61kg was already set to be the deepest, most unpredictable weight at the 2023 US Open…and then Daton Fix entered today - the DAY BEFORE the tournament begins! What does this mean for Fix and the field? CHAOS-absolute chaos! Let’s break down some of the details on what this means for the 61kg bracket in Vegas.

Where Will Fix Fall In The Bracket?

The deadline to enter the US Open and receive seeding consideration was 3 days ago. That means Daton Fix will be randomly drawn into the bracket and could wrestle anyone in the first round - including the #1 seed, Seth Gross..IN THE VERY FIRST ROUND! That’s right, we could see a rematch of their epic, 3-match Final X series early on Thursday morning. I don’t know the full history of the US Open by memory, but I’d bet the top 2 wrestlers in the country have never met in their first match at the Open. It might be unlikely Fix and Gross meet in their first match but with as deep as 61kg is, Fix will likely meet a top-seeded wrestler very early in the tournament. 

Fix's win over Seth Gross at Final X Stillwater last year:

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Who Won’t Qualify For World Team Trials?

Because Seth Gross didn’t win a medal at the World Championships last year, there are 2 spots in Final X at 61kg. One spot will go to the winner of the US Open this weekend with the other spot going to the winner of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in one month. With Fix entering the Open, 1 less incredibly talented competitor will qualify for the challenge tournament.

We broke down the amazing depth of 61kg in this article. However, it’s worth taking a look at the list of wrestlers in the field and recognizing that only 7 of these wrestlers will qualify for the challenge tournament:

• Seth Gross (already qualified)
• Vito Arujau (already qualified)
• Daton Fix (already qualified)
• Nathan Tomasello
• Joe Colon
• Austin DeSanto
• Daniel DeShazer
• Nahshon Garrett (already qualified)
• Josh Rodriguez
• Cody Brewer
• Shelton Mack
• Devan Turner

As noted above, Gross, Arujau, Fix, and Garrett are already qualified for the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. If all of those 4 finish in the top 7, there will only be 3-4 spots remaining for the other 8 wrestlers! 

Fix's win in the 2021 World Championship Semi-Finals:

Will We See Daton’s Revenge Tour?

Why did Fix choose to enter the US Open so late? Maybe he wanted to keep the element of surprise so his competitors couldn’t gameplan against him. Or maybe he wanted to keep a top-level opponent from qualifying for the challenge tournament. Regardless of the reason, Fix will absolutely be looking for revenge after losing in Final X last year to Seth Gross and losing at NCAAs to Vito Arujau. Gross kept Daton off of the 2022 world team and Arujau kept Fix from making his 4th NCAA final. As a 2021 World Silver Medalist, Fix is capable of winning this 61kg bracket and making his 3rd career senior world team. Bring on the chaos!

Vito Arujau's win over Daton Fix at the 2023 NCAA Tournament: