Final X will take place on June 19 in Newark, New Jersey, with world team spots on the line! At 70 kg, world and 3-time NCAA champion Zain Retherford will take on NCAA champion Ridge Lovett in a true clash-of-styles matchup. Check out the article below to see a full breakdown, with a prediction, for this showdown at Final X.
Key Credentials
Zain Retherford
- 2023 World Champion
- 2022 World Silver Medalist
- 3X NCAA Champion (2016, 2017, and 2018)
Ridge Lovett
- 2026 US Open Champion
- NCAA Champion (2025)
- 3X NCAA All-American (1st, 2nd, and 6th)
Results Against Common Opponents
Zain Retherford and Ridge Lovett have never wrestled in competition, but below are their results against common opponents in freestyle.
Alec Pantaleo
- Zain Retherford over Alec Pantaleo, 5-2 at the 2022 WTT
- Zain Retherford over Alec Pantaleo, 3-2 at 2020 NLWC Event
- Ridge Lovett over Alec Pantaleo, 17-6 at the 2026 US Open
Bajrang Punia
- Zain Retherford over Bajrang Punia, 6-0 at 2020 NLWC Event
- Bajrang Punia over Zain Retherford, 5-4 at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone
- Ridge Lovett over Bajrang Punia, 13-8 at RAF 09
Caleb Henson
- Zain Retherford over Caleb Henson, 2-1 at the 2026 WTT
- Ridge Lovett over Caleb Henson, 14-12 at the 2026 US Open
Joey McKenna
- Joey McKenna over Zain Retherford, 8-5 at the 2020 OTT
- Zain Retherford over Joey McKenna, 10-5 at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone
- Joey McKenna over Ridge Lovett, 8-3 at the 2023 US Open
Complete Record vs Common Opponents
- Zain Retherford - 5-2
- Ridge Lovett - 3-1
Breaking Down The Matchup
The Final X match between Lovett and Retherford is an intriguing one to break down for a variety of reasons. First, Retherford won a world title in 2023 after winning a world silver in 2022. If this match took place 2 or 3 years ago, it’d be a no-brainer to pick Retherford. However, after making the Olympic team at 65 kg, Retherford took two years off and then entered the World Team Trials this year at the last second. In that time, Lovett has made huge improvements and looked phenomenal at the US Open with victories over Caleb Henson (14-12), Alec Pantaleo (17-6, and Ian Parker (8-3). In Retherford’s return to the mat, his offense has been limited, and at the World Team Trials, he won tight matches over Landon Robideau (3-2) and Caleb Henson (2-1). Retherford didn’t look the same as he did during his world title run, and that suggests he might be vulnerable at Final X.
Zain Retherford's matches at the 2026 World Team Trials:
This is also a fascinating matchup to break down because of the different styles represented. Retherford is a brawler and is as good in the handfight as anyone in the world. He’s challenging to open up and will seldom put himself in unnecessary danger. On the other side of things, Lovett thrives in the chaos. He has incredibly creative offense and has scored 10 or more points in 8 of his last 9 matches. So, will Lovett be able to open up Retherford? Or will Retherford’s handfight, defense, and experience be too much for Lovett? The answer to those questions will play out on June 19th and ultimately decide who will be the world team rep for Team USA at 70 kg.
Ridge Lovett's win over Caleb Henson in the 2026 US Open Finals:
Prediction
Zain Retherford has only lost to 4 people since 2022 - Rahman Amouzad, Taishi Narikuni, Tulga Tumur-Ochir, and Jordan Oliver. Amouzad and Narikuni overwhelmed Retherford in ways we’ve never seen before. Tumur-Ochir completely shut down Retherford’s offense while scoring a big four late, and Oliver threatened Retherford with his leg attacks. With all of that in mind, I don’t think Lovett quite fits the mold of wrestlers we’ve seen threaten Retherford. I expect Retherford to enforce his type of match at Final X and win two, low-scoring bouts because he’s disciplined enough to avoid mixing it up with Lovett in unorthodox positions.
Now I’m certainly open to the idea of Lovett proving me wrong. As mentioned above, he has dangerous offense and can put up points in a hurry. If Lovett gets out to an early lead, he could force Retherford out of character and turn this matchup into a shoot-out. As a fan of the sport, I hope we see some chaos between Retherford and Lovett at Final X!
Final X Prediction - Zain Retherford wins 2 matches to 0 over Ridge Lovett