From the moment Aaron Brooks qualified for the Paris Olympics, his face-off with Hassan Yazdani became a big talking point. How will the American Olympian find a way to stop the Yazdani juggernaut? The Iranian is an overwhelming favorite heading into the Olympics but Brooks too has a big win under his belt. After all, he is the one who defeated David Taylor – the man who has beaten Yazdani five times. 

Perhaps that’s why Taylor remains confident in Brooks’ ability. Despite cautioning the wrestling star on not losing his guard against Yazdani, Taylor believes in Brooks’ gameplan. At least, that’s what was visible during his recent interview. The Penn State legend talked about the excitement that he feels thinking about this epic matchup and revealed how he feels things could go down.

Talking about Aaron Brooks’ preparation, Taylor said that he knew “Aaron will be very well prepared.” Later he explained the reason for this feeling. “Obviously, the game plan to compete against Yazdani is very familiar to him. He was a part of that for a long time, and I know he’s excited to compete.” Certainly, Brooks must have studied Taylor’s bouts against Yazdani where the Penn State legend defeated the multiple-time World Champion.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to go and win an Olympic Gold medal,” Taylor expressed. “Obviously, he’s very hungry, and I’m looking forward to him going out and competing well.” But while Taylor is excited about Brooks’ prospects, he knows things won’t be easy for them. The legend noted that Yazdani has a habit of coming in hot and Brooks needs to ensure that doesn’t catch him by surprise. 

As for Brooks, he has his eyes set on gold. And because of that, he isn’t quite worried about the Yazdani challenge. For Brooks, that’s not any different from other wrestlers that he’ll have to compete against.

Aaron Brooks remains focused on the ultimate prize 

Unlike Hassan Yazdani, Aaron Brooks is entering the Olympics as an unseeded wrestler. While Yazdani competed and defeated the best wrestlers in the 2023 World Championships, Brooks was busy competing in the College events. However, that doesn’t worry him as Brooks knows that the only place he needs to prove himself is in the Olympics wrestling mat.

“A lot of guys wrestled a lot of them, so they got seeded. But for me, man, I don’t really care. Let’s just go wrestle. If I’m the best in the world, I’m the best in the world,” Brooks said to Hagerstown Herald-Mail. Those words showed the kind of confidence that Aaron Brooks has entering into the Olympics. Despite having to face the unstoppable Yazdani train, Brooks can’t help but look past it. Because that’s where the gold medal lies. 

As a result, the potential matchup between Yazdani and Brooks becomes one to look forward to. However, one can’t guarantee that this bout will happen. For all we know, some upsets and Olympic miracles might just be waiting to happen. And isn’t that what makes this event so beautiful?