WC
Askren: Cliff Keen WC
Spey: Spartan Combat WC
JD: Cliff Keen WC
Weight Class Previews
We've broken down each of the six weight classes that will be on display, so if you want to read more about each of them, dig in.
57kg: 57kg Mercenaries Could Swing The RTC Cup
65kg: Who Will Steal The Show At 65kg At The RTC Cup?
74kg: 74kg Grudge Matches On The Menu At The RTC Cup
86kg: Amine vs Domestic 86kg Standouts At The RTC Cup
97kg:
125kg: Get Excited: 125 kg Will Be An Olympic Trials Preview This Weekend
In-Depth Interviews
Gable Steveson Full Interview Before The 2020 RTC Cup
The Full Kyle Dake Interview Before The 2020 RTC Cup