In interviews before their match, both Jack Mueller and Roman Bravo-Young had brief, complimentary things to say about one another but focused more on their individual approaches to this match. These glimpses into the minds of RBY and Mueller let us see a piece of how each athlete is motivated but also reveal that these guys might know more about each other than they're letting on.

Watch Roman Bravo-Young vs Jack Mueller LIVE on FloWrestling

Saturday, July 25, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST

Mueller Is Fueled By Being Under-Rated

Jack Mueller is an NCAA finalist and was fifth at the U23 World Championships. Still, he somehow gets overlooked by many wrestling fans. Mueller had a conversation about this with Mike Mal last week that starts at around 1:25 in the following video.

He explained that being underrated motivates him to compete. In the days leading up to the 2019 NCAA Championships, Mueller noticed a large number of wrestling fans predicting Spencer Lee, Sebastian Rivera, Nick Piccininni, or Ronnie Bresser to win but very few would pick him. Rather than being discouraged by this, Mueller was motivated.

I think I am underrated for sure...it gives a little fire.

RBY Embraces The Challenge Of Elite Competition

While Mueller finds motivation in being under-rated, RBY is motivated for this match because Mueller is a high-quality opponent. RBY doesn't over-emphasize preparation for specific opponents which helps explain why he only briefly addressed this weekend's opponent.

One of the few things he did say about Mueller was that he's very good and that he's motivated by this. RBY's thoughts on the matchup start around 1:20 in the following video.

I like a challenge. NCAA finalist. That just fires me up more because he's legit.

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RBY & Mueller Have Done Their Homework

Both RBY and Mueller downplayed their depth of knowledge about the other, but they might know a little more than they've been letting on. In the promotional video for this match, RBY outlined a number of Mueller's best freestyle techniques including his head-pinch, chest-wrap, and slide-by among others.

On The Bader Show, Mueller explained that he has enjoyed watching RBY matches in the past and followed up by explaining the level of depth with which he approaches film study. 

Most of the time I'm a student. I'll pull up film, and I'll have notes out, and I'll analyze every single little detail.

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Mueller and RBY have played their cards close to the vest, but within their subtle mental warfare, their level of respect for one another and their level of preparedness for this match are clear. We'll find out who's more prepared on July 25.