#AmateurMMA

Kingi Stops Kazakhstan Juggernaut in Amateur MMA

Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 11:28 By United World Wrestling Press

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DA NANG, Vietnam (June 9) -- Billy KINGI (NZL) was the only fighter that was able to stop the Kazakhstan juggernaut at the Amateur MMA Asian Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam.

The Asian Championships was held at the U15 and U17 level in Pankration and at the U20 and Senior level in Amateur MMA from June 7 to 9 in Da Nang.

In Men's Amateur MMA, Kazakhstan won eight out of nine gold medals while Kingi captured the remaining one via a technical knockout against Yerbol BAINAZAROV (KAZ) at 100kg.

After the first three-minute round, Kingi was down as all three judges scored the round in Bainazarov's favor. However, Kingi went for two double-leg takedowns in the second round. He secured the knockout when Bainazarov stopped defending as Kingi continued to land his punches.

That was the only results that did no go Kazakhstan's way for the gold medal in an otherwise solid campaign in Da Nang.

Mansur SEPTEGEN (KAZ) got the gold rush going by winning the 57kg final against Yedenkachew TELAHUNE (NZL). Septegen was awarded the first round unanimously by all three judges and kept the momentum in the second round as well, and submitted Telahune barely seconds into the round.

Oleg PEKHOTIN (KAZ) was the next champion for Kazakhstan after he defeated Denzel ALIPIO (PHI) in the 62kg final. Pekhotin used a variation of triangle choke to get the submission from Alipio in under a minute of the final.

At 66kg, Dinmukhammed TURGANBEKOV (KAZ) won his qualification and semifinals via knockout and technical knockout respectively. In the final against Mukhammadamin SHAMOLOV (TJK), Turganbekov got the first round via split decision as two judges gave the round to him and one to Shamolov.

Thirty seconds into the second period, Shamolov used a knee kick to the face of Turganbekov which left he Kazakhstan wrestler bleeding the ending the match in favor of Turganbekov as default.

The fourth straight gold medal was won by Marat ASHIMTAYEV (KAZ) at 71kg final, dashing the hopes of local favorite Bach TRAN QUAN (VIE). Ashimtayev dominated the first round and then slammed Tran Quan at the start of the second before the Vietnamese fighter submitted.

Aslan GELOGAYEV (KAZ) and Mekhrdod GUREZZODA (TJK) were off to an electric start in the 77kg final as both traded punches and takedowns. However, Gelogayev managed to return on top and Gurezzoda had no defense to the Kazakhstan fighter's barrage of punches. The technical knockout was called 90 seconds into the final.

At 84kg, Eljan GASSANOV (KAZ) and Aditya BUKKI (IND) were the only fighters entered and it took the former just one minute to confirm his technical knockout over the Indian. After a takedown, he locked Bukki's one arm and landed solid punches to the face to win the gold medal.

The 93kg final was even quick as Abylay SHAKIRBEKOV (KAZ) scored a stunning head knockout over Sudhir PUNDEKAR (IND). Shakirbekov was 20 seconds into the final when he hit one straight to Pundekar's face who fell instantly, confirming Shakirbekov's win.

While he did not get a head knockout, Agaly KHASSANOV (KAZ) finished the 130kg final against Atul GHULE (IND) in 18 seconds with a swinging kick to win via technical knockout and claim Kazakhstan's eighth gold medal

In the women's AMMA,  Lily HOUBEN (NZL) submitted Aruzhan BERKINBAYEVA (KAZ) in the 90kg final to claim the gold medal. Houben got Berkinbayeva in a triangle hold early in the bout but switched to arm bar which Berkinbayeva defended for almost two minutes but finally tapped out with nine seconds remaining in the first round.

The result was similar to Houben's victory over Berkinbayeva in the 90kg final earlier in U20 Amateur MMA.

At 65kg, Zhansaya YERMAGAMBETOVA (KAZ) went on the aggressive right off the whistle in the final against compatriot Kamila FAZYLOVA (KAZ) and ultimately won via a technical knockout to clinch the gold medal.

RESULTS

Men's AMMA

57kg
GOLD: Mansur SEPTEGEN (KAZ)
SILVER: Yedenkachew TELAHUNE (NZL)
BRONZE: Huynh Tai LE (VIE)
BRONZE: Nam NGUYEN NHAT (VIE)

62kg
GOLD: Oleg PEKHOTIN (KAZ)
SILVER: Denzel ALIPIO (PHI)
BRONZE: Aayush DIPU (IND)
BRONZE: Thai HA NGOC (VIE)

66kg
GOLD: Dinmukhammed TURGANBEKOV (KAZ)
SILVER: Mukhammadamin SHAMOLOV (TJK)
BRONZE: Khoa HUYNH DANG (VIE)
BRONZE: Rudransh AZAD (IND)

71kg
GOLD: Marat ASHIMTAYEV (KAZ)
SILVER: Bach TRAN QUAN (VIE)
BRONZE: James INGE (HKG)

77kg
GOLD: Aslan GELOGAYEV (KAZ)
SILVER: Mekhrdod GUREZZODA (TJK)
BRONZE: Shebin KOZHIKKODAN (IND)

84kg
GOLD: Eljan GASSANOV (KAZ) df. Aditya BUKKI (IND), via technical knockout

93kg
GOLD: Abylay SHAKIRBEKOV (KAZ) df. Sudhir PUNDEKAR (IND), via head knockout

100kg
GOLD: Billy KINGI (NZL)
SILVER: Yerbol BAINAZAROV (KAZ)
BRONZE: Alibek NURMUKHAMETOV (KAZ)

130kg
GOLD: Agaly KHASSANOV (KAZ) df. Atul GHULE (IND), via technical knockout

Women's AMMA

65kg
GOLD: Zhansaya YERMAGAMBETOVA (KAZ)
SILVER: Kamila FAZYLOVA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Sheetal KHARATMAL (IND)

90kg
GOLD: Lily HOUBEN (NZL) df. Aruzhan BERKINBAYEVA (KAZ), via submission

 

U20 Men's AMMA

57kg
GOLD: Duc Manh LA (VIE)
SILVER: Bankerlang MARTHONG (IND)
BRONZE: Quang PHAN (VIE)

62kg
GOLD: Muhammadkabir NAZARZODA (TJK)
SILVER: Jan TABUNOT (PHI)
BRONZE: Vu Quoc Trieu MAI (VIE)
BRONZE:  Ngoc Hop UNG (VIE)

71kg
GOLD:  Alisher AKBAKHYTOV (KAZ)
SILVER: Le Thai Bao NGUYEN (VIE)
BRONZE: Amir SERIK (KAZ)

77kg
GOLD: Alisher SABIT (KAZ) df. Daniyar FAIZRAKHMANOV (KAZ), via points

84kg
GOLD: Nurgissa ANARBEK (KAZ) df. Gurvansh ARORA (IND), via technical knockout

U20 Women's AMMA

90kg
GOLD: Lily HOUBEN (NZL) df. Aruzhan BERKINBAYEVA (KAZ), via submission

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Interview: 'Changing Weight Classes Difficult, But Ready for 97kg Challenge'

Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 06:27 By

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- By Amirreza ALIASGARI

KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his eighth World Championships for Iran on Friday after beating Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 4-2 and 5-3, in two straight matches at 97kg.

In 2015, Yazdani was at 70kg and won a silver medal at his debut World Championships. For a decade, he spent his wrestling career at 86kg, winning two Olympic silver medals, three world titles, two world silver and one bronze medal.

Now at 97kg after two shoulder surgeries, a 31-year-old Yazdani is adjusting to the new weight class. As he returns to the World Championships after three years, Yazdani will be chasing his eighth medal and fourth title.

After making the Iran team for the World Championships, to be held in Astana from October 24 to November 1, Yazdani spoke to United World Wrestling about the challenges of 97kg, returning to the World Championships and how his body is holding up.

Excerpts:

- How are you feeling physically after the two tough matches?

Yazdani: I’ve improved in some areas, especially when it comes to my breathing and conditioning. But we didn’t really have enough time to focus on strength training, so we worked on that a bit less than we wanted to. With the time that’s left until the World Championships, I’m going to do everything I can to get myself in the best shape possible and be even better prepared.

- How prepared were you for the wrestle-off against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)?

Yazdani: For these competitions, I’d say I was about 70 percent ready. It’s hard to be 100 precent prepared for a tournament like this, but by the time the World Championships come around, I’ll definitely be in better shape and more prepared.

- What are your thoughts on competing at 97kg, a weight class that may have four Olympic champions in Astana?

Yazdani: The 97kg weight class is new for me, and of course I have new opponents now. It’s quite different from 86kg. I hope I can put on a good performance in this weight class as well. There are a lot of great champions here, and I hope I get the chance to wrestle against them, challenge myself, and show my best wrestling at the World Championships.

- But will it be challenging for your to be at the top at this weight class?

Yazdani: I already knew how many top wrestlers compete in this weight class. Considering my physical condition, I decided last year to move up to 97kg. Since it’s also an Olympic weight class, I wanted to make the move early so I’d have enough time to fix any weaknesses and adapt before the Olympics. My goal is to be at my very best for both the Olympics and the World Championships, which are just as important.

I wanted to move up sooner so I could get comfortable in this weight class as quickly as possible. Once you get to around 30 years old, things naturally become a little more difficult, and changing weight classes isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are definitely challenges at 97kg, and I’ve thought about all of them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put on my best performance and come away with a great result.