#WrestleSofia

Iran Sends Four to Semifinals at Cadet World Championships

Monday, July 29, 2019 - 14:01 By Taylor Miller

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Photo of Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI).

SOFIA, Bulgaria – There is a star-studded group today competing in the semifinals of the 2019 Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, including multiple World and Youth Olympic Games champions as well as several continental champions.

Iran put four of its five athletes into the semifinals on the first day of competition.

Highlighting the group is Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI), who is a returning Cadet World champion, winning gold at 45 kg in 2018. This year, he is wrestling at 48 kg and will face 2018 Cadet Pan American champion Stevo POULIN (USA) in the semis.

Amouzadkhalili also has a couple of continental championships under his belt, claiming gold medals at the 2018 and 2019 Cadet Asian Championships.

In the other semifinal, we’ll see a rematch of the 2019 Cadet Asian Championships bronze medal match with Kamronbek KADAMOV (UZB) taking on Udit UDIT (IND). The last time they wrestled, Kadamov walked away with the bronze medal after a 10-4 victory.

At 55 kg, two-time Cadet Asian bronze medalist Mahdi Mehrdad VEISI (IRI) will represent Iran in the semis. He finished fifth in the 2018 Cadet World Championships.

Tonight, Veisi will face Robert HOWARD (USA) in another Iran vs. USA matchup.

Howard is a 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion and owns top-10 finishes at the 2017 and 2018 Cadet World Championships.

Photo of Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB).

The other matchup at 55 kg features another 2018 Youth Olympic Games champion, Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB), who won at 45 kg. Jalolov is also a 2017 Cadet World champion at 42 kg.

A two-time Cadet Asian champion, Jalolov will go against 2019 Cadet European silver medalist and 2018 Cadet European bronze medalist Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR).

Others competing for Iran tonight are 2019 Cadet Asian champions Amirhossein Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI at 80 kg and Salar Saeid HABIBIEHSAN at 110 kg.

Firouzpourbandpei will wrestle Denys SAHALIUK of Ukraine, while Habibiehsan will face Arsamag ZASSEEV from Russia.

Photo of  Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE).

Zasseev is one of three Russians seeking a spot in the finals.

Also competing for Russia is 2018 U15 European Championships gold medalist and 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival silver medalist Batyrbek TSKHOVREBOV at 65 kg and 2018 U15 European champion Arslan BAGAEV at 80 kg.

Two other 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival are in the semifinal field at 65 kg as champion Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) will battle bronze winner Davit PATSINASHVILI (GEO) tonight.

Below are the remaining matchups.

The semifinals begin at 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). Fans can watch live on unitedworldwrestling.org.  

Semifinals matchups
48 kg   
Stevo Ross POULIN (USA) vs. Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Kamronbek KADAMOV (UZB) vs. Udit UDIT (IND)

55 kg
Mahdi Mehrdad VEISI (IRI) vs. Robert Kelly HOWARD (USA)
Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR) vs. Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)

65 kg
Manish GOSWAMI (IND) vs. Batyrbek TSKHOVREBOV (RUS)
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) vs. Davit PATSINASHVILI (GEO)

80 kg
Amirhossein Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) vs. Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)
Emre CIFTCI (TUR) vs. Arslan BAGAEV (RUS)

110 kg
Salar Saeid HABIBIEHSANI (IRI) vs. Arsamag ZASSEEV (RUS)
Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM) vs. Giorgi CHIKHRADZE (GEO)

#Grappling

Grappling Gi: Prendes doubles up as world champ; Gudanatov stunned

Thursday, October 16, 2025 - 11:45 By Vinay Siwach

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 15) - Whether it is Gi or No-Gi, it seems that Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) is making a habit of winning gold medals.

After winning double-gold at the 2024 World Grappling Championships, Prendes Larios repeated the feat in 2025, winning gold in Gi and No-Gi competition in Novi Sad.

The Spanish grappler won the 53kg gold in No-Gi on Tuesday with a dominant performance and continued the same form in Gi. She won her first two bouts via submission and in the final against Zuzanna KOWALSKA (POL) and won via submission.

She began by top control in the first minute but was called passive, giving one point to Kowalska to lead 2-1. She moved to a back mount and then performed a rear naked choke for submission to claim the gold medal at 53kg.

At 90kg, Tatiana KABANOVA (UWW) made amends and won gold medal after finishing with silver in No-Gi event. She was defeated by Alena VLASOVA (UWW) in that competition but Kabanova managed to remain unbeaten in a three-grappler bracket.

She defeated Vlasova via submission in the first bout and then won 3-1 against Justyna SITKO (POL) to claim the gold medal.

Gudanatov stunned

Defended 130kg world champion Abu GUDANATOV (UWW) was stunned by Bilal KURBABAGAMAEV (UWW) in thrilling final at 130kg. Gudanatov tried to set up a choke but Kurbabagamaev never gave up position and got two points for a controlling Gudanatov on ground.

As the two remained in the same position, Kurbabagamaev was called passive two times in which he failed to score. However, he still led 2-2 on criteria as he had a bigger scoring action than Gudanatov's sequence of one points.

But in the last minute, Gudanatov was called passive and cautioned one point which gave Kurbabagamaev a clear 3-2 lead in the final which he defended to win the gold medal.

In another thrilling final, Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (UWW) defeated Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA), 5-3, to win the gold medal at 100kg. Mazdhikhanov scored the first two points for control but he was called passive on top which made the score 2-1. But he managed to move into a side mount for three points and lead 5-1.

With only intention of defending his four-point lead, Mazhidkhanov was docked two more points for passivity but he won 5-3 and captured the gold medal.

At 71kg, making his senior debut, 20-year-old Stefanos VAVILIS (GRE) stunned Sandor LAKATOS (HUN), 2-1, in the final and win his first gold medal.

RESULTS

Men's Grappling Gi

71kg
GOLD: Stefanos VAVILIS (GRE) df. Sandor LAKATOS (HUN), 2-1

BRONZE: Said ZAIPULAEV (UWW) df. Kevin MARTIN TINOCO (ESP), 5-2
BRONZE: Zaur AKHMEDOV (UWW) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 2-2

100kg
GOLD: Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (UWW) df. Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA), 5-3

BRONZE: Konstantin LI (KGZ) df. Pavel SLANINA ANTON (ESP), 9-3
BRONZE: Khasan ZAPIROV (UWW) df. Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), 4-1

130kg
GOLD: Bilal KURBABAGAMAEV (UWW) df. Abu GUDANATOV (UWW), 3-2

BRONZE: Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) df. Abraham COBY MARTINEZ (ESP), via submission (6-2)
BRONZE: John HANSEN (USA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), 8-4

Women's Grappling Gi

53kg
GOLD: Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) df. Zuzanna KOWALSKA (POL), via submission (6-1)

BRONZE: Anorbi GRISHINA (UWW) df. Giulia ANGIOLINI (ITA), 7-3
BRONZE: Radomira OSTANINA (UWW) df. Evelina FLORIAK (UKR), 9-1

90kg
GOLD: Tatiana KABANOVA (UWW) 
SILVER: Justyna SITKO (POL)
BRONZE: Alena VLASOVA (UWW)