Ranking Series

Greco-Roman Rankings Updated Following Cerro Pelado

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (March 8) -- United World Wrestling has posted updates to the 2018 Ranking Series in Greco-Roman. The rankings come after Greco-Roman wrestlers competed at the Cerro Pelado in Havana, Cuba.

Iran and Kazakhstan both have four No.1-ranked wrestlers, while Kyrgyzstan has two. 



Four wrestlers held their No.1 rankings in Greco-Roman: K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) at 60kg, Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) at 67kg, Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) at 72kg and Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) at 77kg. 

New top-ranked wrestlers in Greco-Roman include Reza KHEDRI (IRI) at 55kg, U. AMATOV (KGZ) at 63kg, Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) at 82kg, Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) at 87kg, Seyedmostafa SALEHIZADEH (IRI) at 97kg and Behnam ARPATAPEH (IRI).

Winners of the Ranking Series events each received 8 points, plus an additional point for ever entry in their bracket. Placement points (plus number entries) were also awarded to the rest of the top five finishers: runner-up (6), bronze (4) and fifth place (2).

Points will be automatically uploaded on the UWW homepage following the conclusion of all Ranking Series events, continental and world championships.

In case of a points tie between two or more athletes, the following will determine the highest ranked individual:

-              Highest number of participation in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Gold Medals in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Silver Medals in the ranking events*
-              Highest number of Bronze Medals in the ranking events*
-              The most classification points in the ranking events*
-              The most match won by superiority in the ranking events*
-              The most technical points scored in the ranking events*

* Continental Championship and UWW Select Ranking Events of the concerned year.

Should top seeded athletes not participate in the Senior World Championships or Olympic Games the same criteria will be applied to determine which athletes move into the seeding for the event.



55kg
1. Reza KHEDRI (IRI) // 24 Points
2. Shota TANOKURA (JPN) // 22 Points
3. Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) // 20 Points
4. Kumar RAJENDER (IND) // 18 Points
5. Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) // 18 Points

60kg
1. K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 36 Points
2. Shinobu OTA (JPN) // 23 Points
3. Se Ung RI (PRK) // 21 Points
4. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) // 19 Points
5. Abdennour LAOUNI (ALG) // 17 Points

63kg
1. U. AMATOV (KGZ) // 30 Points
2. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) // 21 Points
3. Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) // 17 Points
4. Dokyung JUNG (KOR) // 17 Points
5. Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) // 16 Points

67kg
1. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 42 Points
2. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) // 24 Points
3. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN) // 22 Points
4. Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Ibrahi ELSAYED (EGY) // 20 Points
5. Gaoquan ZHANG (CHN) // 20 Points

72kg
1. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 38 Points
2. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) // 24 Points
3. Tomohiro INOUE (JPN) // 20 Points
4. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) // 20 Points
5. Kuldeep MALIK (IND) // 18 Points

77kg
1. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) // 38 Points
2. Bin YANG (CHN) // 24 Points
3. Akrem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) // 21 Points
4. Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) // 20 Points
5. Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) // 20 Points

82kg
1. Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) // 22 Points
2. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) // 20 Points
3. Ahmed Hassan Aly Mahmoud AHMED (EGY) // 19 Points
4. Singh HARPREET (IND) // 18 Points
5. Jinhyeok KIM (KOR) // 18 Points

87kg
1. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 29 Points
2. Hossein Ahmad NOURI (IRI) // 22 Points
3. Masato SUMI (JPN) // 20 Points
4. Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) // 18 Points
5. Fei PENG (CHN) // 18 Points

97kg
1. Seyedmostafa Seyedghanbar SALEHIZADEH (IRI) // 22 Points
2. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) // 20 Points
3. Hemza HALOUI (ALG) // 19 Points
4. Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) // 18 Points
5. Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ) // 18 Points

130kg
1. Behnam mahdizadeh ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 34 Points
2. Anton SAVENKO (KAZ) // 21 Points
3. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) // 20 Points
4. Radhouane CHEBBI (TUN) // 18 Points
5. Xiaoming NIE (CHN) // 18 Points
 

#JapanWrestling

I Want to Win Second Olympic Gold at LA 2028: Higuchi

By United World Wrestling Press

TOKYO (May 22) -- Paris Olympic champion at 57kg Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) returned to competition for the 2026 Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in Tokyo. After reaching the 61kg final on Saturday, Higuchi defeated Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN), 3-0, in the gold medal bout.

Normally, the two should have wrestle off to earn a spot on the Japan team for the 2026 World Championships. However, Higuchi withdrew from the play-off to everyone's surprise. He later talked to the press. Excerpts:

UWW Plus

-- On withdrawing from World Championships wrestle-off against Hasegawa

Higuchi: In December, the qualifying process at 57kg starts for [the 2028] Los Angeles [Olympics]. There is the World Championships, but all I am thinking of is a second straight title in Los Angeles. Strategically speaking, I have six months from now to get my body ready and drop to 57kg, and I want to give that priority. That's how I came to this decision."

-- On his performance at the Meiji Cup

Higuchi: I tried various new takedowns, and I was able to apply pressure in the clinch as well. I think it went pretty well, more or less. There was one throw I felt I could have executed better, and there were a few other areas where I wanted to finish things off more decisively. I guess there’s a mix of things to reflect on and things that went well. It feels like a bit of a mixed bag. 

-- On his return after 21 months since 2024 Paris Olympics

Higuchi: It was definitely fun. It was my first match in a long time, so I was really excited and nervous, but I’m not the type to feel too much pressure. Even as an Olympic champion, how should I put it?, I’m sure there were people hoping for an upset, but whether I win or lose, the fact that I’m an Olympic gold medalist doesn’t change. So in that sense, I was able to let go of the pressure and really enjoy the wrestling.

-- On his physical health

Higuchi: In the first match, I definitely felt like my legs were really heavy. It had been a while since my last match, and it had been a while since I’d reduce weight too. There were moments where I wondered, “Is this really okay?” But by the second match, the semifinal, I was gradually finding my rhythm and moving well. I really feel it was great that I was able to compete once six months ago, rather than starting all of a sudden this December.

-- On any improvements for future

Higuchi: First of all, I need to build a body that’s properly suited for the 57kg weight class. It’s been a while since I’ve competed, so I didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped. I think if I refocus and tighten up my game, I’ll be able to deliver an even better performance. I really want to get back to training soon. It was so much fun. It’s been a while, but I feel like I can pull off all sorts of new moves and do so much more, so I’m eager to get back to training. 

-- On motivation for LA 2028

Higuchi: There’s only one person in the history of Japanese wrestling [Freestyle] who has won back-to-back Olympic gold medals. My goal is to become the strongest wrestler in the history of Japanese wrestling. In terms of records. There are many great predecessors, but I want to break their records. I want to become the kind of figure where people say, “Rei Higuchi was the strongest in Japanese wrestling history.”

I want to wrap things up by winning two consecutive gold medals in Los Angeles.