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Does Zahid go 184 from here?

RVARZR

Well-Known Member
Jan 8, 2017
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It has been touched on in a few threads here already.

After last night does Zahid concede that the cut to 174 is hurting him and chose to take his chances at 184 with MyMar and less weight cut. Before the start of the season when it was made public that Bo was going 197 I thought Zahid would jump at the chance to seemingly have 184 almost all to himself while taking less of a toll on his body.

Also with the limited weights at the 2020 Olympics he is right between 74kg (163 lbs.) and 86kg. (189 lbs.). There is ZERO chance he can make 74kg so if he has Olympic aspirations he has to go UP.
 
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Zahid did not look 100% last night, he gassed really early. FOS said that Arizona State came in Tuesday to not have jet lag so that does not seem to be the issue. He looks just way, way to big to be at 174, i wonder why he is cutting so much considering as noted that Olympic aspirations would say 184 would be the perfect weight for him to be at right now. head scratcher definitely.
 
I think top tier guys like Zahid don't for a second consider bumping up or cutting down to a weight class because it's less competitive to increase their chances of becoming a NC.

Recall Soph. Nickal bumping up into 184 where Gabe Dean was dominating and away from a relatively cleared-out 174. The smart money said he was decreasing his chances to become a national champ but Bo's mindset was that he was the best and it didn't matter who was in that class. Zahid probably feels the same about 174.
 
I can’t imagine that who is at what weight plays any role in his decision. When you are that level you just don’t worry about others , you let them worry about you.

I wouldn't say it is never part of the elite guys decision process. I am sure what weight Burroughs was at at least crossed Dake's mind when Dake decided what weight to compete at.

It also wouldn't surprise me if Taylor didn't at least put some thought into what weight Dake was at in his choice to go up in weight.

It has been speculated that Cox may try to make the (huge) cut to 86kg for the 2020 Olympics and you can bet that Snyder was part of that decision.

I guess Cox, Dake, and Taylor all with world championships aren't on "that" level with the likes of ZV.
 
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Agree with Tikk10 here. These guys are ultra-competitive and if anything this loss will motivate him.

I was shocked with how Hall dominated the match. On the flip side, how crazy is it to be shocked that a NCAA and world champion avenged a loss? Goes to show the caliber of wrestler these two are. As cliche as it sounds, we are the real winners here.
 
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No, Zahid isn't going anywhere this year. He is part of a team and can't just go where he wants if Zeke doesn't approve. Next year however, could be a different story.
 
I'm honestly shocked that he can make 174. He looks larger than Shak and about as big as Nickal. I have to imagine the cut is very difficult to maintain. My guess is that this will be his last season competing at the weight. He'll bump to 184 and allow his brother to go 174 after red shirting.
 
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I disagree with those who are saying Zahid is cutting too much for 174. To me he looks exactly as he did last year when he won a NC at 174. He can gas but that's not necessarily related to the cut. And generally speaking the effects cutting don't typically show up on Saturday night in March. Didn't last year anyway.
 
I disagree with those who are saying Zahid is cutting too much for 174. To me he looks exactly as he did last year when he won a NC at 174. He can gas but that's not necessarily related to the cut. And generally speaking the effects cutting don't typically show up on Saturday night in March. Didn't last year anyway.

Did he look like this last night?

zahid-valencia-of-arizona-state-reacts-after-defeating-mark-hall-of-picture-id933264074
 
No, Zahid isn't going anywhere this year. He is part of a team and can't just go where he wants if Zeke doesn't approve. Next year however, could be a different story.
Perhaps there is a different, more selfish angle to explore here. Like many aspiring programs it seems to me that the starting point is recruiting. And top recruits seem to base their decision IMO on where they believe the coaching staff can help them win as many national championships as possible.

Right now I could see both coach and ZV eyeballing 184 as the best path to benefit both wrestler and team. As a bonus perhaps his brother could step into 174 for a stronger, healthier team. Might be a win-win-win.
 
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Here's the real question: If Zahid goes 79kg next year, does he try to pay off whoever decides where Final X is for the weight? Rec Hall can't be his favorite place....
 
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No, Zahid isn't going anywhere this year. He is part of a team and can't just go where he wants if Zeke doesn't approve. Next year however, could be a different story.

Wrong, Zahid could go 184 and Zeke wouldn’t prevent him. Zeke might disagree but it isn’t like the options at 184 or even 197 could hold a candle to Zahid.

However, that Zahid pulls to 174 tells me that it is his choice and he isn’t going to change mid season.
 
Zahid pretty much has tooth picks for legs. He needs to give Anthony Cassar a call for putting on weight.
 
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You know this exactly how?

I figured anyone with a working set of eyes could figure that one out.

But his past history of competing at 79 and 84 kg should also be a sign.

Zahid's weight for 2020 has also been discussed on other forums and there seems to be nobody (other than you) that seems to think he has any chance of ever making 74 kg.

Even if he tries to go 74 kg who is waiting there for him but JB and Dake. Sure doesn't sound like a good move to me.

Does anybody know when the last time ZV competed below 79 kg was? Has he competed less than that since his junior year of high school?
 
I wouldn't be shocked if Valencia bumps up before tournament time, but if he does, I'm reasonably well convinced it will be because the cut is difficult and not because he fears Mark Hall (although Hall did beat him like a rented mule last night). That said, I'm not convinced that his gas tank issues aren't weight loss related, who would know. My son was coaching at wrestling practice last night and when he got home, he and I watched a couple of the matches together on Tivo. We started the Hall/Valencia match midway through the second period because that happened to be where I had the Tivo set. He almost immediately said, "Valencia's gassed", to which my response was, "I'm not as convinced as you are", but as we watched the remainder of the match, it was clear that the guy was gassed. Why? Who knows, illness, weight cut, jet lag? We've seen it before with Zahid though, so I happen to think that he's making a large cut and his body doesn't always handle it well. Just my two cents.
 
I wouldn't say it is never part of the elite guys decision process. I am sure what weight Burroughs was at at least crossed Dake's mind when Dake decided what weight to compete at.

It also wouldn't surprise me if Taylor didn't at least put some thought into what weight Dake was at in his choice to go up in weight.

It has been speculated that Cox may try to make the (huge) cut to 86kg for the 2020 Olympics and you can bet that Snyder was part of that decision.

I guess Cox, Dake, and Taylor all with world championships aren't on "that" level with the likes of ZV.

International freestyle is a lot different than changing a weight at NCAA's. apples and oranges.
 
I figured anyone with a working set of eyes could figure that one out.

But his past history of competing at 79 and 84 kg should also be a sign.

Zahid's weight for 2020 has also been discussed on other forums and there seems to be nobody (other than you) that seems to think he has any chance of ever making 74 kg.

Even if he tries to go 74 kg who is waiting there for him but JB and Dake. Sure doesn't sound like a good move to me.

Does anybody know when the last time ZV competed below 79 kg was? Has he competed less than that since his junior year of high school?
I personally think he's more likely to go up to 86 kg than down to 74 kg. But I didn't say zero chance of 74 kg and then support that 0% chance with the eye test and message board innuendo.

His past history of where he competed is much better evidence but still not absolute.

Who he faces at each weight cuts both ways. If he goes up, he gets Taylor and Cox.

Bottom line, show me where he or Zeke has stated his 2020 Olympic weight, and then I'll believe it's set. Otherwise I will assume no decision has been made.
 
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