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End of the year Greco-Roman rankings

Sunday, November 6, 2022 - 23:18 By Vinay Siwach

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (November 7) -- As the Greco-Roman season comes to an end, the rankings in all 10 weight classes have been locked up.

Wrestlers who competed at the World Championships, continental championships, Ranking Series events and select regional games have got the benefit of being active throughout the year.

The top three wrestlers in each weight class will receive prize money. However, it is reduced from the previous year as that was a combined amount for two years as no rankings were declared in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Here are the rankings in all 10 Greco-Roman weight classes.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) finished at the top at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

55kg
1. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) - $5000
2. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) - $3000
3. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) - $2000

The world and European titles were enough for Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) to climb up to the top spot in rankings at 55kg. The two-time world champion was previously ranked second but with the new rankings, he has 55000 points to jump and claim the prize money. He also participated in two ranking series events but that was at 60kg.

At both the European and World Championships, Tsurtsumia finished second to Azizli and that gave him only 45000 points from the two competitions. The second place at the European Championships was worth 8000 points while the silver in Belgrade was for 37000 points. 

The third spot in the rankings at 55kg is taken by Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) after he won the bronze medal at the World Championships. In 2022, Ortikboev claimed bronze medals at the Asian Championships and the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup as well. The bronze at the Asians was worth 6500 points while one in Almaty gave him 5200 points, taking his tally to 42700 points.

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)World champion Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) reached the top at 60kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

60kg
1. Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) - $5000
2. Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) - $3000
3. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) - $2000

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) was the Asian and World champion at 60kg which helped him take the top spot in the weight class. The run at the World Championships for the gold medal was worth 45000 points and the gold at Asians gave him 10000 points. His overall tally of 55000 points was 7000 points more than the second-placed Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL).

The two silver medals for Nazaryan in 2022 were enough for the youngster to help him finish second in the rankings. He lost to Kerem KAMAL (TUR) in the final of the European Championships and to Sharshenbekov in the world final. His silver in Belgrade got him 37000 points while the silver in Budapest was worth 11000 points.

The third spot in the 60kg rankings goes to Murad MAMMADOV (AZE). With 42500 points, Mammadov outplaced Kamal who could have finished second by winning a medal at the World Championships. Mammadov finished fifth at the Worlds to earn 25000 points but he also won gold at Matteo Pellicone and bronze at the European Championships to win a combined 17500 points.

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) topped the rankings at 63kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

63kg
1. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) - $5000
2. Leri ABULADZE (GEO) - $3000
3. Sebastian NAD (SRB) - $2000

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) lost to Leri ABULADZE (GEO) in the European Championships final and finished with bronze at the World Championships to Abuladze's silver. Yet, Mammadov won the top spot with 55200 points while Abuladze managed 50000 points.

Mammadov began the season with a bronze medal in Istanbul for 5200 points before silver in Budapest for 11000 points. He then went to Matteo Pellicone and claim the gold gave him 8000 points. The bronze in Belgrade added 31000 points for him to take the top spot.

Abuladze, on the other hand, participated only in the World and European Championships, claiming 13000 points in Budapest and the other 37000 points in Belgrade.

World champion Sebastian NAD (SRB) takes third place with 45000 points, all of which came in Belgrade.

Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) is ranked number one at 67kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

67kg
1. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) - $5000 
2. Murat FIRAT (TUR) - $3000
3. Mate NEMES (SRB) - $2000

One of the most exciting talents out there Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) takes the number one rank at 67kg with 50500 points. Jafarov won bronze medals at the European and World Championships and a gold medal at the Matteo Pellicone for the top rank. He earned 11500 points from European Championships before adding 8000 points more in Rome. The World Championships bronze medal was worth 31000 points.

European champion Murat FIRAT (TUR) fell only 2500 points behind Jafarov to finish second with 48000 points. He earned 15000 points in Budapest before taking the trip to Mediterranean Games to earn the gold and 8000 points. Finishing fifth at the World Championships helped him get 25000 points and the second spot.

World champion Mate NEMES (SRB) not only stunned the Olympic champion Mohammadreza GEREAI (IRI) in the final, but he also outplaced him for the third spot with 45000 points.

Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE)Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) took the top spot at 72kg in the rankings. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

72kg
1. Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) - $5000
2. Ali ARSALAN (SRB) - $3000
3. Selcuk CAN (TUR) - $2000

Another Azerbaijan wrestler takes the top spot as Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) rewarded for being of the most active wrestlers of the year. He began his season in Istanbul and finished 10th. That still helped him get 5480 points. He then won bronze at the European Championships for 9500 points. A second-place finish at the Matteo Pellicone then added 6400 points to his name. But the biggest came at the World Championships in which Ganizade won a silver medal. That was worth 37000 points.

World champion Ali ARSLAN (SRB) came close but he only participated in two tournaments. A bronze medal at the European Championships helped him get 9500 points. But he stunned the world by becoming the world champion at 72kg which gave him 45000 points and the second spot, a huge jump from the 21st spot.

Another big mover was Selcuk CAN (TUR) who moved from 12th to third by winning a bronze medal at the World Championships. He took a big step early in the year by winning the gold in Istanbul for 11000 points. He did not participate in the European Championships but he returned to win the bronze at the Matteo Pellicone 5200 points. He never looked to break into the top three but the World Championships bronze gave him 31000 points and the third spot.

Yunus BASAR (TUR)Yunus BASAR (TUR) will get the $5000 for finishing at the top at 77kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

77kg
1. Yunus BASAR (TUR) - $5000
2. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) - $3000
3. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) - $2000

With participation in four events that offered ranking points, Yunus BASAR (TUR) managed to surpass other favorites for the top spot at 77kg. The world bronze medalist got 11000 points for winning the gold medal in Istanbul before a silver medal at the European Championships added 13000 points to his tally. The 24000 points became 28000 points when he finished fifth at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup. But adding 31000 points for the bronze in Belgrade, he took his tally to 59000 points.

World and Asian champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) participated in only two events in 2022 and won gold in both. With 45000 points for the gold in Belgrade and 10000 points for the gold at the Asian Championships, Makhmudov managed 55000 points.

Silver medalist in Belgrade Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) fell 600 points behind Makhmudov to sit at third. He finished seventh at the European Championships which gave him only 9400 points. A gold medal at the Matteo Pellicone event gave 8000 points more. The other 37000 points came from the World Championships.

Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)World champion Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) secured his place at the top at 82kg. (Photo: UWW / Dogukan Karadag)

82kg
1. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) - $5000
2. Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) - $3000
3. Tamas LEVAI (HUN) - $2000

Last year it was Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) who finished first with Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) finishing second. But this year the rankings are reversed with Akbudak finishing at the top with 69700 points. Huseynov managed only 45200 points.

Akbudak won four medals at events that offer points. He became the world champion for 45000 points but had 11500 points for his bronze at European Championships, 5200 points for his bronze in Almaty and 8000 points for winning gold in Istanbul.

Huseynov won the European Championships for 15000 points and got 5200 points for bronze in Istanbul. A medal in Belgrade could have helped him overtake Akbudak but he finished fifth for 25000 points.

Tamas LEVAI (HUN) won bronze medals at the European and World Championships for 11500 and 31000 points. With 42500 points, he finished third.

Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) won the World Championships gold and finished ranked number one at 87kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

87kg
1. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) - $5000
2. Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) - $3000
3. Ali CENGIZ (TUR) - $2000

He did not start the year on a great note but Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) managed to win the gold medal at the World Championships to finish at the top of the pack at 87kg. He finished with 58400 points, 45000 of which came for the gold in Belgrade. A silver medal in Istanbul gave him 6400 points before he slipped to the eighth spot at the European Championships for only 7000 points. But the world gold gave him enough points to reach the top.

Finishing second is Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) with 50000 points. 13000 points came for his European title and 37000 points he won at the World Championships in which he won a silver medal.

Ali CENGIZ (TUR) takes the third spot with 41400 points earned for bronze at Yasar Dogu Ranking Series [5200 points], Mediterranean Games [5200 points] and World Championships [31000 points].

Kiril MILOV (BUL)European champion Kiril MILOV (BUL) reached the top of the rankings at 97kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

97kg
1. Kiril MILOV (BUL) - $5000
2. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) - $3000
3. Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) - $2000

Kiril MILOV (BUL) participated in two tournaments in 2022 and reached the final in both. He won the European Championships for 15000 points but finished with silver at World Championships which earned him 37000 points.

Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) did not participate in any event in 2022 apart from the World Championships which he won 45000 points. He fell short of Milov due to his absence from the mat. He returned at the World Championships, winning the 97kg crown after five years.

Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) finished third at 97kg, thanks to his bronze medal-winning performance at the World Championships. He finished with 44620 points in total, just 380 points less than Aleksanyan.

Finishing 12th in Istanbul, Niftullayev got 5100 points for that effort but he did earn 8520 points at the Matteo Pellicone by finishing seventh. But the World Championships bronze was worth 31000 points.

Just 220 points behind Niftullayev is Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) who could have moved ahead had he won a medal at the World Championships but he finished seventh.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) won his fifth world title which also helped him rank one. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

130kg
1. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) - $5000
2. Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) - $3000
3. Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) - $2000

No one managed to stop Riza KAYAALP (TUR) from going to the top of the pile at 130kg. He won the World Championships for 45000 points, 13000 points for winning the European Championships, and 8000 points for gold at Matteo Pellicone. He won a bronze Istanbul Ranking Series event for 8200 points, taking his tally to 74200 points.

At the second spot, Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) earned 48500 points with wrestling at four events. He began with ninth place in Istanbul for 5800 points, another ninth place at the European Championships but still got 6500 points. But he got bronze medals at the Matteo Pellicone for 5200 points and World Championships which earned him 31000 points.

World silver medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) rounds off the ranking with 43400 points for the third spot. He got 37000 points for his silver medal in Belgrade and 6400 points came for the silver at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup.

#WrestleBudapest

Big-throwing Machado claims debut Ranking Series gold

Monday, July 21, 2025 - 11:08 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 20) -- Thamires MACHADO (BRA) made brief headlines at the Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifiers in Mexico. She threw Amit ELOR (USA) for a lateral drop for four points. Machado had Elor in trouble which could have seen Elor, the champion in Paris Games, lose early. However, Machado fizzled out and lost her bout 6-4.

A year later on Saturday, the Brazilian won her first major gold medal at the Budapest Ranking Series after a stunning show of strength and big throws at the Ranking Series over the weekend.

"In every practice back home, I try to do the four-point moves. I want to throw," Machado said after receiving the gold medal.

In other weight classes, Grace BULLEN (NOR) had another epic match with Irina RINGACI (MDA) and won gold at 65kg and Kennedy BLADES (USA) won another Ranking Series gold to remain undefeated at 68kg going into the World Championships.

European champion Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) and Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) won at 55kg and 62kg respectively.

Machado, competing in her first-ever Ranking Series event, won the 76kg gold medal with wins over Asian champion Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and world U20 champion PRIYA (IND) in semifinal and final, respectively.

In the gold-medal bout, Machadofaced former world U17 and U20 champion Priya and used a similar lateral drop like she did against Elor to score a four-pointer over Priya in the first minute.

Priya was pushing for a stepout and Machado used that momentum to drop her for four-points. It was catch-up from there on for Priya who failed to score any points in the first period. She got a stepout in the second get on board. Struggling to get to Machado's legs, Priya forced another stepout to make it 4-2.

Machado was put on the activity clock in the last minute but she was happy to conceded that point than to go for all-out attack during those 30 seconds. Priya also waited for the activity clock to expire before pushing for a point, perhaps a mistake to take her foot of the pedal in the final minute.

During that time, Machado managed to catch her breath and defended all attacks, including one in the last five seconds to win 4-3 and the gold medal.

"I am happy to win this gold medal in Ranking Series," she said. "This is so special for me"

In the semifinals, Machado got the better of Medet Kyzy, who opened the scoring with a double-leg takedown for two points. She led 3-0 at the break as Machado failed to score after being put on the 30-second activity clock.

Machado got her first points when she defended a leg attack from Medet Kyzy and scored a go-behind takedown. She then launched a powerful gut-wrench and turned her three times to lead 8-3. Two stepouts in quick succession for Medet Kyzy cut Machado's lead to 8-5 but the Kyrgyzstan wrestler had only a minute left to score more points and secure the win.

As they scrambled for the final minute, Machado and Medet Kyzy locked each other at the edge but it was the latter who fell outside of the zone first which gave another point to Machado with 33 seconds left. Machado held her positions better than Medet Kyzy and managed to score another stepout to lead 10-5 and win the bout.

Born in one of the favellas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Machado was part of one of the social project by the local council which taught wrestling to young kids. She joined the program and managed to learn wrestling.

In 2019, she won gold medal at the Pan-Am U20 Championships, her second ever competition. For five years, she was away from wrestling, but in 2024, she returned and won the Henri Deglane Grand Prix and was second at the 2025 Pan-Am Championships.

Bullen survives Ringaci

If both remain at the same weight class in the future, the Bullen-Ringaci rivalry can be the most fearsome in Women's Wrestling. The latest example was their 65kg final in Budapest where Bullen, down 16-8, pinned Ringaci was claim her second win over the former world champion in four months.

Ringaci, who needed one more turn from par terre or just survive the pin from Bullen, was frustrated with yet another loss and pushed aside Bullen after the bout.

The match began with a wonderful counter from Ringaci, who hit a cut-back after a Bullen snap to pass-by and got four points. Watch above. While Bullen survived the fall attempt, she fell behind 6-0.

A little later, it was Ringaci's chance survive a pin attempt from Bullen who lifted Ringaci well over her waist-level and slammed her for four. The first period ended with Bullen leading 6-6 on criteria.

Bullen tried the exact move of snap to pass-by in the second period and this time she succeeded, scoring two points and taking a clear 8-6 lead. Ringaci scored a takedown 30 seconds into the second period and scored six more points using three gut-wrenches. As she was going for the final turn to win the bout, Bullen blocked and got the headlock to pin Ringaci.

An aghast Ringaci was left in tears as Bullen herself was shocked to have won the bout, having snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

At 68kg, Kennedy BLADES (USA) had a fine tournament, winning her second Ranking Series event and third tournament of 2025. In the final, she defeated Noemi SZABADOS (HUN), 13-2, a wrestler she had defeated 10-0 at the Zagreb Open in February.

The only bout she was not able to win via technical superiority was her semifinal against Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) as the Bulgarian was able to stop Blades to a 6-2 win. Blades had little injury scare in the final few seconds of the match but managed to continue.

Verbina captured the 55kg gold medal after a controlled 6-1 win over Karla GODINEZ (CAN) in the final while Tandelova blanked Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) 3-0 in the 62kg final.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Karla GODINEZ (CAN), 6-1

BRONZE: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Amory ANDRICH (GER), 10-0

62kg
GOLD: Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 3-0

BRONZE: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) df. Nikolett SZABO (HUN), 10-0
BRONZE: MANISHA (IND) df. Krystsina SAZYKINA (UWW), via fall (9-0)

65kg
GOLD: Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA), via fall (10-16)

BRONZE: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) df. Ekaterina KOSHKINA (UWW), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Macey KILTY (USA) df. Kadriye KOCAK AKSOY (TUR), 10-4

68kg
GOLD: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Noemi SZABADOS (HUN), 13-2

BRONZE: Brooklyn HAYS (USA) df. Hyeonyeong PARK (KOR), 5-4
BRONZE: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW), 11-1

76kg
GOLD: Thamires MACHADO (BRA) df. PRIYA (IND), 4-3

BRONZE: Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Valeriia TRIFONOVA (UWW), 11-0
BRONZE: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Seoyeon JEONG (KOR), 12-1