Olympic Preview Series: 85 kg Greco-Roman

This weight was the hardest weight for me to pick not only my favorite, but my four medalists in Rio. There are so many guys in the mix for a medal and with little separation between them, it is very hard to tell who will rise above everyone on Monday.

Favorite:

Saman Tahmasebi Azerbaijan- The main reason I went with Tahmasebi as my favorite is he has a better resume then anyone competing at this weight. He is a five-time World medalist and has found a way to medal at every World Championship in this quad. Despite never winning a medal at the Oympics, Tahmasebi has the skill and the experience to bring home a gold in Rio.

Contenders:

Zhan Beleniuk Ukraine- I was dangerously close to picking the 25 year-old Ukranian as my favorite at 85 kg. Belenuik has two world medals and most recently won the World Chamipionships in Las Vegas. Since 2013, he has placed at every tournament he has wrestled at and continues to look better every time he steps onto the mat. If he wins gold in Rio, Beleniuk will be the first back to back World/Olympic champion at this weight in a very long time.

Viktor Loerincz Hungary- The two-time World medalist is very close to breaking through and earning a gold medal. Even though he did not bring home a medal last year in Las Vegas, Loerincz still beat Olympic bronze medalist Damian Janikowski and barely lost to Beleniuk and Tahmasebi. Over the course of this quad, Loerincz has been extremely consistent and will be looking to continue that on Monday.

Dark Horses:

Rustam Assakalov Uzbekistan- Rustam Assakalov is somewhat of a mystery. After winning silver at last year's World Championships, it looked as if Assakalov was gaining momentum heading into an Olympic year. Since Las Vegas, he has not placed at one tournament and at the age of 32, it looks as if last year might have been a fluke.

David Chakvetadze Russia- At the age of 23, Chakvetadze is an up and coming prospect in wrestling, but I am not sure if he has reached his full potential yet. He has had some great moments in his career, such as winning the 2015 European Championships and handing Beleniuk his only loss this year, but he has also had a few disappointing tournaments. The most recent blunder of his was at the 2015 World Championships when he finished 10th. Chakvetadze has the talent to win an Olympic gold, but will we see him wrestle his best in Rio?

Denis Kudla Germany- Just like a majority of the guys at this weight, Denis Kudla is young and unproven. Up to this point in his career, Kudla's signature win is beating 2014 World champion Melonin Noumonvi. He has also had a ton of success at the cadet and junior levels including a cadet World title in 2011. The 21 year-old is dangerous and will be looking to ruin the Olympics for some competitors.

Ben Provisor USA- For Ben Provisor, the road to Rio was a long and grueling one. Since making the Olympics in 2012, Provisor has suffered many injuries that have derailed his hopes of making a World Team year after year. Now that he is finally healthy, he will be flying under the radar and looking to make some noise on Monday.

Predictions:

Even though there might not be a clear cut favorite at this weight, one thing is for sure: this weight is young and talented. Most of these guys have one World medal or less and have only been wrestling on the senior level for a few years. The one guy that has proven himself year after year though is Saman Tahmasebi. He has been good enough to win it all

the last few years and will finally snag a gold medal. Coming in second will be Zhan Beleniuk. The young Ukranian is just starting to hit his stride in what could be a long and successful career. Viktor Loerincz and David Chakvetadze will both be cashing in with bronze medals. Loerincz is just too solid not to bring home a medal and Chakvetadze has more then enough talent to win bronze. As much as I like Ben Provisor, I could not pick him to medal just based on the fact that I don't know where he stacks up against these guys. What I do know is he will brawl from start to finish and that will give him a chance to maybe get on a roll.

Gold: Saman Tahmasebi

Silver: Zhan Beleniuk

Bronze: Viktor Loerincz

Bronze: David Chakvetadze

5th: Denis Kudla

5th: Habibollah Akhlaghi