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LIVE BLOG: Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, Day Four

Sunday, March 7, 2021 - 07:27 By United World Wrestling Press

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Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) clinched the much-anticipated bout against Jordan BURROUGHS 3-2 to win the gold medal at 74kg at Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event. Both had dominating runs to the summit clash. Bajrang PUNIA (IND) defended his title against Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) after a close 2-2 win. Zahid VALENCIA (USA) showed his dominance at 86kg as he teched Mark HALL (USA) in the final

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2050 hrs: We have our champions for the day! Great end to a successful tournament in Rome. Thank you for joining us. Until the next tournament! 

2040 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Selim YASAR (TUR) had sealed the gold medal in the morning session but now Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) gets the silver as he beats Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ) 3-3

2035 hrs: Assadov is leading Yaylaci 3-0 at the break in this Round 5 bout. Yaylaci gets point and then a takedown to level it 3-3 in the second period.

2030 hrs: Final two bouts at Matteo Pellcone! PARVEEN (IND) will be the winner on Mat A as Pat DOWNEY (USA) is injured. On the other mat, Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) takes on Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ) in Round 5 bout

2025 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Zahid VALENCIA (USA) is just too much for Mark HALL (USA). He scores a takedown and a gut to win the 86kg gold medal 11-0

2023 hrs: Step out point for Valencia and then he gets a takedown to lead 3-0. He gets another takedown and then an inside head single to make it 7-0

2021 hrs: Huge match on Mat B. Zahid VALENCIA (USA) is wrestling two-time junior world champ at 74kg Mark HALL (USA) at 86kg final

2020 hrs: Bronze medal for Myles MARTIN (USA). He scores a first period technical superiority win over Clayton Steven PYE (CAN)

2015 hrs: Bronze medal bouts at 86kg. Yeskali DAULETKAZY (KAZ) will win the first one as Fatih ERDIN (TUR) is out injured. In the second bout, Myles Najee MARTIN (USA) is wrestling Clayton Steven PYE (CAN)

2010 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ) hangs on for a 6-5 win over David Vincent MC FADDEN (USA) to win the gold medal at 79kg

 

#WrestleRome 79kg FS Medal Match Results:
?Galymzhan USSERBAYEV ??df. David MCFADDEN , 6-5??
?Muhammet KOTANOGLU?? df. Ramazan SARI ??, 6-0

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

 

2003 hrs: Usserbayev gets on the scoring first as he gets a turn. Reversal for McFadden. Exposures for both. Score is 4-3 Usserbayev. He adds takedown and will go to the break leading 6-3

2000 hrs: Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR) wins the gold medal after a 6-0 win over teammate Ramazan Ishak SARI (TUR). Now onto the 79kg final bout. David Vincent MC FADDEN (USA) is up against Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ)

1952 hrs: Bronze medal bout at 79kg. An all-Turkey bout as Ramazan Ishak SARI (TUR) takes on Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR).

1947 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) gets his second win over Jordan BURROUGHS (USA). Chamizo gave up a point for step out but held on to a 3-2 win. Burroughs still leads the head-to-head 4-2

 

#WrestleRome 74kg FS Medal Match Results:
?Frank CHAMIZO ??df. Jordan BURROUGHS ??, 3-2
?Daniyar KAISANOV ?? df. Narsingh YADAV ??, 5-0
?Nurkozha KAIPANOV ?? df. Franklin GOMEZ ??, 8-2

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

 

1945 hrs: Burroughs is warned for passivity again. He gets an inside single but Chamizo pushes him out. 3-1 for Chamizo

1944 hrs: Burroughs starts with a step out to cut it down to 2-1. Both wrestlers still looking for that opening. No one is blinking.

1942 hrs: Chamizo gets a point after Burroughs fails to score in the activity period. He will go into the break with a 2-0 lead

1937 hrs: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) vs Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) at 74kg final. Scramble early on. Chamizo gets to the legs, Burroughs defends and tries to get one for his own. Chamizo gets a stepout in the end

1935 hrs: Bronze medal for Daniyar KAISANOV as he beats Narsingh YADAV (IND) 5-0 while Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) wins 8-2 against Franklin GOMEZ (PUR)

1925 hrs: Two bronze medal bouts at 74kg. Asian champion Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) up against Narsingh YADAV (IND) while Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) wrestling Franklin GOMEZ (PUR)

#WrestleRome 70kg FS Medal Match Results:
?Alec PANTALEO ?? df. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV?? , 4-0
?Vishal KALIRAMANA ?? df. Syrbaz TALGAT ??, 5-1

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

1922 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Alec PANTALEO (USA) gets two wins in a day over Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) to win the gold medal at 70kg. Huge win for USA wrestler. 

1920 hrs: Pantaleo leads 2-0 at the break through a takedown. But soon after the resumption he is put on the shot clock. He scores a big double in the activity to lead 4-0

1915 hrs: Gold medal bout at 70kg. Alec PANTALEO (USA) vs Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ). Pantaleo had a 6-2 win over Niyazbekov earlier in the day

1911 hrs: Bronze medal for Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND). Both wrestlers in a scramble. No points for either. Time runs out. Kazakhstan challenge. Review shows two for Kaliramana. One for the lost challenge. He wins 5-1 against Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ)

1908 hrs: Now Kaliramana is put on the clock. He fails to score as well 1-1 lead Talgat. The referee warns the Kazak for twisting fingers. Kaliramana gets a point. 2-1 lead for him

1902 hrs: Bronze medal bout at 70kg as Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND) takes on Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ). No points scored between the two for the first minute and a half and Talgat is put on the shot clock

 

#WrestleRome 65kg FS Medal Match Results:
?Bajrang BAJRANG ?? df. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR ??, 2-2
?Joseph MC KENNA ?? df. Selim KOZAN ??, 8-2
?Hamza ALACA ??df. Rohit ROHIT ??, 12-10

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

 

1900 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Bajrang PUNIA (IND) keeps the criteria lead to win 2-2 against Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL). He defends his Matteo Pellicone title and remains unbeaten in Ranking Series events. 5th gold for him

1855 hrs: Challenge won! Mongolia lead 1-0. Bajrang is warned for passivity. He cannot score and trails 0-2. He did call for a step out but referee does not agree. Bajrang gets a lucky go behind to lead 2-2 now with 14 seconds remaining.

1853 hrs: Punia and Ochir in a scramble with the Indian trying to get a lace going. But Ochir is strong in defence. He jumps out but referee is calling out of bounds. 1-1 lead Bajrang but Mongolia challenge

1850 hrs: Punia put on the shot clock and he has to score in the next 30 seconds to avoid giving the points to Ochir. He fails to do so. Ochir leads 1-0. Now Ochir is warned for passivity. But he will go into the break leading 1-0

1847 hrs: Final at 65kg. Bajrang PUNIA (IND) is wrestling Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL). It's a rematch from the 2019 World Championships where Punia carved out a close 8-6 win. 

1846 hrs: Bronze medals for Turkey and USA. ROHIT (IND) did get two step out but goes down 10-12 against Hamza ALACA (TUR). Joseph McKEENA wins 8-2 against Selim KOZAN (TUR) 

1844 hrs: Rohit with a push and Alaca lands out of bounds. India asking for two but referee awards one. Challenge from India. Alaca leads 11-8

1842 hrs: Turkey is asking for four and they challenge. It's won and Alaca now leads 8-4 with just under two minutes remaining. Rohit with another shot, he takes a takedown. Alaca also scores from exposure. Reversal for Rohit. 10-7 lead for Alaca

1840 hrs: Step out for Alaca. He makes it 4-4 but Rohit holds the lead on criteria. The Indian misfires a shot and Alaca gets a takedown. 6-4 to him

1835 hrs: Scrambles all around in the McKenna-Kozan bout. Kozan gets two but McKenna gets exposure to lead 7-2. Challenge from Turkey. On Mat A, Rohit leads Alaca 4-3 after a big throw

1832 hrs: To the bronze medal bout at 65kg. Hamza ALACA (TUR) against ROHIT (IND) on Mat A. Selim KOZAN (TUR) against Joseph McKEENA (USA)

1828 hrs: Suleyman ATLI (TUR) is the winner of the other Round 3 bout at 61kg and he will end with a silver medal as Anvar SUVINIITTY (FIN) is out injured

1827 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) wins this grueling Round 3 bout at 61kg 3-2 against Tyler GRAFF (USA). He will end with a gold medal while Graff will go home with a bronze medal 

1824 hrs: Askarov put on the shot clock. He is pushing for an opening but slips on one of his attacks. Graff is quick to go behind and take the lead 2-1. Askarov then shoots for the legs and get the takedown. He leads 3-2

1820 hrs: Askarov will go into the break leading 1-0. Some heated exchange between the two wrestlers on the mat so the judge had to intervene

1818 hrs: Round 3 bout at the 61kg category. World fifth place Tyler GRAFF (USA) is taking on U23 World runner-up Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ). Asakarov with a quick step out to open the scoring

 

#WrestleRome 57kg FS Medal Match Results:
?Nurislam SANAYEV ?? df. Nicholas SURIANO ??, 4-2
?Givi DAVIDOVI ?? df. Ali ABURUMAILA ?? , 10-0

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

 

1817 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) wins the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event after a 4-2 win over Nicholas SURIANO (USA) in the final

1815 hrs: Suriano got a step out but Sanayev with a single leg takedown before increasing his lead to 4-1. Suriano with another step out in the final seconds

1808 hrs: Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA) finishes with a bronze medal after a shutout 10-0 win against Ali M M ABURUMAILA (PLE). Dominating performance that. Now to the final at 57kg between Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) and Nicholas SURIANO (USA)

1800 hrs: Mat A and Mat B will see the medal matches. Wrestling first is Hamza ALACA (TUR) against ROHIT (IND) for the bronze medal at 65kg. On Mat B, Ali M M ABURUMAILA (PLE) is up against local favorite Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA) for the 57kg bronze medal

1745 hrs: 15 minutes away from what promises to an epic session of wrestling. Burroughs leads the head-to-head against Chamizo 4-1. Chamizo had forfeited their last meeting.

1730 hrs: Welcome back! The final session of the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 is about to get underway in Rome. If you missed the morning session, below are the highlights.

1415 hrs: We have our medal bouts set. Some of the most anticipated finals are coming up.

57kg: Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) vs Nicholas SURIANO (USA)
65kg: Bajrang PUNIA (IND) vs Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
70kg: Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) vs Alec PANTALEO (USA)
74kg: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) vs Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)
79kg: David Vincent MC FADDEN (USA) vs Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ)
86kg: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) vs Mark HALLL (USA)

1410 hrs: We have a rematch at 70kg! Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) beats Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) 7-1 and he will wrestle Alec PANTALEO (USA). The US wrestler defeated Niyazabekov 6-2 in the morning session

1355 hrs: Alec PANTALEO storms into the final at 70kg after a tech 10-0 first period win over Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND)

1350 hrs: Mark HALL (USA) with a pin over LEE. He moves into the 86kg final against fellow teammate Zahid VALENCIA (USA)

1345 hrs: Jordan BURROUGS (USA) with a tactical 4-1 win against Narsingh YADAV (IND). We have a CHAMIZO vs BURROUGHS rematch at 74kg final 

1340 hrs: Sanayev wins 14-4 against Aburumaila. Zahid VALENCIA (USA) techs Fatih ERDIN (TUR) 12-2

1338 hrs: Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) is wrestling Ali M M ABURUMAILA (PLE) and is trailing 4-4. Burroughs up 2-0 against Yadav on Mat C. Valencia up 6-2 against Erdin in 86kg semifinal

1336 hrs: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) with an easy 6-0 win over Franklin GOMEZ (PUR). He waits in the 74kg final and will wrestle the winner of Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) vs Narsingh YADAV (IND)

1335 hrs: The 65kg final is set in Rome! Bajrang PUNIA (IND) beats Joseph McKEENA (USA) 6-3 while Tulga Tumur Ochir wins 4-0 against ROHIT (IND). The final is a rematch from 2019 World Championship bronze medal bout at 65kg. Ochir will like to avenge his loss

1330 hrs: Bajrang Punia leads Joseph McKenna 4-2 at the break. Ochir leads Rohit 2-0 while Chamizo is up 4-0 against Gomez

1327 hrs: Early takedown for Punia as he leads 2-0. McKenna fires back with a takedown as well. It's 2-2 McKenna

Ochir with a point for step out against Rohit on Mat C

1325 hrs: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) vs Franklin GOMEZ (PUR) on Mat A. Bajrang PUNIA (IND) vs Joseph McKENNA (USA) on Mat B. ROHIT (IND) vs Tulga Tumur OCHIR (MGL) on Mat C 

1320 hrs: Selim YASAR (TUR) with a takedown in the final 30 seconds to win the bout against Erhab YAYLACI (TUR) 3-3. We are moving into the semifinals now 

1315 hrs: David Vincent McFADDEN (USA) wins the bout 13-7 against compatriot Muhamed Mustafa McBRYDE (USA). One more match before semifinal begin. It's an all-Turkey affair as Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) takes on Selim YASAR (TUR)

1312 hrs: McFadden is too strong for McBryde who tried to go for single but McFadden gets an exposure twice to lead 9-2. Reversal give McBryde one point. Another takedown for McFadden as he extends his lead to 11-3

1308 hrs: McFadden with a step out to extend lead to 5-0. McBryde with a takedown to cut it down to 2-5 at the break

1305 hrs: We will start all the semifinal at the same time so waiting for the David Vincent McFADDEN (USA) and Muhamed Mustafa McBRYDE (USA) bout to be over. McFadden was warned for passivity but he goes behind and scores a takedown and gut for a 4-0 lead

1301 hrs: Another walkover as Pat DOWNEY (USA) does not show up for his bout against Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ). This brings up to a rematch from last year against returning champion Bajrang PUNIA (IND) and Joseph McKENNA (USA) in the 65kg semifinal

1300 hrs: Mat B had two walkovers as Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) and Alec PANTALEO (USA) score win at 57kg and 70kg respectively.

1243 hrs: Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ) with a go behind in the final 8 seconds. Sloppy from a tiring Muhamed Mustafa McBRYDE (USA). Usserbayev win 7-5

1241 hrs: McBryde with a takedown and exposure to make it 5-5 against Usserbayev. The Kazak is looking to run out of breath against the USA wrestler

1240 hrs: Usserbayev put on the shot clock against but he gets a quick duck under and a takedown. He leads 2-1 with two minutes to go

1236 hrs: Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ) is trailing Muhamed Mustafa McBRYDE (USA) 0-1 at the break in their 79kg Round 2 bout

1230 hrs: Alec William PANTALEO (USA) with an upset win over two-time World medalist Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ). The US wrestler was too good for Kazak in the 6-2 win

1218 hrs: Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) is now making his way to Mat B against Alec William PANTALEO (USA) for the 70kg Round 2 match

1215 hrs: That took some time but Atli wins the challenge. He leads 12-6. A big four from Atli. He will win 16-6

1207 hrs: Atli with a pick and he takes a takedown followed by exposure. 10-6 now for Atli. Challenge from Turkey. They are asking for two more points. We have challenges on all three mats for now

1205 hrs: 57kg Round 2 now. Suleyman ATLI (TUR) is on Mat C against Tyler GRAFF (USA). Graff is leading Atli 6-6 on criteria with two minutes to go

1200 hrs: Challenge lost. Mark HALL with a big four and gets the pin! He moves into the semifinal at 86kg

1155 hrs: Mark HALL (USA) and Myles MARTIN (USA) are up on Mat B for their 86kg quarter-final. A big scramble and it's two points each. 3-2 lead for Hall at the break. Challenge from Martin

1142 hrs: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) makes amends to a poor start in his quarter-final and comes back to win 13-8 against Myles AMINE (SMR)

 

Frank CHAMIZO ?? trailed Malik AMINE ??, 6-2, but scored the 13-8 come-from-behind win to move into the #WrestleRome 74kg semifinals.

He'll wrestle the winner of Yakup GOR ?? and Franklin GOMEZ ??. https://t.co/zpwxopXS8d

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

 

1140 hrs: ROHIT (IND) with a clutch performance at 65kg. He gets an exposure to win 9-8 against Behnam Eshagh ESHANPOOR (IRI) and make his way to the semi-final against Tulga Tumur OCHIR (MGL)

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) starts off with a comfortable 5-0 win against Asian champion Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ)

1136 hrs: Myles AMINE (SMR) is making heads turn in Rome. He had a takedown and a gut to lead 4-0 against Frank CHAMIZO (ITA). He has another exposure after Chamizo's reversal. Amine's corner is asking for two exposures. Challenge from Amine

1135 hrs: Burroughs leads 2-0 at the break. On Mat A, World bronze at 61kg, Behnam Eshagh ESHANPOOR (IRI) is trailing 2-7 against India national champion ROHIT (IND)

1132 hrs: Big match on Mat B. 4-time world and Olympic champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) is wrestling 2019 world bronze medalist and Asia champion Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ). A single outside takedown for Burroughs to get things underway

1130 hrs: Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL) with a technical superiority win against Hamza ALACA (TUR). And making it to the semifinal against Bajrang Punia is Joseph McKEENA (USA) after a 7-3 win against David HABAT (SLO)

1125 hrs: Mark HALL (USA), a two-time junior world champion at 74kg, is wrestling on Mat A at 86kg. He is leading 5-0 against Hunter Jeffery LEE (CAN)

1120 hrs: Joseph McKEENA (USA) with a good takedown and lace to lead 7-0 against David HABAT (SLO). The winner will meet Punia is the semifinal at 65kg. On Mat B, Ochir has extended his lead to 4-0 at the break

1118 hrs: Another former cadet world champion from Turkey is on Mat B. Hamza ALACA (TUR) is wrestling Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL), who finished fifth at World Championships is an U23 Asia champion

1117 hrs: Bajrang PUNIA (IND) starts the day with a 7-0 comfortable win against Selim KOZAN (TUR). A single takedown to finish the bout

1115 hrs: Bajrang Punia with a single leg takedown to open a 3-0 lead against Kozan. A snap from the Indian but still cannot score. Kozan now trying to find an opening in Punia's defence. Constant pressure from Punia and Kozan gives up two more with a double leg 

1113 hrs: Punia continues his traditional pressure-wrestling against Kozan, who has been put on the shot clock. No score in the 30-second activity period. Bajrang leads 1-0 at the break

1110 hrs: On Mat B, Bajrang PUNIA (IND) is beginning his 65kg title defence against former cadet World champion and junior world silver Selim KOZAN (TUR)

1108 hrs: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) starts with a win. He defends a shot from Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) and then finishes with a single takedown. 6-0 the final score

1102 hrs: Chamizo leads 2-0 at the break. He gets a single takedown to make it 4-0 in the second period. He is happy to restart

1100 hrs: Local favorite and World Cup silver, three-time Ranking Series event winner Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) is up on Mat C. He is wrestling 70kg World silver Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ). He starts with takedown in the first minute and is up 2-0

1058 hrs: World silver at 65kg Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) is up on Mat C for his 70kg bout against Mustafa KAYA (TUR). The Turkey wrestler doesn't show up so Niyazbekov is the winner

1055 hrs: Galymzhan USSERBAYEV (KAZ) is up 1-0 against David Vincent McFADDEN (USA) at the break at 79kg Round 1 bout

1047 hrs: Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) with a close 3-2 win against Nicholas SURIANO (USA). All of Sanayev's points came after Suriano was cautioned. The US wrestler did complete a takedown with 5 seconds remaining but it was not enough

1045 hrs: World silver medalist at 57kg Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) is up 1-0 at the break against Nicholas SURIANO (USA)

 

Mat B is about to heat up.?

Bout 256: ??Franklin GOMEZ MATOS ??
Bout 257: ????Bajrang BAJRANG ??
Bout 259: ?????Jordan BURROUGHS ??
Bout 260: Olympic ?Selim YASAR??
Bout 261: ??Fatih ERDIN ??
Bout 263: ???Nurislam SANAYEV ??https://t.co/zpwxopXS8d

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 7, 2021

 

1042 hrs: Upset to start day four! U23 World silver Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) with four takedowns against Suleyman ATLI'S (TUR) one takedown and step out to win the Round 1 bout at 61kg 8-3. Yasar and Yaylaci also start with wins.

1030 hrs: Whistles! Freestyle action begins in Rome. On Mat A, Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) vs Patrick James DOWNEY (USA) at 92kg. On Mat B, World silver Suleyman ATLI (TUR) up against age-level World medalist Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) at 61kg. On Mat C, Rio Olympics silver Selim YASAR (TUR) at 86 kg wrestles PRAVEEN (IND) at 92kg.

1015 hrs: Huge day of wrestling action comping up in Rome. We are 15 minutes away from start of men's freestyle wrestling in eight weight categories -- 57kg, 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg, 79kg, 86kg, 92kg 

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Sadulaev caps golden return with 92kg title

Friday, November 1, 2024 - 00:20 By Ken Marantz

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TIRANA, Albania (October 31)--After a long absence from the mat forced by a combination of injuries and extenuating circumstances beyond his control, two-time Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) returned in triumph.

It wasn't at his usual weight class and he has no plans to remain there, but for now the Russian great can be satisfied with adding yet another global gold medal to his formidable collection.

Sadulaev won his sixth world title in a third different weight class when he defeated Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 6-0 in the final at freestyle 92kg on Thursday, the final day of the Non-Olympic Weight Categories in Tirana.

"I can’t express what I feel yet," Sadulaev said. "I am very happy to be back on the top place of the podium of the world championships. This time it was a bit more difficult than the previous ones. There were many things that didn’t depend on me. I am glad."

Meanwhile, up-and-coming Masanosuke ONO (JPN), following up on Japan's success in the lightest weights at the Paris Olympics, completed a dominant run to the 61kg gold, while Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) and Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) ended long waits to return to the medal podium by making it to the top step at 70kg and 79kg, respectively.

Sadulaev, wrestling at 92kg for the first time in his career and down from 97kg for the first time since winning the 86kg gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, put up his usual granite wall of defense, while also showing the combination of speed, power and agility on the attack that sets him apart from his peers.

"I was about 98kg when I started the preparation," Sadulaev said. "The weight cut was not so difficult. I stopped eating flour and sweets, and the weight started to go down. Only the last two kilograms were a bit difficult to cut.

"The only problem was that I had the weigh-ins at 8 a.m. in the morning, then we arrived at the venue and I started wrestling in 30 minutes, I didn’t even have any time to rest. All the matches were just happening one by one with no rest. That’s why I got a bit tired in the semifinal match."

In the final, Sadulaev was on the activity clock in the first period when he scored a takedown, then added a pair of gut wrenches to build a 6-0 lead. From there, he held off everything that Maisuradze threw at him to add to the five world titles he won starting in 2014.

The last time the world saw Sadulaev, he suffered a serious neck injury and was beaten in the semifinals at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade by Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), a former member of Sadulaev's wrestling school in Dagestan now competing for Bahrain who won the gold in Paris.

Sadulaev was declared ineligible to defend his Olympic 97kg title in Paris as part of sanctions on Russia and Belarus, and skipped what would have been his return at this year's European Championships in February due to injury.

"I found out that I will be wrestling at 92kg at the worlds only at the end of September," Sadulaev said. "I talked to the president of the federation. I was preparing to compete at the Olympic Games, but unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to enter, that’s why I decided to give it a try here...One and a half months was enough for me to prepare."

But as he showed over the two days in Tirana, he could be as competitive as ever. He started by handily defeating fellow superstar David TAYLOR (USA) in a classic matchup in the first round, then showed that his fire for success still burned bright within him when he scraped together a 4-point takedown in the final seconds to edge Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) 5-3 in the semifinals.

"It didn’t really matter if I had to wrestle Taylor in the final match or in the qualification round," Sadulaev said. "It would have been more interesting if it was a final match. It would have been very spectacular if we wrestled in the final.

"In the semifinal match, I missed an attack, and in the end, I had to get a last-second score. I think it made the match even more interesting."

Looking ahead, Sadulaev said he will be heading back up to 97kg. "This was the only one time for me wrestling at 92kg. This is not my weight class, I will be back at 97kg again. I just used this opportunity not to lose another year. I had to make history to win the world championships in three different weight classes."

The dynamic Ono, who won the world U20 gold in September, never let up on the gas in storming to a quick 10-0 victory in the 61kg final over Ahmet DUMAN (TUR).

As he did throughout the tournament, Ono transitioned immediately to a gut wrench from a takedown, scoring six quick points before Duman knew what hit him. Ono then used a snap-down to a low ankle for another takedown, then a gut wrench to finish the rout in 1:22.

Ono, who started his golden run with a 10-2 win over Tokyo Olympic and former two-time world champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN), reeled off 12-0, 11-0 and 12-0 victories to advance to the final.

The senior Asian bronze medalist this year at 65kg, he later revealed that an injury had hampered his preparations. "One month ago, I broke my ankle and I couldn't practice at all," Ono said. "The Uguev match was my first live wrestling after the fracture, and I was very unsure how I would do."

For Ono, currently a student at Yamanashi Gakuin University, the school that produced Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), the question is where does he go from here?

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN), who followed Otoguro by winning the 65kg gold in Paris, beat Ono in the final at the 2023 All-Japan Championships during the Olympic qualifying process. Going down to 57kg, where Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) won the Paris gold, seems unlikely.

Wherever he ends up, he will go with confidence. "I don't know if I'll go to 65kg and face him [Kiyooka]," Ono said. "If I do, I'm definitely going to win."

As for celebrating his triumph in Tirana, that will have to wait. "In five days, I have the Japan University championships," he said.

In the 70kg final, Kaipanov scored all of his points in the second period to defeat Asian silver medalist Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) 5-3 and add the gold to the world silver he won in 2019 and become just the second world freestyle champion in Kazakhstan history -- and second in two years.

Kaipanov, a two-time former Asian champion, twice scored 2-point exposures by stopping body-lock throw attempts by Aoyagi, a former teammate of Ono's at Yamanashi Gakuin who was coming off a bronze-medal finish at the World U23 Championships held a week ago in the same venue.

Kaipanov's victory came a year after Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) captured the 92kg title in Belgrade to become their country's first-ever freestyle gold medalist.

Kentchadze, a four-time European bronze medalist whose only previous world medal was a 74kg silver won in 2015, scored six takedowns in a 13-4 victory over 2023 world U23 champion Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) to take the 79kg gold.

Kentchadze, who was fifth at the 74kg at last year's worlds in Belgrade, gave up an opening takedown, but responded by scoring two himself to go ahead. After the second, however, he got stuffed attempting a roll to go behind 4-4, but righted the ship and added two more takedowns before the break to lead 8-4.

In the second period, Kentchadze sandwiched two more takedowns around a stepout to pull away and emerge victorious in the tournament's most crowded weight class with 33 entries.

Taylor claims emotional bronze

Taylor didn't get the gold that he came out of retirement to get in Tirana, but he did show a bit of his old magic in claiming a bronze medal at 92kg with an impressive 6-2 comeback victory over Ghasempour.

"When you're good for so long, you never know when it's time to be done," said an emotional Taylor, the Tokyo Olympic and three-time world champion at 86kg. "I just got an opportunity to go out the way I wanted to."

Ghasempour, the 2021 and 2022 world champion at 92kg, opened the scoring with a takedown while on the activity clock to lead 2-0 at the break. In the second period, Taylor went on the offensive and scored three takedowns against the tough Iranian, the last coming with two seconds left to preserve the victory.

After the match, Taylor remained on the mat for a short while, drinking in the atmosphere and the applause of the crowd. Later, he smile broadly on the medal podium and posed for photo together with Sadulaev.

The 33-year-old had retired after failing to make the U.S. team to the Paris Olympics and took the head coaching job at powerhouse Oklahoma State University. But the chance to face Sadulaev for the first time and possibly add to his gold medal collection was incentive enough to bring him back to the mat. The luck of the draw saw him face Sadulaev in the first round, where he lost 7-0.

"It was a tough decision to wrestle, but I didn't want it to end the way it did in April," Taylor said. "Going into this, I was hyperfocused on wrestling Sadulaev. The game script didn't go as I thought. I should have wrestled [him] like I did [against Ghasempour]. [The bronze-medal match] was a match of redemption. It was a world-final caliber match."

Although they met just that one time, Sadulaev had kind parting words for Taylor. "I want to congratulate Taylor on an amazing career," he said. "He was one of the best wrestlers of the modern time. I wish him good luck. Sooner or later, I will retire as well. But not now."

In the other 92kg bronze-medal match, Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) gave Slovakia a second bronze of the night when he rode a six-point lead to an 8-6 victory over a spirited Benjamin HONIS (ITA), who had been aiming to become Italy's first world medalist not named Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) since 2018.

Vito ARUJAU (USA), denied the chance to defend his world 61kg title by Ono in the semifinals, came away with a bronze medal by taking one of the biggest scalps of his career, beating Ugaev 8-3.

Arujau, shaking off a painful finger injury that caused him to need treatment during the second period, scored four takedowns in toppling the normally 57kg Uguev, who had obvious trouble handling the extra weight.

The other 61kg bronze went to Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL), who came up with a big move to defeat Nuraddin NOVRUZOV (AZE) by fall. Tseveensuren started with a 4-point pancake that Norvuzov reversed for 2, then countered a takedown attempt by locking the Azeri in a cradle and securing the fall at 2:30.

Russian-born Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) ended Tajikistan's 17-wait for a second world medal when he broke open a tight match with a 10-point flurry in the second period to defeat Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) 13-2 in a 70kg bronze-medal match.

Kudiev, a bronze medalist at this year's Antalya Ranking Series at 65kg, followed in the footsteps of another native Russian, Yusup ABDUSALOMOV (TJK), who won a silver at freestyle 84kg in 2007.

European U23 champion Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN), last year's world U23 gold medalist, claimed his first senior world medal with a 10-0 victory in the other 70kg bronze-medal match over Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR). Sheriev scored three takedowns in the second period to end the match with :08 left.

At 79kg, Asian champion Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), who knocked off six-time world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) before losing to Kentchadze in the semifinals, overwhelmed young Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) 10-0 to take home a world medal for the third consecutive year.

Takahashi, the world U23 champion at 74kg a week ago in Tirana, did a remarkable job of making it to the bronze-medal match, having come back from massive deficits in both of his repechage matches just a few hours earlier.

Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK), the 2021 European champion, scored a 2-point exposure on a counter in the second period to edge Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) 2-1 for the other 79kg bronze.

Freestyle Results

61kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Masanosuke ONO (JPN) df. Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) by TF, 10-0, 1:22

BRONZE: Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL) df Nuraddin NOVRUZOV (AZE) by Fall, 2:30 (8-2)
BRONZE: Vito ARUJAU (USA) df. Zavur UGUEV (AIN), 8-3

70kg (25 entries)
GOLD: Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) df. Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 5-3

BRONZE: Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) df. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) by TF, 10-0, 5:52
BRONZE: Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) df. Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) by TF, 13-2, 4:39

79kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN), 13-4

BRONZE: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 3:49
BRONZE: Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 2-1

92kg (29 entries)
GOLD: Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 6-0

BRONZE: David TAYLOR (USA) df. Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI), 6-2
BRONZE: Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) df. Benjamin HONIS (ITA), 8-6