CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (March 7) – Top-ranked wrestlers in three freestyle weight categories were tripped up at the World Cup meet in February but only Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) emerged as a new No.1 in the United World Wrestling rankings for February.

Rio 2016 silver medalist Geduev rose to the top spot at 74kg with the departure of Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) to 86kg. Rio gold medalist Yazdani settles in at No.2 at 86kg behind reigning world and Olympic champ Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS).

However, Yazdani was stunned in the World Cup final by David TAYLOR (USA) who converted a low single-leg attack for a win by fall late in their bout in Kermanshah. Despite the loss to Taylor, however, Yazdani hangs onto the No.2 ranking.

Earlier, Taylor knocked off London 2012 gold medalist Sharif SHAPIROV (AZE) and bronze medal winner Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) before upsetting the Rio winner. With wins over three marquee opponents, Taylor made the biggest leap in the rankings for February – from No.18 to No.5.

Meanwhile, two of Taylor’s American teammates – world champion Logan STIEBER (61kg) and Rio 2016 gold medalist Kyle SNYDER (97kg) – were also on the “wrong” side of upset losses.

Stieber was tripped up by 2014 world silver medalist Masoud ESMAEILPOUR (IRI), 6-2, in the championship dual while Snyder was dropped to his back for four points by Arslanbek ALBOROV (AZE) and was saddled with a 5-4 loss in their third-round bout.

Esmaeilpour, the 2014 Asian Games gold medalist who has seen only limited action in 2015 and 2016, re-joins the rankings at No.7 while Alborov, a bronze medal winner at the Golden Grand Prix Final in 2015 and 2016, breaks into the rankings at No.11.

London 2012 gold medalist Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), who missed the Rio 2016 podium after a lackluster ninth place, returned to action with a vengeance in Kermanshah, picking up four wins and climbing from No.7 to third place at 74kg.

Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, their most notable or most recent result over the last 12 months and their position in the previous rankings.

(Note: Individual rankings for the World Cup are unofficial and are determined by classification points along with other criteria such as quality of wins – falls, forfeits and disqualifications as well as technical superiority along with technical points scored and allowed.)

57kg – Three of the top 10 bantams in January, including Rio 2016 bronze medalist Haji ALIEV (AZE), relocated to heavier weight categories resulting in slight promotions for many of the other wrestlers at 57kg.

European Games bronze medal winner Sezer AKGUL (TUR) emerged the top individual at the World Cup and returns to the rankings at No.12 after a sub-par year in 2016.

1. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – Rio OG No.1 (1)
2. Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) - Rio OG No.2 (2)
3. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – Rio OG No.3 (4)
4. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – Rio OG No.5 (6)
5. YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) – Rio OG No.8 (7)
6. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – Rio OG No.9 (8)
7. Sandeep TOMAR (IND) – Asia No.1 (10)
8. JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) – Asia No.2 (11)
9. Zaur UGUEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (12)
10. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (15)
11. Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) – GGP Final No.1 (13)
12. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) – World Cup No.1 (Not Ranked)
13. Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2@61 (14)
14. Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (17)
15. Tyler GRAFF (USA) – Cerro Pelado Int’l No.1 (nr)
16. Nicholas MEGALUDIS (USA) – Paris GP No.1 (18)
17. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) – Paris GP No.3 (19)
18. Dimchik RINCHINOV (BLR) – Paris GP No.2 (20)
19. Naim MIKYAY (BUL) – Sirakov-Iliev Int’l No.1 (nr)
20. Ayiar TYUTRIN (RUS) – Sirakov-Iliev Int’l No.2 (nr)

61kg – Rio 2016 Olympian Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) won the Cerro Pelado title at home to make the move from No.5 at 57kg to the same position at super bantamweight.

1. Logan STIEBER (USA) – World No.1 (1)
2. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) – World No.2 (2)
3. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) – World No.3 (3)
4. Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) – World No.3 (4)
5. Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) – Rio OG No.5 (5@57)
6. Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) – World No.5 (5)
7. Masoud ESMAEILPOUR (IRI) – World Cup No.2 (nr)
8. Viktor RASSADIN (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (7)
9. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (6)
10. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (9@57)
11. Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (8)
12. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) – Buryatia Cup No.1 (9)
13. Georgi KALIEV (BLR) – Europe No.2 (11)
14. Nachyin KUULAR (RUS) – World Military No.1 (12)
15. Imam ADZHIEV (RUS) – European U23 No.1 (13)
16. Youri SIEMANKIN (FRA) – World No.5 (10)
17. Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) – Commonwealth No.1 (15)
18. Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) – Paris GP No.1 (17)
19. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – World Military No.2 (14)
20. Dimitar IVANOV (BUL) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (nr)

65kg – Rio 2016 bronze medalist at 57kg Haji ALIEV (AZE), a two-time world champion at 61kg, won all four bouts at the World Cup to muscle into the lightweight rankings at No.5. Asia champion Meysam NASIRI (IRI), with three wins, came second in the individual Cup rankings

1. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) – Rio OG No.1 (1)
2. Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) – Rio OG No.2 (2)
3. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) – Rio OG No.3 (3)
4. Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) – Rio OG No.3 (4)
5. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – Rio OG No.3@57 (3@57)
6. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – Rio OG No.5 (5)
7. Frank MOLINARO (USA) – Rio OG No.5 (6)
8. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (7)
9. Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) – GGP Final No.2 (8)
10. Meysam NASIRI (IRI) – World Cup No.2 (12)
11. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) – Spanish GP No.2 (9)
12. Bernard FUTRELL (USA) – Paris Int’l No.3 (13)
13. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Rio 2016 OG No.8 (10)
14. Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) – Ulaan-Baatar OG Qualifier No.2 (11)
15. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.1 (15)
16. Alan GOGAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (17)
17. Haislan GARCIA VERANES (CAN) – Istanbul OG Qualifier No.2 (14)
18. YEERLANBIEKE Katal (CHN) – Ziolkowski Int’l No.2 (16)
19. Safa AKSOY (TUR) – World Cup No.3 (nr)
20. Franklin MAREN CASTILLO (CUB) – Cerro Pelado Int’l No.1 (nr)

70kg – World bronze medal winner Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) climbs one rung to No.2 in the rankings after notching three wins in Kermanshah. James GREEN (USA), meanwhile, emerged the individual leader at 70kg with 11 classification points from three wins before being tripped up by Hosseinkhani in the Iran-U.S. final.

1. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) - World No.3 (3)
3. Nurlan BEKZHANOV (KAZ) – World No.2 (2)
4. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (5)
5. James GREEN (USA) – World Cup No.1 (8)
6. Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) – World No.3 (4)
7. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – World No.5 (6)
8. Nobuyoshi TAKOJIMA (JPN) – World No.5 (7)
9. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) – Europe No.1 (9)
10. David TLASHADZE (GEO) – Europe No.2 (10)
11. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (11)
12. Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin No.3 (12)
13. Yakup GOR (TUR) – World Cup No.5 (14)
14. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Europe No.5 (13)
15. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Europe No.3 (15)
16. Gitinomagomed GADZHIEV (AZE) – GGP Final No.2 (16)
17. Konstatin KHABALASHVILI (GEO) – World Cup No.4 (nr)
18. Nazari KULCHYTSY (USA) – Cerro Pelado Int’l No.1 (nr)
19. Gadjimurad OMAROV (AZE) – European U23 No.2 (17)
20. Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) – European U23 No.1 (18)

74kg – Former Asian champion Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) scored a pair of wins at the World Cup meet to grab a third place in individual classification points at welterweight and crowd onto the rankings at No.12. 

1. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – Rio OG No.2 (2)
2. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – Rio OG No.3 (3)
3. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World Cup No.1 (7)
4. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Rio OG No.3 (4)
5. Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) – Rio OG No.5 (5)
6. Galimzhan USSERBAEV (KAZ) – Rio OG No.5 (6)
7. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – World Military No.1 (8)
8. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB) – Cerrado Pelado Int’l No.1 (10)
9. Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) – Rio OG No.7 (9)
10. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (12)
11. Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (13)
12. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – World Cup No.3 (nr)
13. Atsamaz SANAKOEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (17)
14. Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) – Spanish GP No.2 (11)
15. Yakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.3 (15)
16. Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ) – GGP Final No.3 (16)
17. PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) – Spanish GP No.3 (14)
18. Kyle DAKE (USA) – Paris GP No.1 (18)
19. Zaur MAKIEV (RUS) – Europe No.3 (19)
20. Alex DIERINGER (USA) – Paris GP No.2 (20)

86kg – Ahmed MAGAMAEV (RUS) grabbed a pair of technical falls at the World Cup to add a third place in the individual rankings to his bronze medal at the Yarygin Grand Prix in January for No.11 in the rankings.

1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) – Rio OG No.1 (1)
2. Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) – Rio OG No.1@74 (1@74)
3. Selim YASAR (TUR) – Rio OG No.2 (2)
4. J’den COX (USA) – Rio OG No.3 (4)
5. David TAYLOR (USA) – World Cup No.1 (18)
6. Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (7)
7. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – GGP Final No.1 (8)
8. Sharif SHARIPOV (AZE) – Rio OG No.3 (3)
9. Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN) – Rio OG No.5 (6)
10. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) – GGP Final No.3 (12)
11. Ahmed MAGAMAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (13)
12. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) – Rio OG No.7 (9)
13. Mahammasjavad EBRAHIMIZIVLAEI (IRI) – Yarygin GP No.2 (10)
14. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) – GGP Final No.2 (11)
15. Vladislav VALIEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (14)
16. Nurmagomed GADZHIEV (AZE) – German GP No.1 (15)
17. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) – Ziolkowski Int’l No.2 (16)
18. Aleksander GOSTIEV (AZE) – Europe No.2 (17)
19. Austin TROTMAN (USA) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (nr)
20. Richard PERRY (USA) – Paris GP No.2 (19)

97kg – Arslanbek ALBOROV (AZE) recorded three wins at the World Cup, including a 5-4 upset of Rio 2016 champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) to grab third place in the individual World Cup rankings and No.11 in this month’s heavyweight poll.

1. Kyle SNYDER (USA) – Rio OG No.1 (1)
2. Khetag GAZYUMOV (AZE) – Rio OG No.2 (2)
3. Albert SARITOV (ROU) – Rio OG No.3 (3)
4. Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) – Rio OG No.3 (4)
5. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) – Rio OG No.5 (5)
6. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) – Rio OG No.5 (6)
7. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) – Rio OG No.7 (7)
8. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – GGP Final No.1 (8)
9. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – Cerro Pelado Int’l No.1 (No.5@86)
10. Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (9)
11. Arslanbek ALBOROV (AZE) – World Cup No.2 (nr)
12. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (13)
13. Anzor BOLTUKAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2@125 (12)
14. Amir MOHAMMADI (IRI) – World Cup No.3 (20)
15. Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ) – Rio OG No.8 (10)
16. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (11)
17. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) – Paris GP No.1 (16)
18. Dustin KILGORE (USA) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (nr)
19. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) – Rio 2016 OG No.10 (14)
20. Akhmed BATAEV (RUS) – Intercontinental Cup No.1 (19)

125kg – Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) amassed 16 classification points from four wins at the World Cup and moved ahead of Rio 2016 silver medalist Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) to No.2 in the super heavyweight rankings. The first-place finish at the World Cup was the third triumph for Petrashvili since taking bronze in Rio de Janeiro.

1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – Rio OG No.1 (1)
2. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) – Rio OG No.3 (3)
3. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Rio OG No.2 (2)
4. Ibragim SAIDOV (BLR) – Rio OG No.3 (4)
5. Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (8)
6. Alen ZASIEIEV (UKR) – GGP Final No.2 (7)
7. Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM) – Rio OG No.5 (5)
8. Muradin KUSHKOV (RUS) – Kunaev Int’l No.1 (9)
9. Baldan TSYSHIPOV (RUS) – GGP Final No.3 (10)
10. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – Rio OG No.5 (6)
11. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) – World Cup No.3 (16)
12. Robert BARAN (POL) – Europe No.2 (12)
13. Daniel LIGETI (HUN) – Paris GP No.2 (13)
14. Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) – Kunaev Int’l No.2 (14)
15. Yadollah MOHEBBI (IRI) – GGP Final No.3 (15)
16. Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS) – Ziolkowski Int’l No.1 (11)
17. Dominique BRADLEY (USA) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (nr)
18. Yudenny ALPAJON ESTEVES (CUB) – Cerro Pelado No.1 (nr)
19. Zachery REY (USA) – Paris GP No.3 (19)
20. Marian TODOROV (BUL) – Sirakov-Iliev Int’l No.1 (nr)