AGON - Askren v WrightOct 28, 2013 by Christian Pyles
AGON 1: Askren Dismantles Quentin, Calls Out Dake
AGON 1: Askren Dismantles Quentin, Calls Out Dake
Askren Beats Wright 22-8, Goes After Kyle Dake
AGON 1 Recap:
Christian Pyles
Last night was a great start. We had it all: Points, an upset, and personalities. I came into last night unsure of what to expect. The concept, while not completely foreign, was still new. A unique (and brilliant) set of rules that had never been seen before. Making predictions was tough, and going 3 out of 4 isn't great, but I left feeling as though this wouldn't be the last time we talked about AGON.
In the matches first bout, we saw essentially what I expected: Jay Borschel domination. The Hawkeye turned Wildcat Assitant coach had little trouble getting to legs and finishing on Simpson. He seemed a bit tenative to begin, but after a few minutes it was very clear Borschel would have little trouble with Simpson. Injury or not, Simpson was outmatched from the start.
Similarly, we saw Jordan Oliver dismantle Lance Palmer. While this could have been an interesting folkstyle match in both of their wrestling primes, in this matchup Palmer was outmatched and outclassed. Palmer struggle in the ways I expected: Neutral offense. Palmer in many ways made his money on top and with stingy (but not impregnable) defense. Getting on top in AGON is predicated on earning takedowns. This was something I knew Palmer would struggle to do. Opening up Oliver and having quality set ups was never really a reasonable expectation for Palmer. Oliver is training full time to be the best in the world, and it showed.
In next weeks Snake Pit, I give Bubba a 'punchers' chance. He's a big move guy who can score in different ways. All that being said, I'm expecting more of the same and an Oliver win, albeit a closer one.
Could we see a Stephen Abas Freestyle comeback!? Probably not, but I do wonder if the wheels got turning in Stephen's head after his impressive, narrow victory over Nick Simmons. I always conceded that in his prime (and even slightly out of it) Abas was the superior wrestler. Not a shocking revelation. What shocked me is that Abas seemed to be in phenomenal shape and showed no real signs of his age. Now the guys only 35, so I'm not trying to make it sound like he's the Methuselah of the mat. All I was saying is that 5 years since his last match, and not training to wrestle simply HAS to be a factor. Well, if it was, it wasn't very noticeable. I was off on this one. I expected a blowout victory for Simmons. Abas snuck one out.
Alright onto the main event, and me being back on track with my predictions. Ben Askren is that dude. I said he should have been a bigger favorite than the odds indicated, and the 22-8 dismantling of Quentin Wright suggests just that. Askren did what he does, he puts you in positions you are not comfortable or familiar with. Quentin was noticeably unsure of himself when he got in on singles, and perhaps did not expect Askren to be as dominant on top (although Askren has never been anything short of amazing at getting turns, so I don't know why that would be the case). Quentin's quick strike double is the template for beating Askren, but it wasn't an attack I expected him to get to consistently. The longer the match went on, the more noticeable Askren's superiority was.
Now, to the "call out." I was fired up after that and want (like pretty much every wrestling fan) to see that match. I love Askren, and he's one of my all time favorites, but I think I like Dake in this potential match up. So Kyle, we hope you'll consider this fight. I don't think you have anything to worry about.