Six wrestlers will compete for three spots on the U.S. World Championships team inside Hilliard Davidson's Wildcat Gymnasium on Sept. 25.
Hilliard City Schools is hosting the 2026 Final X Wrestle-Off, presented by Kerberos Capital Management. The best-of-three series determines who represents the United States at the Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, running Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. TheMat.com reported the matchups and location on Aug. 26.
The stakes are real. The three series were originally scheduled for June 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. All three were postponed after the wrestlers who held automatic berths as 2025 World medalists requested and received medical delays under USA Wrestling's qualification procedures.
The matchups
Three weight classes are on the card:
- 68 kg women's freestyle: Kennedy Blades (Iowa City, Iowa) vs. Isabella Mir (Naperville, Ill.). Blades is a 2024 Olympic silver medalist and 2025 World bronze medalist. Mir is a two-time age-group World Team member.
- 76 kg women's freestyle: Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa) vs. Dymond Guilford (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Welker is a two-time World bronze medalist. Guilford made the 2022 World Team.
- 65 kg men's freestyle: Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich.) vs. Bo Bassett (Windber, Pa.). Woods is a 2025 World bronze medalist. Bassett is a two-time age-group World champion who won the U20 World Championships.
Schedule and tickets
Round 1 begins at 6 p.m. ET with all three opening matches. Round 2 starts at 7:30 p.m. If a third match is needed in any series, it will follow Round 2 after a mandatory 30-minute rest.
Tickets are available through the Hilliard City Schools ticketing page and at the door on event day. The event carries a no-refund policy. Fans who cannot attend in person can watch live or on-demand through FloWrestling.
