The Magic Man had the wrestling world buzzing with anticipation as he stepped into the 2024 Senior World Championships. David Taylor always wanted to battle it out against another titan, Abdulrashid Sadulaev. But fate had different plans, until October 30, when the duo locked heads after some serious wishful thinking. After a surprise defeat in the U.S. Olympic Trials, a shocking retirement announcement, and a comeback worthy of a fairytale, the 33-year-old had his sights set on being the reigning champion in the 92kg weight class. 

But things didn’t pan out as expected. The Nittany Lion might have entered the competition as a favorite, but today Sadulaev emerged victorious. As exciting as the match was, the Magic Man’s Russian opponent seemed to have a hold over him throughout. But by the end of it, the board bore an unfortunate result—7-0. While many expected a tantalizing result, no one expected this outcome.

David Taylor’s faces an unexpected result at the World Championships

This isn’t just a match for David Taylor. The wrestler might have racked up several accolades, but he still believes there’s some unfinished business for him on the mat. After nearly a decade of chasing Olympic glory, the Magic Man clinched a shiny gold at the Tokyo Summer Games. However, he couldn’t defend his title 3 years later when Aaron Brooks defeated the champion at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Shortly after, the 33-year-old stepped in as the head coach at Oklahoma State University.

But that’s when his passion for the sport reignited. By contesting in the world championships, the Nittany Lion believes it’ll be the last chance to weave his legacy. “Knowing that this is it for me and knowing that this is the last time I will wrestle, I want to compete on a level that I’m happy with,” he confessed. Given how the wrestler considered this his last chance to prove himself, the stakes were higher than ever. So, how did he fare in his dream match? 

In the opening period, David Taylor took a shot with a low-leg attack. However, Sadualev got out of it with a crotch lift, leading to no points for either of them. Taking advantage of the 33-year-old losing his position, the Russian goes for the first takedown in the match. He was now leading 2-0. But, shortly after, he had another chance, adding 2 more points to his lead with just 46 seconds left in the first period. Yet, things didn’t look as bleak for the American just yet.

The Magic Man went for a right-side single leg in the second period, but Saduleav managed to get behind the 33-year-old trying for another takedown. The duo went out of bounds and the Russian Tank settled for a 5-0 lead. Undeterred, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist went for a left-side high-c, but his opponent seemed unphased. He countered by exposing the wrestler, bringing his lead up to the final score of 7-0. While the Nittany Lion isn’t out of contention, his dream match ended with a crushing defeat. Was he looking forward to the event leading up to it?

The wrestler gives his take on an exciting rivalry

The World Championships were going to be as exciting as ever, but no one looked forward to it as much as David Taylor. After qualifying for the competition, many looked forward to watching him dominate the mat again. However, things got even more thrilling when his dream opponent, Abdulrashid Sadulaev, qualified too. The long-standing rivalry came to fruition when the 33-year-old revealed his wishful thinking to battle it out with the fellow legend in 2020. 

After qualifying for the world’s, the wrestler reiterated, “I’ve been in a lot of big matches in my life and wrestled all the legends in our sport. And he’s just the one guy I hadn’t got to. So I really want to make it happen.” This clearly wasn’t just a match for the wrestler. It meant so much more. But why hadn’t this happened before now, you ask? 

David Taylor continued, “There’s been that weight class separation and other things. Its a pretty crazy series of events that have led us both being in this weight category for this event, a very low statistical probability. But now we could wrestle.” While Abdulrashid Sadulaev began his senior-level career at 92kg, he hadn’t contested in anything but the 97kg since 2017.

However, that changed in 2018, when the Russian wrestler switched to the 92kg weight class and won the World Championship. As for David Taylor? He had dominated the mat in the 86kg until his defeat at the Olympic Trials. After returning from retirement, the wrestler decided to switch and train for the World Team Trials in the 92kg weight class. So it looks like the stars truly aligned for both of them. But does this dream matchup finally end the debate of who’s the best in this weight class?