We're back for more live blogging in our second to last session of Men's Freestyle at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary! Kyle Dake and J'den Cox will wrestle for gold and Thomas Gilman will wrestle for bronze. Obviously, world medal matches are crucial, but now it's extra crucial with the epic battle Team USA is in with Russia for the men's freestyle team title. 

Men's Freestyle Previews: 57 | 65 | 79 | 92

Crowd not as big as last night and no more glowsticks. But the DJ is playing a remix of Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, so we got that going for us in the Papp Laszlo Arena.

So less pomp and circumstance and visiting dignitaries but still some of the best wrestling that will take place on planet earth. First match is Andreu of Cuba and Takahashi of Japan for bronze at 57 kg. Takahashi was last year's gold medalist at this weight class. 

Here is a picture of the match from the press box if you don't believe me.

Feel free to share this masterpiece on your social media application of choice but you must credit FloWrestling if you do. Thank you. 

Takahashi hits a clutch go ahead takedown with less than 20 seconds remaining in the match and then holds on for the victory. The defending champ takes bronze and Cuba will end their World Championship with one medal, a gold one from the astounding Yowlys Bonne. [Edit - I am an idiot and forgot about Valdes, who is wrestling in this very session, and Maren who is in the repechage at 70 kg. Valdes just teched Lee of South Korea in two minutes so in fact, forget that last sentence completely. I'd delete but I have too much journalistic integrity to do something like that.]

Gilman is next, he will have Atli of Turkey. Gilman beat Atli 7-5 in the Yasar Dogu a couple of months ago, but there is quite a bit more on the line in this rematch. 

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: Thomas Gilman vs Suleyman Atli 

Gilman sprints to the stage and takes the mat. Every chance to pick up team points is crucial for the team race. Lots of fierce hand fighting (no surprise there), but no points after a minute. Gilman pressuring in, has Atli close to the boundary but a stalemate is called and they restart in the center. Gilman consistently taking ground and Atli goes on the shot clock first. Clock expires and Gilman scores the first point of the match. Less than a minute left in the first. The two wrestlers stayed in constant contact the whole period but no offensive points. Gilman take a 1-0 lead into the break. 

Gilman is clear the more physically imposing wrestler but he hasn't been able to convert that advantage to offensive scores yet. Atli times a level change off a Gilman snap, just like Sanayev did in Gilman's semifinal match, and gets in a deep high crotch scoring a step out. Atli gets in again and scores two, then two more on an exposure making it 5-1. Gilman gets in on a single and tries to drag Atli back to the center. Atli gets called for fleeing and gets cautioned and one for Gilman. Less than a minute to go and Gilman gets a one point step out. 5-3 Gilman trails with 45 seconds to go. Another pushout makes it 5-4 with 36 seconds to go. Atli very slow back to the center. Gilman trying to horse Atli out of the circle but it's killing to much clock. Without the ability to finish a clean shot Gilman runs out of time. Atli wins 5-4 and Gilman finishes in fifth place. 

Russia's Uguev now has Kazakhstan's Sanayev. Sanayev beat Gilman in the semifinals to make the finals. The team title is rapidly slipping from Team USA's grasp. It may be out of reach if Uguev wins. It's been a great back and forth match with 41 seconds to go. Sanayev leading by criteria as Uguev get his knee attended to. Looks like it got badly extended while Uguev was trying to avoid the takedown. But now Uguev is fine so maybe he just need a little break. Dissapointly no cold spray was deployed. 

A rested and rejuvenated Uguev goes on the attack, liking spritely as ever. With 13 seconds left, Sanayev is hit for feeling, giving Uguev the lead. Most of the arena except a vocal and passionate band of Russian fans appear to not agree with the call. Uguev holds on to win gold. 

Next match is another Russian, as Chakaev wrestled for gold against Bucur of Romania. Chakaev up 8-4 as they go to a video review with 43 seconds left on the clock. I have also since learned that the Mission Impossible theme song is the 'official' official review song. I'm not sure why there needs to be an 'official' official review song but that's why it's been playing dozens of times a day. Anyway, Chakaev wins 9-4 and the Russians have clinched the team race. 

Great, grand, wonderful. 

Bajrang of India and Otoguro of Japan in a good one for gold at 65 kg. Otoguro with a 7-6 lead at the break. Lots of offense from both guys. Otoguro wins 16-9 with some incredible wrestling which he unfortunately marred by getting cautioned and penalized for not returning to the center after stoppage. He's too good to need to resort to those times up stunts, in my humble opinion. Of course, he did just watch Uguev do it without penalty so who knows. 

Moving on to 79 kg, Gadzhimagomedov of Russia, who Dake power bombed into oblivion in the semifinals, just destroyed Khutsishvili of Georgia for bronze. Alas, it's too late to care about those team points Russia just earned. 

This Shabanov of Belarus and Akbari of Iran bronze medal match is pretty wild. Looked like Shabanov was going to cruise until Akbari started mounting a comeback. Two caution and ones against Shabanov (who was once cautioned out of a match with Jordan Burroughs) tied it up with criteria for Shabanov with five seconds left. Akbari then came within millimeters of a takedown by Shabanov stayed in a quadpod just barely as time ran out. Another brutal ending for an Iranian wrestler. 

GOLD MEDAL MATCH: Kyle Dake vs Jabrayil Hasanov

Dake has been Hasanov of Azerbaijan before, but never with stakes as high as these. An arm drag in the first 15 seconds just barely misses from Dake. No scores after a minute but a passivity warning for Hasanov. Hasanov changing levels, trying some head fakes. Kyle doesn't bite and now Hasanov goes on the shot clock at 4:32. Kyle maintains a Russian tie for most of that 30 seconds and then earns the first point of the match. An arm drag by Hasanov misses and the period ends Kyle winning 1-0, but not before Dake gets dinged with a passivity warning. 

Hasanov starts the second period crouched in a three-point stance. Lots of pushing and shoving and Dake finally gets hold of a leg. Hasanov does a great job fighting out of it but Kyle stays close and earns a step out point, adding a point and making the score 2-0. Both guys drew some blood on each other so they are attended to and we restart with 2:04 on the clock. Shouts from the crowd for passivity on both guys but I'm not sure we're going to get a call. Clock now ticks under a minute. We go under 30 seconds and Kyle continues to play defense. He's given an attention for running with 20 seconds to go. Hasanov can't break through Dake's defenses and America has their second world champion! Dake goes unscored on in the tournament, with a 37-0 cumulative score in four matches. 

Kyle Dake and David Taylor, old friends, competitors in and after college, now both unquestionably the best in the world. 

Two more bronze medal matches until our last match of the day featuring J'den Michael Tbory Cox. 

GOLD MEDAL MATCH: J'den Cox vs Ivan Yankovski

Yankvoski is Belarussian and they change all their 'V's to 'U's for some reason but I'm just going to change Yankouski to Yankovski and unfortunately for Ivan there isn't anything he can do about it. 

The final match is underway. Cox masterfully passes an elbow and drops right on Ivan's leg but can't finish, coming close to a step out too. Yankovski gets warned for passivity. J'den's fakes have Ivan on his toes. Ivan goes on the clock with 90 seconds left in the first. An overhand club is all the offense Yankovski has while on the shot clock so he gives up a point after 30 seconds. A passivity warning on J'den with 12 seconds left int he period. And that's how it ends, J'den with the slimmest of 1 point leads. 

J'den's sweat glands are doing their thing so Joe Russel has to come out for some extra toweling. But now we're ready for the second period. One minute and no scores. J'den has to be wary of getting put on the clock. J'den tries a variety of shots so it's Yankovski who gets put on the clock again. Yankovski takes little to no offensive action and gives up a second shot clock point. Yankovski's go to has been to grab fingers. Under 30 seconds to go now, no more shot clocks possible. J'den gets hit with a caution for fleeing with 10 seconds to go. Cox is baffled by the call but the arena has been vocal in requested that and more. In the final ten seconds, J'den drops to a leg and scores the only takedown of the match to ice it. J'den Cox is a world champion and America has their third gold medal of the day!

The mood is perhaps dampened by Russia putting the team race out of reach, but it's a pretty good day when the USA wins half the gold medals up for grabs. 

That will do it for day 3. Another marathon from Budapest is in the books. We will see you tomorrow, thanks and sorry for the typos!