Kyle Dake waited nearly five years but he finally got his revenge on Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov after suffering a loss to the Belarus native at the 2020 Olympics.
The first encounter ended with Kadimagomedov scoring a stunning 11-0 tech fall victory before eventually winning a silver medal while Dake battled his way back to win a bronze. But Take has been seeking a rematch ever since and he finally got his chance on Saturday at RAF 5.
The match paid off with the wrestlers exchanging multiple takedowns,
throws and reversals but a final scramble saw Dake get the last points to go up 10-7 just before time expired. Kadimagomedov was not happy with the final scoring sequence and he actually raised the referee’s hand in protest.
Either way, Dake gets the nod and perhaps he’ll run across Kadimagomedov again in the future
“He’s just a little upset. He’ll be OK,” Dake said after his win. “You’re not going to see any controversy, that was all me. At the Olympics, I couldn’t get that [chest-to-chest throw] but this time, I got it. Whoever, whenever, wherever, I’m ready. “
In their long awaited rematch, Kadimagomedov got inside on Dake early but he couldn’t drive through for the takedown with the American escaping. The hand fighting continued with the wrestlers jockeying for position through the end of the first period.
Dake got a little more aggressive in the second after he got a point for passivity from Kadimagomedov. After trading unsuccessful shots, the referee put Kadimagomedov on the shot clock again and this time he shot deep for a takedown but Dake reversed with a beautiful throw for a four-point score.
With two-minutes remaining, Kadimagomedov got on the board with quick two-point takedown and then a pushout to score another point. Kadimagomedov stayed aggressive but Dake showed great defense as they traded points on the mat in a wild exchange.
Another wild scramble led to a takedown and Kadimagomedov scored with a powerful reversal but Dake ended up with more points after he turned the tables again to close the match while going up 10-7.
It was a wild match from start to finish but Dake got the job done while Kadimagomedov will surely seek a trilogy to settle the score once and for all.
