World Rankings

Wrestling Debuts Worldwide Rankings for 2018

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (February 1) -- United World Wrestling has posted the first updates to the 2018 Ranking Series on the organization's homepage. The rankings come after an opening weekend of Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments last week in Iran and Russia, respectively.

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).

The next Ranking Series events are scheduled for mid-February with women’s wrestling opening their season at the Klippan Ladies in Sweden, while Greco-Roman wrestlers get their second event at the Cerro Pelado in Havana, Cuba.

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.

Below is a look at the points after the first competition of the 2018 Ranking Series at the Ivan Yarygin (freestyle) and Takhti Cup (Greco-Roman).

Freestyle

57kg

1. Zavur UGUEV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Azamat TUSKAEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Khuresh DONDUK OOL (RUS) // 14 Points
4. Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL) // 14 Points
5. Baris KAYA (TUR) // 12 Points
6. Frank PERRELLI (USA) // 12 Points
 
61kg

1. Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Aleksandr BOGOMOEV (RUS) // 14 Points
4. Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) // 14 Points
5. Anthony RAMOS (USA) // 12 Points
6. Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB) // 12 Points

65kg

1. Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Nachyn KUULAR (RUS) // 14 Points
4. Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) // 14 Points
5. Batmagnai BATCHULUUN (MGL) // 12 Points
6. Tsogtbaatar DAMDINBAZAR (MGL) // 12 Points

70kg

1. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) // 17 Points
2. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) // 15 Points
3. Andriy KVYATKOVSKYY (UKR) // 13 Points
4. Frank MOLINARO (USA) // 13 Points
5. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) // 11 Points
6. Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO) // 11 Points

74kg

1. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) // 16 Points
2. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) // 14 Points
3. Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) // 12 Points
4. Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS) // 12 Points
5. Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) // 10 Points
6. Muhammet DEMIR (TUR) // 10 Points

79kg

1. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) // 15 Points
2. Kyle DAKE (USA) // 13 Points
3. Radik VALIEV (RUS) // 11 Points
4. Alan ZASEEV (RUS) // 11 Points
5. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) // 9 Points
6. Muhammet KUTANOGLU (TUR) // 9 Points

86kg

1. David TAYLOR III (USA) // 20 Points
2. Fatih ERDIN (TUR) // 18 Points
3. Vladislav VALIEV (RUS) // 16 Points
4. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) // 16 Points
5. Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB) // 14 Points
6. Zaur BERADZE (GEO) // 14 Points

92kg

1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) // 15 Points
2. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) // 13 Points
3. Yury BELONOVSKIY (RUS) // 11 Points
4. Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL) // 11 Points
5. Serda BOKE (TUR) // 9 Points
6. Nicholas HEFLIN (USA) // 9 Points

97kg

1. Kyle SNYDER (USA) // 17 Points
2. Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) // 15 Points
3. Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) // 13 Points
4. Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS) // 13 Points
5. Yunus DEDE (TUR) // 11 Points
6. Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL) // 11 Points

125kg

1. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS) // 18 Points
2. Anzor KHIZRIEV (RUS) // 16 Points
3. Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) // 14 Points
4. Zolboo NATSAGSUREN (MGL) // 14 Points
5. Zachery William REY (USA) // 12 Points
6. Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) // 12 Points

Greco-Roman

55kg

1. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) // 14 Points
2. Bachana PUTKARADZE (GEO) // 12 Points
3. Moslem NADERIKHADEM (IRI) // 10 Points
4. Reza KHEDRI (IRI) // 10 Points
5. Ziyad ZEYNALOV (AZE) // 8 Points
6. Ibrahim NURULLAYEV (AZE) // 8 Points

60kg

1. K. ZHOLCHUBEKOV (KGZ) // 17 Points
2. Mehrdad MARDANI (IRI) // 15 Points
3. Dastan ZARLYKHANOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
4. Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
5. Sakit GULIYEV (AZE) // 11 Points
6. R. TEIISHOV (KGZ) // 11 Points

63kg

1. K. SULAYMANOV (KGZ) // 15 Points
2. Kudaibergen TURSYNOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
3. Mohammad NOURBAKHSH (IRI) // 11 Points
4. U. AMATOV (KGZ) // 11 Points
5. Khvicha TCHITAVA (GEO) // 9 Points
6. Dmytro KOSENOK (UKR) // 9 Points

67kg

1. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) // 18 Points
2. Fevzi MAMUTOV (UKR) // 16 Points
3. Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) // 14 Points
4. Mohammad ELYASI (IRI) // 14 Points
5. Ismael BORRERO (CUB) // 12 Points
6. Murat FIRAT (TUR) // 12 Points

72kg

1. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) // 16 Points
2. Murat DAG (TUR) // 14 Points
3. Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) // 12 Points
4. Farshad BELFAKEH (IRI) // 12 Points
5. Goga GOGIBERASHVILI (GEO) // 10 Points
6. Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) // 10 Points

77kg

1. Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) // 16 Points
2. Serkan AKKOYUN (TUR) // 14 Points
3. Fatih CENGIZ (TUR) // 12 Points
4. Boroomand GHAREHDAGHI (IRI) // 12 Points
5. Bakuri GOGOLI (GEO) // 10 Points
6. Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) // 10 Points

82kg

1. Emrah KUS (TUR) // 17 Points
2. Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) // 15 Points
3. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) // 13 Points
4. Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO) // 13 Points
5. Keivan DALINI (IRI) // 11 Points
6. Yaroslav FLICHAKOV (UKR) // 11 Points

87kg

1. Saman AZIZI (IRI) // 15 Points
2. Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) // 13 Points
3. Tarek ABDELSLAM (BUL) // 11 Points
4. Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ) // 11 Points
5. S. SHIRDAKOV (KGZ) // 9 Points
6. Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) // 9 Points

97kg

1. Orkhan NURIYEV (AZE) // 17 Points
2. Cenk ILDEM (TUR) // 15 Points
3. Ali HEIDARI (IRI) // 13 Points
4. Turman EYYUBOV (AZE) // 13 Points
5. Mohammad YEGANEH (IRI) // 11 Points
6. Dorin PIRVAN (ROU) // 11 Points

130kg

1. Behnam ARPATAPEH (IRI) // 12 Points
2. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) // 10 Points
3. Shahab GHOUREHJILI (IRI) // 8 Points
4. Ciurariu ALEXUC (ROU) // 7 Points
5. Abolfazl NAJAFI (IRI) // 6 Points
6. Anton SAVENKO (KAZ) // 5 Points

2026 World Championships

Hedayati Beats World Champ Mirzazadeh to Claim Iran's World Team Spot

By Vinay Siwach

KERMAN, Iran (June 16) -- World champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) decided to skip the second bout of the best-of-three series against Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI), ending his hopes of defending his world title this year.

Hedayati, who has been knocking on the door of Iran's world team for more than two years, defeated Mirzazadeh, 5-1, in the opening selection bout at 130kg to secure a spot on Iran's Greco-Roman team for the 2026 World Championships, to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.

Mirzazadeh still had a chance to claim the spot if he won the remaining two bouts, but he chose not to continue in the series, effectively conceding the berth to Hedayati.

Hedayati scored on a passivity point, two pushouts and a two-point go-behind. Mirzazadeh's only point came from passivity as he failed to score from par terre.

"I respect Mirzazadeh a lot as he is a world champion," Hedayati told UWW. "But we worked a lot for one year to beat him."

In the selection bout last year, Hedayati hoped to hang on for a 1-1 criteria victory but Mirzazadeh scored a par terre turn to win 3-1. Hedayati switched his strategy this year and did not wait for the par terre position. He even asked for a standing restart when Mirzazadeh was called passive.

"Last year, I waited for the second period to win 1-1, but now I started to push right off the whistle," he said. "My plan was to push him out because I can do it. When I got passivity advantage, I asked for a start in standing."

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) defeated Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), 5-1.

The 22-year-old Hedayati, who hails from Amol, the same town as 125kg freestyle world champion Amirhossein ZARE (IRI), will be making his senior World Championships debut in Astana as part of a strong Iran team that features three champions among seven returning medalists.

Zare was present in Kerman to support and coach Hedayati, who calls the Freestyle wrestler 'a brother'.

"I train with Zare because of our weight classes and he came here for my match," he said. "Outside of the mat, we run together, go for hiking, cross country and share a lot of time together to discuss wrestling. We always talk about winning the gold medal together, especially at the Olympics."

The Olympics are still two years away, but Zare and Hedayati can both win gold at the World Championships in Astana.

Hedayati, despite his debut, will enter as the favorite at 130kg. He has already won golds at the U20 and U23 World Championships, the Asian Championships and Ranking Series. He has registered wins over all major 130kg wrestlers including Riza KAYAALP (TUR), Oscar PINO (CUB), Pavel HLINCHUK (BLR), among others.

His only international loss came in 2022 in the U20 World Championships final, 6-4, against Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) that he has since avenged.

"I am training with Ghasem REZAEI (2012 London Olympic champion at 96kg) to improve my par terre offense so I can be a complete wrestler. My defense in par terre is good," he said.

In other weight classes, Iran will be bringing seven medalists including three champions. Olympic champion Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) will be at 67kg and Hadi SARAVI (IRI) at 97kg. Both are defending world champions along with Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) who will be at 82kg.

The returning silver medalists are Payam AHMADI (IRI) at 55kg and Alireza MOHMADI (IRI) at 87kg, while Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) at 63kg and Danial SOHRABI (IRI) at 72kg are returning bronze medalists.

Former U20 world champion Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI), who finished 17th last year, will look to win a medal for his team along with Ali OSKOU (IRI) at 77kg who will be making his World Championships debut.

Iran's Freestyle team for the 2026 World Championships will be selected on Friday, June 19 with Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), both at 97kg. 

Iran's Greco-Roman Team for 2026 World Championships

55kg: Payam AHMADI (IRI)
60kg: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)
63kg: Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI)
67kg: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)
72kg: Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
77kg: Ali OSKOU (IRI)
82kg: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)
87kg: Alireza MOHMADI (IRI)
97kg: Hadi SARAVI (IRI)
130kg: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)