The Who's Number One matchup at 138 pounds will feature a pair of Fargo champions. Nasir Bailey won a loaded bracket at 132 lbs in 2021 and has been excellent sense. His opponent, Ryder Block, had an outstanding 2022 Fargo tournament where he knocked off #13 Tyler Vazquez, #7 Emilio Ysaguirre, and #14 Pierson Manville, all before beating Ismael Ayoub in the finals.

Bailey has maintained a top-three ranking since August of 2021. Since winning Fargo, he has earned titles at the Grappler Fall Classic, Ironman, the Illinois State Championships, and finished 4th at the U20 World Team Trials. He even tried his hand on the senior level and was a criteria-match away from qualifying for the World Team Trials.

Nasir Bailey's Ironman final victory over #4 Mac Church

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Block's hit list includes #2 Tyler Kasak along with former #1 and current Iowa 125-pounder Drake Ayala. He also has two victories over Bailey. Their most recent match came this summer at Junior Duals. Bailey earned the first two points of the match, then the two exchanged takedowns before a pair of four-point moves for Block forced Bailey to take some risks he probably wouldn't have otherwise. Block capitalized and finished the bout with a tech.

Their previous meeting came a year earlier, also at Junior Duals. In that contest, Bailey also took an early lead, but Block got his hand raised in a wild 7-5 bout.

In their last two freestyle matches, the edge of the mat has played a significant factor, but that won't be the case to the same degree in their folkstyle match on September 9. Both Block and Ryder are dangerous from their feet when attacking or countering, and both are solid on the mat which makes that a fascinating rematch.

This matchup has exciting implications for D1 fans as well. Last fall, Block committed to Iowa. In the winter Bailey comitted to North Carolina has since decided to explore other options.