World Club Cup

Kashan Wins World Clubs Cup

By Ali Feizasa

The fourth edition of World Clubs Cup finished today in Tehran City, Iran. In a close finals match, Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI) edged Titan Mercury (USA), 6-4. In the third place bout, Setaregan Sari (IRI) downed Khimori (MGL).

Final Match: Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI) df. Titan Mercury (USA), 6-4

57kg- Reza ATARI (IRI / Easy Pipe) df. Thomas GILMAN (USA / Titan), 6-4
Reza ATARI (IRI) started the match with a double leg, taking the 2-0 lead on 2017 world silver medal winner, Thomas GILMAN (USA). The first period ended with Atari in the lead, 2-0. In second period, Gilman picked up four points off of two takedowns, but Atari earned the decisive takedown, winning the match 6-4.

61kg- Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO / Easy Pipe) df. Alan WATERS (USA / Titan), 7-0
Olympic and world champion Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) nearly picked up a fall twice as he gave the Iranian side their second win, defeating Alan WATERS (USA), 7-0.

 

Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) looks to score on a gut wrench in the World Clubs Cup finals.

65kg- Farzad AMOUZAD KHALILI (Easy Pipe) df.  Bernard FUTRELL (Titan), 6-3
Farzad AMOUZAD KHALILI (IRI) collected three points in each period, giving him the victory over FUTRELL, 6-3. Heading into 70kg, Easy Pipe lead Titan Mercury, 3-0.

70kg- Mohammad NADERI (Easy Pipe) df. Franklin GOMEZ (PUR / Titan), 2-2
Mohammad NADERI (IRI), the two-time world champion in beach wrestling bested 2011 world silver medal winner, Franklin GOMEZ (PUR), 2-2. It was Gomez who scored the first two points, but NADERI earned two points in second period, giving him the 2-2 win. This was the fourth straight victory for the Iranian side, Easy Pipe Kashan.

74kg- Nazariy KULCHYTSKYY (USA / Titan) df. Hossein ELYASI (IRI / Easy Pipe), 5-4
KULCHYTSKYY (USA) gave the USA side hope as defeated Hossein ELYASI (IRI), 5-4. KULCHYTSKYY’s two points with seconds left gave Titan Mercury their first victory of the finals.

79kg- Kyle DAKE (USA / Titan) TF. Reza AFZALI (IRI / Easy Pipe), 12-0
Kyle DAKE (USA) showed his dominance, picking up four points at the beginning of the match. Dake’s 12-0 victory gave Titan Mercury their second win of the finals, as they trailed 4-2.

 

Kyle DAKE (USA) in a single leg during the finals of the 2017 World Clubs Cup finals. 

86kg- David TAYLOR (USA / Titan) df. Alireza KARIMI (IRI / Easy Pipe), 3-1
David TAYLOR proved he knows how to beat Iranian stars. After defeating Hassan YAZDANI in the 2017 World Cup, Taylor won the tough match against 2015 world bronze medal winner Alireza KARIMI 3-2. After seven matches, Easy Pipe (IRI) was ahead 4-3.

92kg- Hossein SHAHBAZI (IRI / Easy Pipe) df. Nickolas HEFLIN (USA / Titan), 4-2
2016 junior world champion Hossein SHAHBAZI (IRI) defeated Nickolas HEFLIN(USA), 4-2 to achieve the fifth victory for Easy Pipe.

97kg- Kyle SNYDER (USA / Titan) TF. Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS / Easy Pipe), 11-0
Olympic and world champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) had an important win for Titan Mercury as he defeated Russian Vladislav BAITSAEV by technical superiority, 11-0.  Heading into the heavy weight bout, Titan Mercury trailed by one match. The winning of the 125kg bout would determine the champion of World Clubs Cup.

125kg- Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO / Easy Pipe) df. Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA / Titan), 6-5
The key match of the event came in the heavy weight bout, where 2017 world champion Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) defeated world bronze medal winner, Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA). Petriashvili struggled through a rib injury to pick up the 6-5 win. This victory ensured the championship for Easy Pipe Kashan, defeating Titan Mercury, 6-4.

 

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) seals with the victory for Easy Pipe with a win the World Clubs Cup finals. 

Third Place Match: Setaregan Sari (IRI) df. Khimori (MGL), 9-0
57kg- Nader HAJAGHANIA (Setaregan) df.TSEVEENSUREN Tsogbakrakh (Khimori), 4-3
61kg- Mohammadreza RAMEZANPOUR (Setaregan) df. BATCHULUUN Basaniam (Khimori) by forfeit
65kg- TUMUR OCHIR Tulga (Khimori) df. Hassan MORADGHOLI (Setaregan), 9-5
70kg- Magomed KURBANALIEV (Setaregan) TF. LUTBAYAR Batbayar (Khimori), 10-0
74kg- Magomed Rasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (Setaregan) TF. BOLDKHUU Batsukh (Khimori), 10-0
79kg- Omid HASSANTABAR (Setaregan)TF. Turbold GANBOLD (Khimori), 10-0
86kg- Esmaeil MAHMOUDI df. Gankhuyag GANBATAAR (Khimori) by forfeit
92kg- Abazar ESLAMI (Setaregan) TF. Shogai TUMURBAT MUNGUN (Khimori) , 12-2
97kg- Esmaeil NEJATIAN (Setaregan)df. Batsukh ZORIGTBAATAR (Khimori), 6-2
125kg- Jaber SADEGHZADEH (Setaregan) TF. MUNKHTUR Lkhagvegerel (Khimori), 11-0

Fifth place match: Raindi (GEO) df. India Club (IND), 6-4
Seventh place match: Budapest SC (HUN) df. Bimeh Razi (IRI)- Bimeh Razi didn’t compete.
Ninth place match: BS Brothers (KAZ) df. Montreal (CAN), 6-4
Eleventh place match: Tajik Air (TJK) df. Kelechik (KGZ), 6-4

Semifinal 1: Titan Mercury (USA) df. Khimori (MGL), 9-1
57kg- Thomas GILMAN (Titan) df.TSEVEENSUREN Tsogbakrakh (Khimori), 5-2
61kg- Alan WATERS (Titan) Pinned BATCHULUUN Basaniam (Khimori)
65kg- TUMUR OCHIR Tulga (Khimori) TF. Bernard FUTRELL (Titan), 12-2
70kg- Franklin GOMEZ (Titan) df. LUTBAYAR Batbayar (Khimori), 5-3
74kg- Nazariy KULCHYTSKYY (Titan) df. BOLDKHUU Batsukh (Khimori), 10-2
79kg- Kyle DAKE  (Titan)TF. Turbold GANBOLD (Khimori), 10-0
86kg- David TAYLOR (Titan)Pinned. Gankhuyag GANBATAAR (Khimori)
92kg- Nickolas HEFLIN (Titan)TF. Shogai TUMURBAT MUNGUN (Khimori) , 10-0
97kg- Kyle SNYDER (Titan) TF. Batsukh ZORIGTBAATAR (Khimori), 12-2 
125kg- Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (Titan) TF. MUNKHTUR Lkhagvegerel (Khimori), 10-0

Semifinal 2: Easy Pipe Kashan (IRI) df. Setaregan Sari (IRI), 6-4
57kg- Reza ATARI (Easy Pipe) df. Nader HAJAGHANIA (Setaregan), 11-4
61kg- Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (Easy Pipe) df. Mohammad RAMEZANPOUR (Setaregan), 8-0 (Ramezanpour disqualified for receiving three passive cautions)  
65kg- Haji ALIEV (Setaregan) df. Farzad Amouzad KHALILI (Easy Pipe) , 4-3
70kg- Magomed KURBANALIEV (Setaregan) TF. Mohammad NADERI (Easy Pipe), 12-1
74kg- Hossein ELYASI (Easy Pipe) pinned Magomed Rasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (Setaregan), 2-9
79kg- Omid HASANTABAR (Setaregan) df.  Reza AFZALI (Easy Pipe), 4-3
86kg- Alireza KARIMI (Easy Pipe) df. Esmaeil MAHMOUDI (Setaregan), 5-0
92kg- Hossein SHAHBAZI (Easy Pipe)df. Abazar ESLAMI (Setaregan), 4-3
97kg- Vladislav BAITSAEV (Easy Pipe)df. Esmaeil NEJATIAN (Setaregan), 8-0
125kg- Jaber SADEGHZADEH  (Setaregan) df. Geno PETRIASHVILI (Easy Pipe)by forfeit

 

 

#WrestleBudapest

Ranking Series: Maroulis, Blades lead strong U.S. team to Budapest

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 11) -- Although it will a Ranking Series by name, Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial tournament starting on Thursday in Budapest will serve more than just that for many wrestlers.

For some it will be about the ranking points, for other it is a preparatory tour for the World Championships. The United States is bringing its world team, almost while some others will test this event to select their representatives for the World Championships, to be held in September in Zagreb.

Helen MAROULIS (USA), who has not wrestled since winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, will be leading the team which also has Paris Olympics silver medalist Kennedy BLADES (USA), who continues to shine at 68kg, a weight class she moved from 76kg at the start of the season.

Turkiye, Canada, India, Kazakhstan and a few United World Wrestling wrestlers will light up Budapest from July 17 to 20. Women's Wrestling will be held on 18 and 19. 

A few other individual stars will be making an appearance, namely, Irina RINGACI (MDA), Grace BULLEN (NOR), Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ).

Here's a breakdown of all 10 weight classes for Women' Wrestling in Budapest:

For Maroulis, who booked her World Championships spot on the U.S. team in June, the Budapest Ranking Series will pose a challenge as she returns to the mat. Having dominated the 'Final X' competition in the U.S., Maroulis will now look to show her dominance at the international stage. The U.S. has also entered Amanda MARTINEZ (USA) to the competition at 57kg.

Tokyo silver medalist and former European champion Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) and 2025 European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) look to be the toughest challenge for Maroulis in the bracket. 

India's world U17 champion and world U20 medalist NEHA (IND) has made a few headlines by winning the Mongolian Open Ranking Series and followed that up with a gold medal at Yasar Dogu. Budapest will be a stern test for the youngster.

European silver medalist Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) is also in the mix to get Ranking points and get a seed for the World Championships.

Blades should run through the 68kg bracket in Budapest. She has the likes of world champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) and European champion Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW) in the draw but Blades is a level above the field entered for the competition.

Blades won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in February and also her first Pan-Am title in May. She is currently 12th in the rankings but has a chance to jump as high as sixth with a gold medal.

Tosun won a bronze medal at the European Championships in her first competition since the Paris Games and looked in good form, something she would love to carry to Budapest as well. An appearance in the final and she can well become the top ranked wrestler at 68kg.

Shevchenko made a great impression by winning the European gold in a tough bracket and has a consolidate on that win with a good show in Budapest.

Other names include Kendra DACHER (FRA), Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ) and Brooklyn HAYS (USA).

Dymond GUILFORD (USA)Both Dymond GUILFORD (USA) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) are entered at 76kg which could give us a rematch of Tirana final from February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 76kg, a rematch of the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series final is on the cards as both Medet Kyzy and Dymond GUILFORD (USA) are entered. Guilford managed to beat Medet Kyzy in the final in Tirana but Medet Kyzy has since won the Asian Championships and Yasar Dogu golds.

Two young stars in the bracket include PRIYA (IND) and Elmira YASIN (TUR), both have multiple age-group continental and world medals. Former Asian champion Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) is also entered.

The 62kg and 65kg weight classes can throw some interesting match-ups, especially with Bullen and Rigaci continuing their season at 65kg. Bullen is a regular 62kg while Ringaci was at 68kg at Olympics and World Championships.

Ringaci and Bullen met in the 65kg final of the European Championships this year and the latter managed to beat Ringaci to capture the gold medal. Both can meet again in Budapest.

World bronze medalist Macey KILTY (USA), who will be in Zagreb for the U.S., will look to win gold and throw her hat in the ring as a contender for world title in Zagreb.

Dudova, Ana GODINEZ (CAN), MANISHA (IND), Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA), Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) and Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) are some of the names that highlight 62kg.

Dudova won bronze at the European Championships while Godinez won the Pan-Am gold in May. Manisha was the Asian champion in April but lost at the Mongolian Open in June and will be keen on returning to winning ways.

Kolawale is the African champion while Nwachukwu won the 'Final X' and will be in Zagreb for the World Championships. Kasabieva has blown hot and cold so far, but had good wins at the Mongolian Open to build some momentum in the season.

Tandelova, the youngster with medals at Zagreb Open and European U23s, finished fifth at the senior Europeans but has the potential to be on the podium in Budapest.

At 53kg, world and Asian bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) will start as the favorite in the bracket, especially after her domination at the Mongolian Open. She won gold in Mongolia without giving up a point in four bouts.

European medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), Felicity TAYLOR (USA) and Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW) will look to finish on the podium as well.

In what will be one of the biggest brackets in Budapest, the 50kg will see European silver medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), Mongolia Open winner Natalia PUDOVA (UWW), European bronze medalist Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW), multiple world age-group medalist Audrey JIMENEZ (USA), Madison PARKS (CAN), Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA) among others.

Pudova and Demirhan put on a stunning 50kg final in Ulaanbaatar which the former managed to win 7-6 despite comebacks from Demirhan. A medal in Budapest will put Pudova as one of the contenders for a podium-finish in Zagreb.

Pan-Am champion Karla GODINEZ (CAN), European champion Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) and the U.S. rep for Zagreb Worlds Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) and Turkiye's young sensation Tuba DEMIR (TUR) will be the key names at 55kg.

At 59kg, world bronze medalist Othelie HOEIE (NOR) will look to win her first Ranking Series medal but has a tough road to medal bouts. She will have Elena BRUGGER (GER), Erika BOGNAR (HUN), Bediha GUN (TUR), Abigail NETTE (USA) and Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW) in the same bracket.

Gun suffered a heartbreaking loss in the European finals but won Yasar Dogu tournament and will likely finish on podium in Budapest. Nette and Sidelnikova are strong contenders for a place in the final.

Three-time world silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) should have an easy path to 72kg gold unless Alexandria GLAUDE (USA) or HARSHITA (IND) spring a surprise to deny her.