Russian-born wrestler Sven Engstrom, who plays for the Swedish national team, compared the levels of Olympic champions in an interview with Abdulrashida Sadulaeva And Kyle Snyder .
Snyder and Sadulaev, representing the United States and Russia respectively, have held several head-to-head encounters in international competitions, and their matchup has been considered one of the most sought-after in any international wrestling tournament in recent times. years. After Russians were banned from participating in international competitions, Sadulaev admitted in an interview with that a commercial fight could be arranged for athletes.
Engstrom fought against Snyder twice and participated in training camps with the Russian team several times.
– Sadulaev is a completely new level in terms of wrestling sense. There is enormous physical strength, but also a very intelligent head, a phenomenal sense of position. It’s hard to win. It is clear that a huge effort has been invested, but the talent is incredible. His fights are a pleasure to watch, even for those who don’t understand freestyle wrestling, it’s so spectacular.
– At 18, you fought with Snyder, who was already an Olympic champion. Were you very worried?
“I wasn’t worried at all, really. Because it’s much easier psychologically to fight against a titled opponent when you know in advance that he’s stronger than you are. Everything you can do in this situation is to show something unusual on the mat, you have nothing to defend, therefore, without any fear, you climb in all dangerous situations, more often than not, these are the best fights.
Snyder has a simple technique, there is absolutely nothing complicated in it, but there is power, enormous explosive power and, above all, insane stamina. Within a minute and a half, he tried to attack me more than ten times and wasn’t even out of breath. It’s morally pressing, and in addition, physically against him, most opponents start to collapse in the second period for lack of stamina. You can skip the first segment normally, then it starts taking point by point.
– Many still see Sadulaev’s fight against Snyder as the main duel in world wrestling. But it seems that everything is clear in their rivalry just in terms of potential?
– I would say that everything here depends only on the form of Sadulaev. If he is at his best, it will be an even fight overall, but Snyder will have no chance of winning. And if, like in Paris at the Worlds in 2017, Abdulrashid is not in his best form, then Snyder can win with a point or two difference.
And in terms of technical level, they are incomparable athletes. You just have to understand that all of the wrestlers on Team USA are incredibly prepared physically and mentally, Engstrom said in an interview with .
Sadulaev, as part of the Russian national team, twice won the Olympics in Rio 2016 (up to 86 kg) and Tokyo 2020 (up to 97 kg). Snyder became the winner of the Olympics in 2016 (weight up to 97 kg).
Live broadcasts of the Mixed Martial Arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
