#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open Flashback: Iran, U.S. opened season with success

Monday, January 19, 2026 - 10:21 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

ZAGREB, Croatia (January 18) -- United World Wrestling's 2026 season will kick off with the Ranking Series in Zagreb February 4. The recent memories of Zagreb may be the September World Championships but the 2025 season also kicked off with the Ranking Series in the Croatian capital.

Iran and the United States had strong performances in the first of the four stops of the Ranking Series, a theme which continued throughout the 2025 season as the U.S. dominated Freestyle while Iran dominated Greco-Roman.

Women's Wrestling participants were less in numbers but still saw U.S. and UWW wrestlers share gold medals.

Here's a trip down memory lane of the 2025 Zagreb Open Ranking Series before the 2026 season kicks off:

WATCH ZAGREB OPEN 2025 TOP BOUTS HERE

Freestyle

A young Iranian team snapped four gold medals in Zagreb with Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) winning gold at 61kg, Abbas EBRAHIM (IRI) winning at 65kg, Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) became champion at 92kg and Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) winning the 125kg gold.

For the U.S., Spencer LEE (USA) kicked off the season with 57kg with gold, Zahid VALENCIA (USA) won at 86kg and Kyle SNYDER (USA) at 97kg. Both Valencia and Snyder went on to win gold at the World Championships later in the season.

Azerbaijan, Slovakia and France won one gold each, with Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) winning at 70kg for Azerbaijan, Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) winning gold at 74kg, and Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) winning at 79kg for France.

Iran dominance began when Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) won gold at 61kg, beating the likes of Nuraddin NUVROZOV (AZE), Nashon GARRETT (USA), Giorgi GONIASHVILI (GEO) and Ebrahim KHARI (IRI). Javan would later win a silver medal at the World Championships. At 65kg, Ebrahim held his own in a thrilling final against Joseph MCKENNA (USA) to grab the second gold for Iran.

Young superstars Firouzpour and Masoumi put up a show to win gold medals at 92kg and 125kg respectively.

Lee was making a returning to competition six months after winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics. He won the Zagreb Open gold with rather ease. For the U.S., Valencia saw himself win gold at 86kg outscoring his opponents 35-4 in four bouts. In the final, Valencia defeated world bronze medalist Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE), 8-0.

Snyder opened his season with a 33-1 scoring run in three bouts at 97kg in Zagreb. In the final, he easily defeated Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI).

Heybatov gave early warnings to the 70kg field by winning gold in Zagreb, a run which included wins over Austin GOMEZ (MEX), two back-to-back wins over Iranian wrestlers including a 12-1 one again Sina KHALILI (IRI) in the final. The two would wrestle again towards the end of the year at the U23 World Championships. Heybatov won that final with a 9-4 score.

Two veterans, Salkazanov and Khadjiev, were at their best in the opening Ranking Series tournament. Salkazanov blanked everyone, including winning 4-0 against David CARR (USA) in the final, to win 74kg gold.

Khadjiev had a tougher bat but managed to win the 79kg gold with a 5-3 win over Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) in the final. The French wrestler would later win silver at the European Championships.

UWW Opens Dedicated Office for Grappling, MMA, Pankration in Lausanne

Monday, July 6, 2026 - 17:15 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (July 6) -- United World Wrestling marked a significant milestone for Grappling, MMA and Pankration on Monday with the official opening of its dedicated office for the three associated styles at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The new office will serve as the operational hub for the continued development and governance of Grappling, MMA and Pankration within the UWW family.

The official opening was attended by UWW President Nenad LALOVIC, President of the UWW Committee of Associated Styles and UWW Vice President Rodica YAKSI, UWW Committee for Grappling, MMA and Pankration Vice President Adrian BAKOS, and UWW Committee for Grappling, MMA and Pankration Member Gaji GAJIYEV.

Michal BUCHEL has been appointed Head of the office and Tolegen KUMAROV, who was appointed Head of Grappling at United World Wrestling on February 21 in Baku, will also be part of the new office. He will be responsible, within the framework of the UWW Committee for Grappling, MMA and Pankration, for the strategic development of grappling worldwide.

Lausanne

In the coming days, a working group will be formed and will begin implementing key projects aimed at developing these disciplines.

The main objectives set by UWW for the committee will be the systematic development of Grappling, MMA and Pankration, the unification and strengthening of international cooperation, the support of national federations, as well as the creation of new opportunities for athletes around the world.

The office for the three styles is open to constructive cooperation with all organisations that are sincerely interested in the development of these disciplines, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and the education of the younger generation.

I is important for all international, continental and national organisations developing Grappling, MMA and Pankration to build relationships based on mutual respect, open dialogue and partnership. Sport has always been a universal language that brings people together regardless of nationality, culture or political views. 

By bringing together the experience, knowledge and collective efforts of the global sports community, it’s possible to ensure the sustainable development of Grappling, MMA and Pankration, strengthen their international standing, and open a new chapter in the history of combat sports.