10 Women's Freestyle Matches We Need To See In 2025
10 Women's Freestyle Matches We Need To See In 2025
What women's freestyle match-ups do we need to see in 2025? Here are 10 intriguing possibilities.
The 2024 Olympic year provided unique opportunities when 10 weights shrunk to six for the Olympic Trials. Plenty of intriguing match-ups are on the table entering the first year of a new Olympic quad. Here are 10 we need to see in 2025, with probabilities of each match happening.
Anaya Falcon vs Sage Mortimer
Probability: 60%
Weight: 110 pounds or 50 kg
Mortimer had quite an Olympic redshirt. She won the 2023 Senior Nationals, finished third at the Olympic Trials, and won the 2024 U23 World Championships. She is on fire during her first season at Grand Valley State (NCAA) following finishes of third and second at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.
Falcon is having quite a rookie campaign at Life University (NAIA) after making the 2024 U20 World Championships with an impressive run at Women’s Nationals.
Both have college eligibility after this season so it could happen at the NWCA All-Star Classic or if they are scheduled at the same open tournament. There’s also a chance they square off at a USA Wrestling event.
Both compete in the loaded 110-pound college weight division, and while each has a good shot to win their respective college championships, neither is a lock. No matter the outcome, we’ll patiently wait for this gem of a match.
Amani Jones vs Cristelle Rodriguez
Probability: 50%
Weight: 124 pounds or 55/57 kg
Jones is a North Central (NCAA) senior following finishes of fifth, second, and first at the National Collegiate Wrestling Championships. She won bronze medals at the 2023 U20 and 2024 U23 World Championships.
Rodriguez is a junior for Doane (NAIA) following finishes of third and first at the NAIA Championships. She won a gold medal at the 2024 U20 World Championships.
Competing in different divisions prevents another great college match-up, and none would be bigger than this.
Long and lean. Check.
High-volume shooters. Check.
Shoot from space. Check.
Both compete at USA Wrestling events so let's hope they meet at the U23 Championships, US Open, World Team Trials, or another domestic event.
Taina Fernandez vs Xochitl Mota-Pettis
Probability: 40%
Weight: 138 pounds or 62 kg
Fernandez, 15, has won four college opens, the 2024 U17 World Championships, and a boatload of prestigious high school tournaments. She also finished second at the 2023 Princeton Open, which has turned into a trivia question.
Who is the only female to defeat Taina Fernandez?
Answer: Canada’s Alex Town, a U23 World champion who was 28 when Fernandez was 14.
High-level senior competition is scarce for Fernandez since she’s too young to compete at the US Open (she’s age-eligible in 2027) so college opens are ideal.
Past US Open champion Xochitl Mota-Pettis, 24, is a high-level senior wrestler who also competes in college opens. Her dynamic and explosive style makes this an ideal match for the solid and high-octane Fernandez.
Fingers crossed that they enter the same tournament at the same weight.
Tiare Ikei vs Haley Augello
Probability: 30%
Weight: 53/55 kg
These two met in 2019 (Augello won, 12-0) but injuries and retirement prevented it from happening again.
In 2019, Augello retired at 25 but returned after a four-year layoff and reached the 2024 Olympic Trials finals at 53 kg.
Ikei showed flashes of brilliance, winning the 2019 US Open as a high schooler but concussions have kept her sidelined from major competitions. She wrestled in two college opens this season at 124 and appears healthy.
Let’s hope they can make this a domestic rivalry for the next quad.
Augello and Ikei faced off at the 2019 World Team Trials
Michaela Beck vs Cameron Guerin
Probability: 20%
Weight: 59 kg
Guerin won four NCWWC (NCAA) titles for McKendree but announced she would forgo the college season to focus on her health. She still has a COVID season so a return to college competition is an option.
Beck bypassed college, opting to train at various domestic and international locations. She won the 2023 US Open and has twice reached the best of three World Team Trials.
These two are different in every way. Beck is short, powerful, and explosive. Guerin is long, lean, and funky.
Guerin’s competition return is unknown but if she competes at the US Open, this would be a fun one.
Emma Bruntil vs Bella Mir
Probability: 15%
Weight: 65/68 kg
This match became relevant when Mir defeated Bruntil at the 2024 No-Gi World Championships. Let’s run it back in freestyle.
Mir, a sophomore at North Central, finished fifth at the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships for Iowa. Her end game is the UFC, not the Olympics.
Bruntil made a college comeback last season, finishing second at regionals for McKendree, but opted out of nationals due to debilitating migraines. She is a two-time NCWWC champion and 2023 Senior Worlder Teamer.
Watch Mir and Bruntil grapple at the No-Gi World Championships
Jacarra Winchester vs Kayla Miracle
Probability: 10%
Weight: 62 kg
There’s no indication when or if Miracle will return after competing in her second Olympic Games. A match with her 2020 Olympic teammate Jacarra Winchester will make us happy if she does.
Winchester has publicly stated she doesn’t know which weight she will compete in, and a move to 76 kg isn’t out of the picture (she was half kidding). Her lone appearance at 62 kg resulted in a 2023 Senior National title.
Miracle is a 2021 and 2022 World silver medalist. Winchester is a 2019 World champion and 2023 World silver medalist.
This match likely won’t happen but Winchester’s has competed from 53 kg to 62 kg so nothing is impossible when she shows up. Can we expect a Miracle?
Morgan Turner vs Audrey Jimenez
Probability: 5%
Weight: 50 kg or 110 pounds
Turner, a high school junior, doesn’t compete in college opens but a showdown with Lehigh’s Audrey Jimenez is an exciting possibility. As a high schooler, Jimenez reached the best-of-three finals at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Both have success at the age-level World Championships, too. Jimenez has four medals (three silver and a bronze) and Turner has two (gold and bronze). This could be a possible showdown for years to come if they stay at the same weight. Let’s make 2025 the start of a long rivalry.
Kennedy Blades vs Amit Elor
Probability: 1%
Weight: 72 kg or 76 kg
Please. Please. Please. Give us this match!
We’ve been waiting for years. It’s borderline cruel at this point.
Elor famously missed the 2020 Olympic Trials (held in 2021) because her birthday was one day past the eligibility requirement. She made up for it by winning two World titles in 2021 (Cadet and Junior), three in 2022 (U20, U23, and Senior), three in 2023 (U20, U23, and Senior), and a 2024 Olympic gold medal.
Blades reached the 2020 Olympic Trials finals, falling to eventual Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the best-of-three finals. She made the 2024 Olympic team, winning a silver medal at 76 kg.
Talk about opposites. Elor controls the center with an underhook or a two-on-one. Blades shoots from space with powerful leg attacks.
Elor dropped to 68 kg for the Olympics after competing at 72, but all signs point to a move up to 76 for 2028. We want this match now, but we might have to wait three years before it’s a reality.
Sarah Hildebrandt vs Helen Maroulis
Probability: .5%
Weight: 57 kg
This would mark the first time two American women’s freestyle Olympic gold medalists have squared off.
A promoter would need to step in to make this happen, but it could lead to a memorable match for U.S. wrestling fans. These two wrestled in 2014 and 2015 at 55 kg but went in different directions after that.
Hildebrandt went down to 53 and then to 50 kg. Maroulis moved to 53 for the 2016 Olympics before establishing herself at 57 kg (it was 58 kg in 2017).
Neither has fully committed to retirement so why not give fans one more round? Or, better yet, stick around through the 2028 Olympics.
Hildebrandt and Maroulis wrestled multiple times before they won Olympic gold medals