Luke Lilledahl-Spencer Lee Rematch Headlines Final X Wrestling Event

Lilledahl, Penn State's national champion, meets the Olympic silver medalist in a best-of-three series.

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Luke Lilledahl celebrates winning the 125-pound title at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Spencer Lee won in 2025, and Penn State's Luke Lilledahl claimed the rematch in April. In June, two of the world's top freestyle lightweights will meet for the third time to determine who qualifies for the 2026 World Wrestling Championships.

Lilledahl and Lee will square off in a best-of-three series at Final X for the 57 kg men's freestyle title and a spot on Team USA for the 2026 World Championships. That event remains TBA, however, as United World Wrestling postponed the event originally scheduled for Bahrain in late October.

Nevertheless, the Lilledahl-Lee series will be a top draw of Final X, set for June 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. According to Flowrestling, Lilledahl and Lee rank 1-2 in the world at 57 kg, with Lilledahl taking over the top spot following his tense 5-4 decision over Lee at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

Lilledahl, the defending NCAA champ at 125 pounds, scored a last-second takedown to complete a dramatic comeback from an early 4-0 deficit. Lilledahl seeks to qualify for his first Senior World team, having won a U23 world title in 2025.

Luke Lilledahl just won the U.S. Open in unreal fashion.

Down late, Lilledahl hit a lefty headlock to take out Spencer Lee, 5-4, in the 57 kg finals.

Massive moment. Massive win. What a finish. pic.twitter.com/THFuYmnYfr

— Saturday Night Lights (@WrestlingSNL) April 26, 2026

Prior to the U.S. Open final, Lee had dominated his matches against Lilledahl. Lee, a 2024 Olympic silver medalist, swept last year's best-of-three Final X series over Lilledahl 7-2 and 6-0. to make the world team. In 2024, Lee defeated Lilledahl 11-0 in the semifinals of the Bill Farrell Memorial International.

But Lilledahl is riding a win streak entering Final X. He went 25-0 for the Nittany Lions as a sophomore to win his first NCAA title. Lilledahl, a two-time Big Ten champ, went 20-0 during the regular season and Big Ten Tournament with 12 bonus-point victories.

"Obviously I wanted to win the nationals, but I wanted to put a stamp on that 125 is my weight class for the next two years. And I feel like I've done that," Lilledahl said after winning the NCAA title in Cleveland.

Lilledahl has been among USA Wrestling's top age-group freestyle wrestlers as well. Last year he became the first U.S. wrestler to claim world titles in the U17, U20 and U23 classifications. He has five international medals overall.

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Luke Lilledahl competes against Princeton's Marc-Anthony McGowan during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Lee, a three-time NCAA champion at Iowa, also seeks his first title at the World Championships. After losing to Lilledahl at the U.S. Open, Lee qualified for Final X by winning the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Like Lilledahl, Lee is a three-time age-group world champ and won two United World Wrestling ranking series events this year.

Final X, conducted by USA Wrestling, is the one-day event that will determine the U.S. men and women's freestyle teams for the World Championships. Another Final X highlight is the 61 kg freestyle final, where Penn State's Marcus Blaze will take on Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest.

Forrest won the NCAA title at 133 pounds as a freshman, while Blaze finished fourth. Former Nittany Lions Levi Haines and Zain Retherford will compete at Final X as well.

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