Yianni Diakomihalis vs Jesse Mendez 65kg - Olympic Team Trials 2024

[@josiahcliffton826]

Making Ohio and Indiana proud Mendez!

[@llo6868]

At this point yianni should wrestle for Greece since he’s Greek. He can’t beat US wrestlers but I KNOW he does really well against the world

[@nowhereman8656]

When he was the young guy, Yianni beat everyone at nationals, including Retherford, and he literally expanded everyone's idea of how else you could scramble and set up shots. He did not look good in his first match, tired after one period and just hanging in there as if sick. He had unhealthy color, and less muscular than usual. Not that he's known for being a bodybuilder, but typically he looks.... more wiry and harder. Even though many of these guys studied him to catch up and beat him at times, something's off. Mendez proved he belongs here because of how he wrestled with everyone. However, Yianni beat all the top guys when he was the youngster on the scene, and they had to learn what HE does. Mendez was tougher, healthier, hungrier... but not a better technician. Those were gritty shots that everyone can understand, it wasn't baffling Yianni-- it was aggression and good sold technique from a supremely conditioned preparation.

[@steventhury8366]

I'm thinking the grind at this level wears even the elite down. DT didn't have his MOJO either. Then they probably need to be cutting weight all these yrs too. Their eyes are gazing at what comes after wrestling and they lose that edge.

[@uc9218]

Maybe Yanni has outgrown Cornell and needs bigger and better training partners and coaches. Dake and Rob Koll made the move, after than Yanni hasn’t looked like himself.

[@tommyboyd2674]

Excuses Excuses, bottom line he go beat!! O-H

[@steventhury8366]

@@tommyboyd2674 Nobody is denying that. It's a matter of what happened to their tenacity and edge?

[@pfossful]

Yanni has discovered beer and strip clubs

[@olina4860]

Mendez hit some nice freestyle takedowns. Especially that trip to exposure

[@michaelmiller4525]

Thank you!!!

[@dougiefresh72]

After my first exposure to Yianni seeing him go through Molinaro, Oliver & Zain back in 2019 U.S. Open, I thought for sure he’d be World and/or Olympic champion by now. Something seems to have stymied his continued evolution as a wrestler. Great he made the world final a couple years ago but he keeps losing to other U.S. guys

[@cog_of_war]

Well the US has a stacked group. Taylor just lost to brooks, and Taylor was a gold medalist in the last Olympics. Also Mendez has Sammy Sasso as a coach, who has wrestled Yianni a ton. Hope to see Yianni more successful, it's going to be tough.

[@abdujk]

@@cog_of_war Yianni has beat sasso so many times and taylor is old.

[@nowhereman8656]

That's what I'm trying to remind people of-- and not because I have any horse in this race or others, I don't even know them. I just know when I saw somebody unique that others had to catch up to... and though Mendez is great and I'm a fan of his as well, he did not do what Yianni did early on. Yianni had experienced guys stymied, not just beaten. They were scratching their heads. You could see it on their faces. You could see the weird positions and technique and followthrough's. Even though everyone is studied and sort of gets ganged up on when there near the top (they obviously went to the drawing board about Yianni), there is still something wrong.

[@dormilon36]

Funny. I saw a talented, idiosyncratic wrestler and little else. Meh.

[@bubbletum8399]

@@cog_of_waryianna was practicing armdrag whole match

[@dangerpowers4582]

I think the weight cut really took a toll on Jesse Mendez last year. He was great last year, but man, he's taking out complete monsters now. I think he'll go down as the Indiana goat. Ohio State wrestlers are improving at a great rate. Rocco Welsh and Nick Feldman will almost definitely get their NCAA titles as well.

[@ciriloreyes3184]

Wowser Jesse is looking like the future for team USA 🇺🇸

[@dangerpowers4582]

He's made huge improvements since last year, and he was a beast last year as well.

[@SHIFTKICK]

Yianni has not looked like himself. his defense aint there

[@kadencrane]

he wrestles as if hes relying on defense and it just hasnt worked. hes so capable of good attacks but just no action for half the match then he tries random doubles from space ??? idk whats up

[@willisknapick4405]

Agreed. He looks slow. Disengaged.

[@nowhereman8656]

@@kadencrane Less healthy as well. He was never a power guy, but he does have lots of leverage and can crank people into terrible positions. He has enough strength to hang with even the Russians etc.... but now he looks a bit drained. The flexibility is still there. He just doesn't look hungry and he was tired in the first match after only a couple minutes. Something's wrong.

[@Pajoker1998]

Hard to defend a straight double like that. Jesse mendez out wrestled him and choose his positions well.

[@sethjones2712]

he’s just not that good, guys are realizing that if they take it to him and wrestle him offensively and hard he isn’t that good

[@jaxchristian3080]

Omg the depth of these weight classes.

[@yoda5389]

Damn knew Mendez was good but didn’t expect this

[@tanako98]

Well checked box just defeated 4 time NCAA champ but in freestyle.

[@superobotmonkey]

Different ball game and yianni definitely didn't look like himself.

[@willflum2847]

Yianni has to go up to 70kg. I think it’s clear he can’t compete at full strength at 65kg. I’ve never seen him so tired

[@sethjones2712]

the score was 12-2 tech for Mendez they gave yianni two for the same four jesse got then at the beginning Jesse never got two for his first takedown

[@Arigonzzo]

Yianni to nlwc👀

[@armanifryeowens5518]

👀👀👀

[@Nogi520]

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀​@@armanifryeowens5518

[@JG-re2bb]

Mendez just keeps getting better and better. He beat Diakomihalis pretty handily

[@frankiecal3186]

Mendes crushed him

[@Bryan-h3v]

I agree but I don’t think he’s better I just think yianni waited to long to open up and Mendes had nothing to lose

[@jomama969]

@@Bryan-h3vMendez is just on a roll at the moment. It's hard to be someone that has the momentum.

[@jesusbermudez2327]

⁠​⁠@@Bryan-h3vdude got blasted doubled in the last minute twice, it’s a skill issue lol

[@combatspeed6392]

Yanni isn't healthy. He's not fully recovered from the concussion

[@dangerpowers4582]

After last season, I doubted Jesse a bit, but definitely not anymore. He's won a national title, almost beat Zain and beat James Green, Yianni Diakomihalis, and Andrew Alirez in the last two months, and I'm pretty sure there's another wrestler he took out recently that I'm forgetting.

[@LincolnFrazee]

Can we get the Yianni/larkin match

[@Vlad_cod]

Sorry,but i wont be home for the next 2 weeks,you can watch the replay on usa network tho

[@ep6305]

Those double leg scoring seemed very subjective about who gets points. Main issue with freestyle the scoring is very grey

[@Pajoker1998]

They reward the man who initiated the action.

[@ep6305]

3 different situations in this match mendez in on a shot yianni defending with a chest wrap each time both guys exposed their back. First one was 2 pts yianni 0 pts mendez Second one was 4 pts mendez 2 pts yianni Third was 4 points mendez 0 pts yianni. Scenario 2 and 3 were very similar, i think a different ref probably calls points for each of thos scenarios slightly different

[@pullmfinger6149]

Hate when wrestlers play not to lose vs. to win.

[@JakeWilsonMMA]

I’m so confused with the point I’ve seen the same takedown worth 3 worth 2 and worth 1 all in different matches

[@bluesman4208]

Why didn’t Yianni pull out that energy he has towards the end?

[@SteveWildasin]

I think we are all sick and tired of the Referees dictating the matches. I miss the days when the wrestlers wrestled there own matches. The pace, the offense, defense was up to the wrestlers. Now the Refs tell you you're too slow, or too fast, or not enough action, or you need to pick it up, or whatever. The Refs are in too much control of the wrestlers.

[@David-lw5sp]

Agreed

[@neilmezache7845]

Yianni decides to wake up and wrestle with less than 30s left in the match. A performance that has me wondering where his heads at these days. Maybe wanting to devote his time and resources elsewhere. Hope yer aight, Yianni.

[@barreldking7138]

mendez almost beat Retherford and Zain was fresh Jesse just got done with 3 matches

[@williamoleary9330]

I don’t think Yianni will ever be World Champion. He doesn’t try to be dynamic and keep scoring.

[@Nuovo-lw2zt]

Wrestling submission is much more interesting and dynamic than this

[@kevinvasquez2255]

Clutch

[@Slumped_Z]

I cant be the only one who seriously dislikes freestyles rules.... by no means am I a "fan" of diakomihalis so theres no bias here but I dont think its a secret hes a better wrestler than mendez. In folkstyle I dont think mendez scores a point on him.

[@vincestout4194]

Yeah, I am not a fan of freestyle rules or freestyle in general but no, I meant this is the real deal

[@johnhanselman6371]

Yianni out wrestled him.

[@TheCroftwrestlers]

Lmao wot

[@evantracey3728]

His prime is gone...plus competition has changed

[@dangerpowers4582]

Unfortunately, I think you're right. I couldn't even imagine Yianni losing two years ago, but I've become a big fan of Jesse Mendez. When Yianni was in college, he was the best guy pfp during his junior and senior year, in my opinion. I remember thinking Yianni had a better shot at being a 4-timer than Spencer, and that's not a knock on Spencer, but c'mon, Yianni only had one convincing loss during his collegiate career.

[@gamespotlive3673]

Yianni's washed

[@smarterinvestor]

Haha! How the hell 12 to 7? What! Haha! What a joke. How they came up with that score, you have to question, surely there's something wrong.

[@xzjayz7925]

You good bro?

[@steveandrews7530]

Pray that the losers would be WINNERS IN CHRIST!!

[@armanifryeowens5518]

New guys r jus better

[@johnalmondbro8732]

Brother, The olympic line up is Lee (2023), Retherford (2018, who Mendez lost to), Dake (2013), Brooks (2024), Snyder (2018), Parris (2023). So none of the guys from Mendez class (2026), the new guys who you are saying are better, made the team. In fact Yianni (2023) would have been tied for the second newest guy to make the team.

[@zfontain1975]

​@johnalmondbro8732, if Rutherford would have wrestled three matches before the finals, mendez probable would have won.

[@asmbyjk4577]

Yianni is the most boring elite wrestler in the world.

[@abdujk]

you haven't watched this guy

[@asmbyjk4577]

@@abdujk only nearly every match college and international the last 5-6 years

[@fatcatattack]

crazy lol if you said fix id agree but yianni? tripping

[@nowhereman8656]

That's the quick type of judging that helps NOTHING and nobody. Yianni doesn't look healthy anymore and everyone studied the sh-t our of him... because he WAS extremely exciting. Went through all more experienced top guys including Retherford when he came on the scene... more impressive than any of these youngsters like Mendez-- and Mendez is great. No, Yianni has something going on like sickness or worn out from everyone targeting him for the past four years or so.

[@asmbyjk4577]

@@nowhereman8656 I like Yianni and like to see him win he just is. A defensive wrestler and that’s boring to me. Same as knee wrestlers. People are figuring that crap out and pushing through them. Watch we will stop seeing high level knee wrestlers in the next few years

[@URRidikalus]

OH

[@increasearmadillo3032]

He needs out of Cornell