Ryan Deakin is one of those guys that is very overlooked on the senior level circuit but has done very well for himself. Deakin pulled a massive upset at the 2019 US Open where he knocked off James Green to secure himself the spot in Final X knocking off the 4x world team member.
Green would end up getting revenge where he had the iconic 18 second tech fall in the first match, the second match was close but Green ended up sweeping the series either way. Deakin did not have a great showing at the Olympic Trials being forced up to 74kg due to the fact that the 70kg weight class was removed.
Last year it was the same story with Deakin vs Green but a lot closer with their final meeting being a 6-6 criteria win for Green to make his 6th world team.
This year had a lot of good in store for Ryan Deakin as he was finally able to claim his long awaited national title. This may have been the confidence that Deakin needed all along to get to where he wants to be. However that being said the field ahead of him is by no means easy and he will have to be at his best to even have a chance at making the team.