Takhti Cup

Iran Wins Greco-Roman Takhti Cup Title with 3 Gold Medals

By Ali Feizasa

MAHSHAHR, Iran (January 26) - Iran captured three gold medals on the final day of the Takhti Cup International Greco-Roman Wrestling Tournament in Mahshahr port. Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kirgizstan won two gold medals each.

By winning the team title, Iran gets 192 points according to the new UWW point system. Runner-up Turkey came second with 171 points. Kazakhstan earned 145 points to place third.

The champions earned 8 points in the 2018 UWW ranking system, runner-ups get 6 points, and bronze medal winners earned 4. Fifth-place wrestlers 2 points.

55kg final:  Ekrem OEZTURK (TUR) TF. Bachana PUTKARADZE (GEO), 9-0 

Ekrem OEZTURK (TUR) only needed 2 minutes and 25 seconds to defeat Bachana PUTKARADZE (GEO) by technical fall. In par terre, OEZTURK collected 8 points by two gut wrenches and a 4-point throw to earn 9-0 victory.
 


60kg final: Uzur ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) df. Mehrdad MARDANI (IRI), 6-0

Three-time Asian junior medal winner Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) edged Iranian wrestler Mehrdad MARDANI. Dzhuzupbekov gathered 6 points by two consecutive side throws. 

63kg final: Kaly SULAYMANOV (KGZ) df. Kudaibergen TURSYNOV (KAZ), 7-2
 
Former junior world champion Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ) earned two points with a takedown in the first period against Kudaibergen TURSYNOV (KAZ). In the second period Sulaimanov added four more points by a throw and cruised to a 7-2 victory. 

67kg final: Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) df. Fevzi MAMUTOV (UKR), 2-0

Three-time world medalist Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) picked up a takedown just 25 seconds into his finals match against Fevzi MAMUTOV (UKR). In the second period Mamutov was more offensive, but Kebispayev held on for a 2-0 victory.

Olympic and world champion in 59kg Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) fell in the bronze-medal match to returning Takhti Cup champ Hossein ELYASI (IRI) 7-5. It was Borrero's first appearance since the 2016 Olympic Games. 
 


72kg final: Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) TF. Murat DAG (TUR), 12-2

Demeu Zhadrayev (KAZ), a 2017 world silver medal winner, shined at 72kg, defeating U-23 world bronze medalist Murat DAG (TUR) by technical fall 12-2.

77kg final: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Serkan AKKOYUN (TUR), 7-2

World bronze medal winner Mohammadali GERAEI was the first champion of the host country at the Takhti Cup, downing Serkan AKKOYUN (TUR), 7-2.

82kg final: Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL), 2-1

2013 world bronze medal winner Emrah KUS (TUR) used his experience to edge Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL), 2-1, achieving a second gold medal for Turkey at the Takhti Cup.
 


87kg final: Saman AZIZI (IRI) df. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ), 1-1

The 87kg final was a narrow match between Iran and Kazakhstan. MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) was leading 1-0 in the first period, but AZIZI came back to score with a step out and held on for the victory.

97kg final: Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) df. Cenk ILDEM (TUR), 3-2

Olympic bronze medal winner Jenk ILDEM (TUR) suffered a 3-2 loss in the 97kg final match to Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE). In the last 30 seconds Ildem tried to get points by a gut wrench but NURIYEV was strong in par terre and took the victory.

130kg final: Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) df. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), 1-1

Two-time Asian champion Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) beat Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) 1-1 by earning the last point of the match. 

Iranian wrestling president Rasoul KHADEM believes the tournament was high level. 

“Adding to UWW ranking series made Takhti Cup a high-level tournament and the quality of the event was better than recent years.” 

“Iran's Greco-Roman team tried to send most of the young wrestlers to ensure the future of Iran's Greco-Roman team. The wrestlers need more time to match themselves with new rules.” 

Medal match results of 2018 Greco-Roman wrestling Takhti Cup

55kg
GOLD- Ekrem OEZTURK (TUR) df. Bachana PUTKARADZE (GEO) by VSU, 9 – 0
BRONZE- Moslem NADERIKHADEM (IRI) df. Ibrahim NURULLAYEV (AZE) by VFA, 7 - 4
BRONZE- Reza KHEDRI (IRI) df. Ziyad ZEYNALOV (AZE) by VFA, 9 – 0

60kg
GOLD- K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) df. Mehrdad MARDANI (IRI) by VPO, 6 – 0
BRONZE- Dastan ZARLYKHANOV (KAZ) df. R. TEIISHOV (KGZ) by VSU1, 11 – 3
BRONZE- Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) df. Sakit GULIYEV (AZE) by VSU, 10 - 0 

63kg
GOLD- Kaly SULAYMANOV (KGZ) df. Kudaibergen TURSYNOV (KAZ) by VPO1, 7 - 2
BRONZE- Mohammad NOURBAKHSH (IRI) df. Dmytro KOSENOK (UKR) by VPO1, 5 – 1
BRONZE- U. AMATOV (KGZ) df. Khvicha TCHITAVA (GEO) by VPO1, 9 – 5

67kg
GOLD- Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) df. Fevzi MAMUTOV (UKR) by VPO, 2 - 0
 BRONZE- Mohammad ELYASI (IRI) df. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) by VPO1, 7 - 5
BRONZE- Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) df. Murat FIRAT (TUR) by VPO1, 3 - 1

72kg
GOLD- Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) df. Murat DAG (TUR) by VFA, 12 - 2
BRONZE- Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) by VSU, 8 - 0
BRONZE- Farshad BELFAKEH (IRI) df. Goga GOGIBERASHVILI (GEO) by VPO, 1 - 0

77kg
GOLD- Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Serkan AKKOYUN (TUR) by VPO1, 7 – 2
BRONZE- Boroomand aslan GHAREHDAGHI (IRI) df. Bakuri GOGOLI (GEO) by VPO1, 2 – 1
BRONZE- Fatih CENGIZ (TUR) df. Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) by VSU, 9 – 0

82kg
GOLD- Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL), 2-1
BRONZE- Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) df. Keivan rezaei DALINI (IRI) by VSU, 8 - 0
BRONZE- Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO) df. Yaroslav FLICHAKOV (UKR) by VPO1, 2 - 1

87kg
GOLD- Saman AZIZI (IRI) df. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) by VPO1, 1 - 1
BRONZE- Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ) df. Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) by VPO1, 7 – 1
BRONZE- Tarek ABDELSLAM (BUL) df. S. SHIRDAKOV (KGZ) by VPO1, 9 - 3

97kg
GOLD- Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) df. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) by VPO1, 3 - 2
BRONZE-  Turman EYYUBOV (AZE) df. Mohammad YEGANEH (IRI) by VPO1, 5 - 4
BRONZE- Ali akbar HEIDARI (IRI) df. Dorin constantin PIRVAN (ROU) by VPO1, 1 - 1

130kg
GOLD-  Behnam mahdizadeh ARPATAPEH (IRI) df. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) by VPO1, 1 - 1
BRONZE- Shahab GHOUREHJILI (IRI) df. Ciurariu alin ALEXUC (ROU) by VPO, 1 - 0

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships 2026 Day 1 Greco-Roman Highlights

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 6) -- For the first time, the Asian Championships will be held in two-day format. The edition in Bishkek will begin with Greco-Roman, followed by Women's Wrestling and then Freestyle. Five Greco-Roman weight classes -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg and 130kg -- are in action on Monday.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

The semifinals will begin at 18:00 local time

55kg
SF 1: Huoying SHI (CHN) vs. LALIT (IND)
SF 2: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) vs. Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)

63kg
SF 1: Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM) vs. Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ)
SF 2: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) vs. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)

77kg
SF 1: Ali OSKOU (IRI) vs. AMAN (IND)
SF 2: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) vs. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)

87kg
SF 1: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) vs. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
SF 2: Sunil KUMAR (IND) vs. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)

130kg
SF 1: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs. Minseok KIM (KOR)
SF 2: Yuta NARA (JPN) vs. Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB)

13:10: World champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) begins his Asian title defense with a 10-0 win over Roman KIM (KGZ) and advance to the semifinals. He will face Minseok KIM (KOR)

13:03: Returning bronze medalist Yuta NARA (JPN) gets the winning score with a slow-motion gut wrench in the second period, prevailing on last-point criteria 3-3 over two-time Asian U23 silver medalist Jokhar UZAROV (KAZ) to advance to the 130kg semifinals.

12:58: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) gets a gut wrench to the back upgraded to a 4-point move upon his opponent's challenge, giving him a 10-0 victory over two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) and moving him a step closer to a second straight gold, this time up at 87kg after winning at 82kg last year.

12:57: World bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) with some big throws and a fall against Dovletmyrat BAYRAMOV (TKM) at 87kg in just 30 seconds. Zhanyshov vs Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) final will be a treat.

12:50: Sunil KUMAR (IND), the last Indian to win a Greco gold when he did on home soil in New Dehli in 2020, reeled off two gut wrenches from par terre in the second period for a 5-1 victory over Shichang ZHENG (CHN) and a place in the 87kg semifinals. Kumar is also going for his fourth career Asian medal.

12:42: Kaisei TANABE (JPN), last year's champion at freestyle 65kg looking to make history with a victory at Greco 63kg, minimized the points scored by Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), but failed to get enough of his own and came out on the short end of a 4-3 score. Taalaibek Uulu had the first chance in par terre, but even though he lifted Tanabe off his feet, he could only get a 1-point throw out of it. Taalaibek Uulu then got in on a bear hug and lifted Tanabe again, but only got a takedown out of that situation to lead 4-0 at the break. Tanabe got a chance at par terre and hit a gut wrench to cut the gap to 1, but could not pull out the win.

12:32: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), aiming to improve on his two bronze medals from 2023 and 2025, rips off four straight rolls from par terre and he's into the 55kg semifinals with a 10-0 win over Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI). The Iranian side pushed the challenge button before the first roll, looking for a leg foul, but the scoring was upheld.

12:25: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), a bronze medalist in 2024, makes short work of Amro SADEH (JOR), storming to a quick 9-0 win to earn a semifinal date with Makhmudov.

12:23: There cannot be a better way to find a way to win a Greco-Roman bout that a five-point throw! AMAN (IND) does exactly that in his quarterfinal against Halishan BAHEJIANG (CHN) at 77kg. Aman was down 4-1 but got on a duckunder and locked Bahejiang and completes a perfect throw for five points and wins 6-4

12:20: Ali OSKOU (IRI), Zagreb Open Ranking Series champion at 77kg, defends from par terre twice, against Yeonghun NOH (KOR) and he does that well, once with 25 seconds remaining to win 5-2 and advance to the semifinals.

12:18: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) with another spectacular throw as he defeats Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ) 9-1 to gain a place in the semifinals. Makhmudov is put on the bottom of par terre, but wiggles his way out and gets behind for a takedown. Then the fun starts, as he hits a high-flying 4-point throw to lead 6-1. In the second period, Makhmudov gets the top position, and he quickly executes a gut wrench that ends the proceedings.

12:10: Roman KIM (KGZ) gets the home crowd going, getting four straight rolls from par terre to knock off Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL) 9-0 at 130kg. Batbayar is one of a few wrestlers who will be doing the Greco-Freestyle double in Bishkek — he's the Asian U23 champion in freestyle!

12:08: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), the reigning world champion at 82kg, has moved up to the Olympic weight of 87kg and gets off to a good start, overwhelming Muhammad SULTONZODA (TJK) 9-0 in less than two minutes.

12:05: Hyunwoong CHOI (KOR) survives a battle against Huangsheng WU (CHN) at 63kg. He was leading 11-6 when Wu scored a huge four-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to make it 11-10. But the last desperate attempt ended with Choi getting two points and a 13-10 win

12:02: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), an Asian champion in 2019 and world bronze medalist in 2023, is looking to regain the magic up a weight at 63kg. He cruises through his opening match, handily defeating  Rayan HAWSAWI (KSA) 8-0.

11:51: Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI), winner at the Zagreb Ranking Series tournament, advances at 55kg with a 4-0 victory over Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ). Hosseinvand chalks up three points in the first period, then adds a stepout in the second.

11:41: Local star Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) gets the tournament off to an exciting start with a 4-point bear hug en route to a 7-3 victory over a spunky Isami HORIKITA (JPN) in the opening match at 77kg. Makhmudov, a two-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion aiming for his fourth career Asian gold, used a bear hug to power Horikita to the mat, then added a 2-point roll for 6-1 lead. In the second period, Makhmudov got the passivity point, but when he tried a gut wrench from par terre, Horikita stepped over for a 2-point exposure. But that was the end of the scoring and Makhmudov was safely through. 

11:15: The Asian Championships will get underway in Bishkek with Greco-Roman. Five weight classes with local hero Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) in action as well.