Kyle Dake and Jason Nolf will square off on June 8 in New York City for the 74kg spot on the world team. Take a look at a full preview of their matchup below prior to them taking the mat at Final X presented by Tezos.

Kyle Dake Looking For World Title #4

After winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics last Summer, Kyle Dake won his third world title two months later in Oslo, Norway. With Russia and Belarus banned from this year’s World Championships, Dake will be a big favorite to win another world title this September in Belgrade, Serbia. At the 2021 World Championships, Dake showed his dominance winning 4 straight matches in controlling fashion by outscoring his opponents by a combined 32-4. 

Kyle Dake's win in the 2021 World Finals:

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Along with winning Olympic bronze and world gold last year, Dake also defeated Jason Nolf twice in 2021. They first met on February 23 at an NLWC event where Dake won a calculated 5-0 decision. In that match, Dake scored an early step-out and then a big, 4-point chest wrap with a minute remaining in the first period. From then on, Dake held strong position and was able to defend against a myriad of attacks from Nolf. Their match at the Olympic trials five weeks later was much different as Dake hit a 5-point throw in the first 6 seconds of the match and secured the 11-0 tech fall in just 42 seconds. Those two wins make Dake a considerable favorite when the two take the mat in New York City on June 8.

Kyle Dake’s win at the Olympic Trials over Jason Nolf.

The Case For Nolf

While Kyle Dake had an impressive 2021, Jason Nolf has shown major improvements to his freestyle game since his losses to Dake. Last December Nolf traveled to Russia to compete in a professional league match against Khetik Tasbolov - a 2014 world champion and 2017 world silver medalist. Nolf came out on top in a high-scoring, back-and-forth battle with a 16-9 decision. Then in January, Nolf traveled back to Russia to compete in the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix. He came away with a silver medal there highlighted by a win over 2021 world bronze medalist Timur Bizhoev. 

Jason Nolf's win over world champion Khetik Tsabolov:

Since graduating from Penn State in 2019, Nolf has evolved into one of the top freestyle wrestlers in the country and currently sits at #8 in the world at 74kg in our international rankings. Kyle Dake will prove to be a much bigger challenge than Tsabolov or Bizhoev, but Nolf’s continual improvement in freestyle should create a much more intriguing match at Final X. In order for Jason Nolf to pull off the upset against Dake at Final X he’ll have to solve the puzzle of finishing on his leg attacks. In their first match last year, Nolf was able to get to Dake’s legs various times throughout the match but was unsuccessful in scoring on any of his attempts. If Nolf’s crew has devised a plan to get past Dake’s defense, expect much closer matches in this incredible best of three series.

Hear from Jason Nolf after winning the world team trials and how he plans on preparing for Kyle Dake:

Who Wins At Final X?

Kyle Dake will be a big favorite heading into Final X. He’s controlled the last two matches against Jason Nolf and has proven to be the favorite to win a world title this year at 74kg. Will Final X be the beginning of Dake’s fourth world title run or is Nolf ready to dethrone Dake? We’ll find out when they square off on June 8 in New York City!

Hear Kyle Dake's thoughts heading into Final X after his Pan-Am Championships:

Check out every match going down at Final X in New York City on June 8.