Daton Fix is Team USA’s world team rep at 61kg at the 2021 Senior World Championships. This 61kg World Championship preview will give an overview of Fix’s senior-level career and explore the careers of each of his potential competitors in Norway.

Can Daton Fix Win A World Title?

Daton Fix will be competing in his first world championships since 2018 where he went 1-1 and failed to place at the Senior World Championships. Up at 61kg, Fix looked better than ever at the World Team Trials where he went 5-0 and outscored his opponents 43-5. The test for Fix now is against the best 61kg wrestlers in the world - a level beyond Fix’s competition at the trials. 

Fix is largely untested against the field but does have matches against both Abasgadzhi Magomedov and Stevan Micic from his time in cadets and juniors. At the 2015 Junior US Open, Daton Fix teched Stevan Micic, 10-0. Then at the 2015 Junior World Team Trials, Micic avenged the loss and beat Fix in two straight matches to make the 2015 Junior World Team for the United States. Micic would go on to win bronze at the 2015 Junior World Championships. That same year at the Cadet World Championships, Daton Fix and Abasgadzhi Magomedov met in the quarter-finals of the Cadet World Championships. There, Magomedov won a close, and controversial match over Fix, 3-2. You can watch that match below.

So, how will Fix do at the World Championships? At this point, it’s challenging to predict where Fix stacks up against the best in the world at 61kg. He’s won 4 age-level world medals (1 cadet and 3 junior), including a Junior World title in 2017. Fix will likely be competitive in every match at the world championships in Oslo and, if he’s wrestling his best, is capable of defeating anyone in the world. 

Daton Fix (USA)

• 2019 Pan-Am Gold
• 2018 Junior World Bronze
• 2017 Junior World Gold
• 2016 Junior World Bronze

Fix’s win over Tomasello to make the world team:

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Fix’s 2017 Junior World Finals match:

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The Favorite - Abasgadzhi Magomedov

Despite it being his first senior world championships, Abasgadzhi Magomedov is the clear favorite in Norway. Magomedov has won five straight senior-level tournaments-all the toughest tournaments outside of the Olympics in the last 2 years. Those tournaments include the 2020 Russian Nationals, the 2020 Individual World Cup, the 2021 Russian Nationals, the 2021 European Championships, and the 2021 Yarygin. In those 5 tournaments, Magomedov is on a 22 match win streak with 10 techs and 5 pins. The Russian Federation is so confident in Magomedov that they didn’t make him wrestle-off for the spot. A privilege they only allowed to him and Abdulrashid Sadulaev. Take a look below at Magomedov’s accolades and some of his most impressive matches.

Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS)

• 2021 European Gold
• 2021 and 2021 Russian Nationals Gold
• 2020 World Cup Gold

Watch Magomedov defeat Fix in their controversial Cadet Worlds Match:

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Magomedov's win in the 2021 Euro Finals:

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The Contenders

Beka Lomtadaze should lead the way in the group capable of taking out Magomedov. Lomtadze was the 2019 World Champion and was also a world silver medalist in 2016. Though Lomtadze faltered and took bronze at this year’s European Championships, he has consistently shown to be one of the best 61kg wrestlers in the world and is capable of winning again in Norway.

After Lomtadze, Toshihiro Hasegawa, Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov, and Arsen Harutyunyan have proven themselves to be some of the best 61kg wrestlers in the world. Hasegawa won a U23 world title in 2018 and defeated Olympic Silver medalist Ravi Kumar (IND) there. Gvarzatilov was second at the Individual World Cup in December of 2020 where he lost only to Abasgadzhi Magomedov (5-1). Finally, Arsen Harutyunyan is the only one in this list with a past win over Beka Lomtadze. The two had a thrilling match in the finals of the 2019 European Championships where Harutyunyan won 17-11. Take a look below at their accolades and some of their match video:

Beka Lomtadze (GEO)

• 2019 World Gold
• 2021 European Bronze
• 2020, 2019, 2018 European Silver
• 2016 World Silver

Lomtadze’s win over Gvarzatilov from the bronze medal match at 2021 Euros

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Toshihiro Hasegawa (JPN)

• 2018 U23 World Gold
• 2018 Asian Bronze

Hasegawa’s Win over Ravi Kumar from the 2018 U23 World Finals

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Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (AZE)

• 2020 World Cup Silver
• 2016 World Bronze
• 2013 Junior World Gold
  
  

Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM)

• 2020 World Cup Silver
• 2020 European Bronze
• 2019 European Gold
• 2017 and 2018 Junior World Bronze

Harutyunyan's win over Lomtadze from 2019 Euros

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The "Dark Horse" Group

There are a number of competitors at 61kg who have not yet medaled at the senior world championships but could have a breakthrough performance in Norway. Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB) and Adlan Askarov (KAZ) have had the best results recently at 61kg. In the last year, Askarov had 2 wins over Tyler Graff, a win over Suleyman Atli (world bronze & silver medalist), and a win over Nathan Tomasello. Turobov has been impressive in his own right by winning the Asian Championships over Askarov in a high-scoring, 14-9 match. 

While Stevan Micic, Daton Fix, and Rahman Amouzad have not competed much at 61kg, their results at 57kg suggest they could challenge for a medal in their new weight class. Amouzad is the youngest of this group and recently won a junior world championship in dominant fashing. Prior to his junior title, Amouzad won bronze at the 2020 Individual World Cup and took home gold at the 2021 Yasar Dogu (at 61kg). 

The World Championships will be Fix and Micic’s first international competition at 61kg. Micic had a number of impressive results on the senior level at 57kg by placing 5th at the 2019 world championships and medaling twice at Euros (Bronze in 2020, Silver in 2019). Daton Fix is one of USA’s most accomplished wrestlers of all time at the junior level; winning 3 world medals at the age-level world championships. Fix and Micic are both capable of putting together a medal run but would be surprise gold medalists at these world championships.

Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB)

• 2021 Asian Gold

Turobov’s win over Askarov in the Asian Finals:

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Adlan Askarov (KAZ)

• 2021 Asian Silver
• 2019 U23 World Gold
• 2019 Junior World Bronze

Stevan Micic (SRB)

• 2020 European Bronze
• 2019 European Silver
• 2015 Junior World Bronze

Micic’s win over Fix from the 2015 Junior WTT

Rahman Amouzad (IRI)

• 2021 Junior World Gold
• 2020 World Cup Bronze
• 2018 and 2019 Cadet World Gold

Watch Amouzad’s win in the junior world finals over Ravinder (IND)

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Prediction

Abasgadzhi Magomedov has been the best 61kg wrestler in the world for the past 2 years and I believe he'll prove that by winning gold in Oslo. Magomedov's pace, creativity, and incredible technique make him an almost impossible match-up for every wrestler in the bracket. After Magomedov, and depending on the draw, I expect Daton Fix to challenge for a medal and could make the finals if he's opposite the Russian. Lomtadze, Gvarzatilov, Harutyunyan and Hasegawa should all be in contention to win a medal or make the finals. 

Gold - Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS)
Silver - Beka Lomtadze (GEO)
Bronze - Daton Fix (USA)
Broze - Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (AZE)

Check out our World Championship Rankings at 61kg here to view the top 10 wrestlers who will be competing at worlds ranked according to recent results and head-to-head matches.