rankings

Kazakhstan, Hungary Have Pair of New No.1's in World Greco-Roman Rankings

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (July 3) -- The July 2018 Ranking Series for Greco-Roman has some faces at the top of the rankings. Kazakhstan and Hungary have two new No.1-ranked wrestlers. 

Kazakhstan wrestlers Almat KEBISPAYEV (67kg) and Khussein MUTSOLGOV (87kg) earned No.1 rankings. Kebispayev has had a very strong year, winning gold medals at the Takhti Cup and Asian Championships, and most recently a bronze at the Grand Prix of Hungary. Mutsolgov, a silver medalist at the Asian Championships, recently placed fifth at the Grand Prix of Hungary.

Hungarian upperweights Balazs KISS and Lam BALINT climb to No.1 at 97kg and 130kg respectively. They join fellow Hungarian Balint KORPASI (72kg) atop the rankings.


Kiss, a returning world bronze medalist, recently captured a gold medal at the Grand Prix of Hungary after picking up a bronze at the European Championships in late April. Balint is coming off a bronze-medal performance at the Grand Prix of Hungary. He also won medals this year at the World Military Championships and Cerro Pelado International. Korpasi, a 2016 world champion, is coming off a gold-medal performance at the Grand Prix of Hungary. 

Kyrgyzstan wrestlers K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (60kg) and U. AMATOV (63kg) remain No.1. Zholchubekov won a gold medal at the Grand Prix of Hungary after winning a bronze at the Asian Championships and gold at the Takhti Cup.  Amatov has earned medals at the Takhti Cup (bronze), Asian Championships (silver) and Grand Prix of Hungary (bronze). 

Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) holds his No.1 ranking at 77kg after adding a silver medal at the Grand Prix of Hungary to go along with a silver at the Asian Championships and a gold at the Takhti Cup.


Other No.1-ranked wrestlers include Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) at 55kg and Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) at 82kg. 

For more on the Ranking Series format, be sure to check out this article

View all the rankings on United World Wrestling's homepage.

55kg
1. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) // 30 Points
2. Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) // 30 Points
3. Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) // 27 Points
4. Reza KHEDRI (IRI) // 24 Points
5. Liguo CAO (CHN) // 24 Points

60kg
1. K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 50 Points
2. Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) // 35 Points
3. Sergey EMELIN (RUS) // 27 Points
4. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) // 25 Points
5. Shinobu OTA (JPN) // 23 Points

63kg
1. U. AMATOV (KGZ) // 41 Points
2. Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) // 29 Points
3. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) // 28 Points
4. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) // 26 Points
5. Zaur KABALOEV (RUS) // 24 Points

67kg
1. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 52 Points
2. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) // 47 Points
3. Artem SURKOV (RUS) // 32 Points
4. Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) // 30 Points
5. Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) // 28 Points

72kg
1. Balint KORPASI (HUN) // 57 Points
2. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 49 Points
3. Adam KURAK (RUS) // 33 Points
4. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) // 31 Points
5. Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) // 29 Points

77kg
1. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) // 38 Points
2. Ariel FIS BATISTA (CUB) // 34 Points
3. Roman VLASOV (RUS) // 34 Points
4. Viktor NEMES (SRB) // 32 Points
5. Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) // 30 Points

82kg
1. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) // 40 Points
2. Laszlo SZABO (HUN) // 31 Points
3. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) // 30 Points
4. Zarko DICKOV (SRB) // 29 Points
5. Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) // 29 Points

87kg
1. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 37 Points
2. Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) // 33 Points
3. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS) // 31 Points
4. Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB) // 29 Points
5. Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE) // 29 Points

97kg
1. Balazs KISS (HUN) // 44 Points
2. Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) // 42 Points
3. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) // 38 Points
4. Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN) // 34 Points
5. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) // 33 Points

130kg
1. Lam BALINT (HUN) // 42 Points
2. Ciurariu alin ALEXUC (ROU) // 40 Points
3. Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) // 36 Points
4. Behnam mahdizadeh ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 34 Points
5. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) // 27 Points


 

#WrestleBudapest

Grace Bullen Move: Outside Trip That Defines European Champ

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 9) -- Grace BULLEN (NOR) lost the most important match of her career while attempting her trademark outside trip, trying to finish the bout with a fall. It came in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games semifinal against Sakura MOTOKI (JPN), who countered with a neck bridge, tossing Bullen over for the fall.

UWW+

Despite the mixed results the move has produced over the years, Bullen did not hesitate to use it in the 2026 European Championships final against Amina TANDELOVA (RUS). Trailing 9-0, Bullen hooked her left foot behind Tandelova's heel and brought her down for the fall.

Three months after their epic European 62kg final, Bullen and Tandelova will be at the Budapest Ranking Series from July 15 to 19, the last stop to gain ranking points before the World Championships.

They will be joined by a strong field that includes former world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN), world bronze medalist Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), and European medalists Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) and Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR).

The field also includes Ana GODINEZ (CAN) and former U20 world champion Eniko ELEKES (HUN), who will have the backing of the home crowd. Two Indians, MANSI (IND) and SAVITA (IND), are also entered among others.

Grace BULLEN (NOR)Grace BULLEN (NOR) performs the outside trip against Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) during the 62kg final at the European Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

The same move also rescued Bullen at the Tirana Ranking Series, where she trailed Mansi before winning 6-5.

Speaking after winning European gold, Bullen acknowledged both the risk and the reward of the move.

"I know it's my go-to when I'm down, but I also lost in that situation, the same place," Bullen said. "I know how it is being on the receiving end, also being an attacker in that situation. But glad it worked out for me.

"It's more risky that way and just locking the leg and going forward it's much less risky, especially for me."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Grace Bullen (@gracebullen7)

 

A pivotal career decision saw Bullen relocate her training base to Georgia under coach Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI. Since moving to 62kg, she has won world and Olympic medals and established herself as one of the division's most dangerous wrestlers. The demanding training in Georgia and the move up in weight have transformed her wrestling and her mindset, even if the results have occasionally fluctuated.

"I'm also getting older," she said. "I have to be wise with how I train and so I keep my shape."

That experience has also made Bullen more patient than she was five years ago.

"I've years of experience in wrestling," she said. "I take losses with a greater smile than I ever did before. Just knowing that this year I was in two ranking series competitions and only won one match, I am more patient with everything. I know that even though I lose, I can win in the future."