Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! August 13, 2018

Monday, August 13, 2018 - 13:15 By Eric Olanowski

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Taking a look at Burroughs blast doubling rumors and Iran's Asian Games line-up. Also looking at Greco-Roman results from Russian Nationals and much more. 

1. Burroughs Blast Doubles Training with McGregor Rumors 
Rumors recently surfaced that five-time world and Olympic champion, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) landed in Dublin, Ireland to begin training with Conor MCGREGOR (IRL) for his October 6 title fight with Khabib NURMAGOMEDOV (RUS).

Burroughs quickly took to Twitter to dispel any rumors, saying, “I’m not working with Conor. I’m attempting to win a World Championship of my own in October. I wish him the best of luck in his upcoming title fight with Khabib.”

World and Olympic champion, Hassan YAZDANI (IRI). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

2. Iran Announces Asian Games Line-up   
Iran recently announced their six freestyle representatives for the 18th Asian Games which take place in Jakarta, Indonesia from August 19-22. 

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Iran’s world and Olympic champion leads a much different squad than the second-place one that Iran sent to the Bishkek Asian Championships back in February.  

Along with Yazdani, Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI, the 2018 Asian Championship bronze medalist is the only other wrestler who will compete for Iran at both the Asian Championships and Asian Games. 

Iran, with three champions and six overall medals finished in second place, 21 points behind Asian champions, Uzbekistan.

Iran’s Asian Games Line-up  
57kg - Reza ATRI 
65kg - Mehran NASIRI 
74kg - Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI 
86kg - Hassan YAZDANI  
97kg - Alireza KARIMI 
125kg - Parviz HADI 

SCHEDULE 

 Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS), 63kg Russian National champion. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

3. Greco-Roman Russian National Championships Conclude in Odintsovo
For the second week in a row, Russia held their National Championships in Odintsovo, Russia. A week ago, it was the Freestyle National Championships, and this past weekend it was the Greco-Roman National Championships. 

As we saw in freestyle, just because you win the Russian Nationals does not mean you’re headed to Budapest. 

On September 29, the winners from Russian Nationals at 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, and 77kg will head to the Ljubomir Ivanovic Gedza Memorial in Mladenovac, Serbia to wrestle the four European Championship gold medalists for their spot on Russia’s Budapest World Championship team. 

In addition, although Vitali KABALOEV (RUS) won the 55kg Russian National gold medal, he’ll also head to Serbia to take on former No.1 Vasilii TOPOEV (RUS). The winner of this bout will represent Russia in Budapest. 

Greco-Roman Russian National Winners (*European Champions) 
55kg - Vitali KABALOEV 
60kg - Mingian SEMYONOV (*Sergei EMELIN) 
63kg - Stepan MARYANYAN 
67kg – Zaur KABALOEV (*Artem SURKOV) 
72kg - Abuyazid MANTSIGOV (*Adam KURAK) 
77kg - Alexander CHEKHARKIN (*Roman VLASOV) 
82kg - Imil SHARAFETDINOV 
87kg - Beckhan OZDOEV
97kg - Nikita MELNIKOV 
130kg – Sergei SEMENOV 

4. Legendary Coach Pedro Val Bragueira of Cuba, Dies at 65
Cuba’s longtime head Greco-Roman wrestling coach Pedro VAL BRAGUEIRA (CUB) died August 3 after a long illness. He was 65.

Pedro Val was the head of the Greco-Roman national team between 1975 and 2015 and was the personal coach to many of Cuba’s wrestling legends, including three-time Olympic champion Mijaín LOPEZ, two-time Olympic champion Filiberto AZCUY, and 1992 Olympic champion Héctor MILIÁN. 

In 2010 Pedro Val was distinguished as the best coach in the world by United World Wrestling.

5. Pan-American Championships Begin Friday 
Fortaleza, Brazil is poised to host the 2018 Junior Pan-American Championships which takes place August 17-19. 

Greco-Roman wrestling will kick off the championships at the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste on Friday and will be followed by women’s wrestling (Friday) and freestyle (Saturday).

Full Schedule

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday !
2. Failed flying squirrel attempt!
3. Throw everything you have into it.
4. 30 seconds of madness! 
5. Have a productive week!?
Всем плодотворной недели!✊
#monday#wrestling#victory#passion#ilovewrestling#борьба#понедельник

Development

More Than Medals Americas wraps up in Rio de Janeiro

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - 14:07 By United World Wrestling Press

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (July 8) — With young athletes at the center of United World Wrestling’s development strategy, the 2025 edition of *More Than Medals Americas* was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 23rd to 29th, following the U17 Pan-American Championships.

Over the course of seven days, 46 wrestlers and 10 coaches from 11 countries came together for a full program of training sessions, educational workshops, cultural excursions, and recreational activities making this a comprehensive experience beyond the mat.

Held at the state-of-the-art facilities of CEFAN (Centro de Educação Física Almirante Adalberto Nunes), the camp kicked off with a vibrant opening ceremony, attended by Brazilian Wrestling Federation President Flavio Cabral and UWW Education Director Zach Erret. The schedule included three daily meals, on-site accommodation, and seamless logistics that contributed to the event's success.

Among the educational highlights were sessions on safe sport, mental health, injury prevention, and anti-doping each delivered by expert facilitators in a format designed to foster active participation from the athletes. These workshops aimed to equip young wrestlers not only with athletic tools but with life skills as well.

The technical sessions were held on four official mats, strength training, and physical conditioning. Coaches collaborated in a joint planning meeting to create an integrated training environment, where athletes learned from each other’s styles and backgrounds.

Outside the gym, participants explored the iconic city of Rio de Janeiro. They visited Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, and the historic Maracanã Stadium. An ecological outing to Copacabana Beach was also part of the program, emphasizing environmental awareness—even if a planned cleanup was rendered unnecessary thanks to local conservation efforts.

This edition of *More Than Medals* once again demonstrated the transformative power of sport. Participants described the experience as “great,” and organizers emphasized that the success of the program lies in its ability to holistically nurture the next generation of wrestlers not just as athletes, but as global citizens.