Five Point Move - U.S. Greco-Roman Wrestling

For the first time, Robby Smith gives a full, detailed account of how he ultimately received his World bronze medal -- ten years later. At the 2015 World Championships, Smith had a breakout performance that saw him reach the bronze-medal round against Russian Bilyal Makhov. Makhov won the decision, but many believed that Smith had been on the wrong end of several bad calls. Then in the summer of 2025, it had been discovered that Makhov had committed a doping violation during the time period preceding his showdown with Smith.

As such, all of Makhov's competitive results from 2015 were expunged, which paved the way for Smith to, at long last, end up with the medal that all of his supporters felt he had earned in the first place. In addition to Smith's recounting of this achievement, the popular retired heavyweight and current coach discusses Cohlton Schultz's progress as a Senior athlete and how G'Angelo Hancock might fare if the latter decides to return to active competition ahead of the 2028 LA Olympics. 

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Two-time World Team member "Mr. Fantastic" Benji Peak discusses recovering from a broken neck and returning to action just in time for the first two UWW Ranking Series tournaments of the year. Peak goes into detail about his injury, whether or not he was fully convinced that he would wrestle again, and how he has felt since resuming training.

In addition, Peak is one of several accomplished USA Greco-Roman athletes who has recently joined Sam Hazewinkel's new team called Position Wrestling based out of Oklahoma. Peak touches on that, as well, along with a string of other topics which are layered in his entertaining perspectives. 

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2023 World Team member Zac Braunagel joins the show for a rare two-segment episode. In the first segment, Braunagel discusses the circumstances surrounding his decision to leave Illinois for the Navy WC. He also recounts his title from the Bill Farrell Memorial and then looks ahead to what was then an upcoming trip to Sweden. 
 
In the second segment, Braunagel follows-up on what his experience at the Haparanda Cup was like, as well his time training with Team Norway, and concludes with a snapshot of what his plans might entail come the winter and leading up to World Team selection in April.  

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Joe Uccellini is the founder of one of America's best clubs, Curby 3-Style in Troy, New York. Recently, Uccellini was also named as an assistant coach for the West Point Wrestling Club/RTC.

He also has a unique background. As a competitor, Uccellini was coached by two Hall of Fame leaders, the late Joe DeMeo at ATWA, and Ivan Ivanov at Northern Michigan University. 

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Parker Betts is the assistant coach for what is arguably the United States' most important Greco-Roman program, Northern Michigan University's National Training Site.

In his latest appearance on the podcast, Betts discusses the training block for NMU's two Senior World Team members, Max Black and Payton Jacobson, and provides valuable insights on a range of other topics, including how NMU has received a lot more recent attention given the school's recent successes. 


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One of the most interesting and authentic voices within the sport of wrestling is featured on Episode 64 as two-time Olympian and five-time US World Team member Ildar Hafizov joins the program. Topics include his decision to move up in weight at this stage of his career, how and why he began running practices for the Army team, what it has been like to move into coaching while still competing, and the motivation behind him venturing out to do clinics for age-group wrestlers as well as their coaches. It is a very extensive discussion, and one that offers plenty of valuable (and entertaining) insights. 

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2024 Olympian and recently-named Athlete of the Year Payton Jacobson joins the show for Episode 63 and discusses every big moment from his breakout season. In addition to providing behind-the-match details and what he enjoyed most about his journey to Paris, Jacobson also shares some of the struggles he endured as a young athlete in the spotlight, and what it was like carrying high expectations into the biggest tournament of his life thus far. 
 
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Patrick Curran of Northern Michigan University's National Training Site is one of the US Greco-Roman program's brightest young prospects. 

In just over a year-and-a-half since joining NMU, Curran has had the opportunity to train and compete overseas in order to expand his skill-set, which has already translated to several impressive performances on the domestic circuit. Curran is also equally entertaining on and off the mat, and his story is one to which most wrestlers around the country can relate. 
 
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NMU Assistant Coach Parker Betts returns to the show to discuss his athletes' performances at the Senior World Team Trials, as well as to look ahead to the U23 World Championships next month, a tournament that will feature three Northern Michigan University wrestlers -- Max Black, Jonathan Gurule, and Olympian Payton Jacobson.
 
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E60 features the unique pairing of Billy Sullivan and Justus Scott. The Nevadan duo have been friends since their youth wrestling days and have continued to achieve one milestone after another as adults. Sullivan and Scott both made the U20 World Team in 2021, they joined Army WCAP together the next year, and late last month they both won the U23 World Trials, which means they will be on a second World Team together. 

Sullivan and Scott -- who are also now roommates -- discuss the previous season as they both worked to contend at the Olympic Trials in weight classes outside of their respective comfort zones. An overview of the U23 Trials is explored, as well, and is followed by banter pertaining to numerous topics surrounding the impressive development their careers have undergone since joining the Army. 

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