#WrestleIstanbul

Live Blog: Yasar Dogu, Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Ranking Series Day 4

Sunday, February 27, 2022 - 07:26 By United World Wrestling Press

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ISTANBUL, Turkey (February 27) -- The final day of the Yasar Dogu, Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Ranking Series is here. After the Greco-Roman and Women's Freestyle, the men's freestyle will round off the tournament.

Eight weight classes will be in action with five-time world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) highlighting the field. He wrestles at 79kg. Olympic silver medalist Ravi KUMAR (IND) wrestles at 61kg. U23 world champion Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), world champion Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF), Tokyo bronze Bekzod ABDURAKHAMANOV (UZB) are the other names to keep an eye on.

MATCH ORDER | LIVE STREAM

1814: Ravi KUMAR (IND) works Mohammad YAKHKESHI (IRI) so much that he gives up a pin. The Tokyo silver medalist is moving on into the final at 61kg

1810: Almaz SMANBEKO (KGZ) humbles Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR) in front of some loud Kyrgyzstan fans. Big 11-0 win inside two minutes in that 57kg semifinal  

1755: James GREEN (USA) waited for the final 30 seconds to score a takedown and take out Viktor RASSADIN (RWF) in the 70kg semifinal

1730: The 74kg semifinal are set

Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) vs Mohmmad FIROUZPOUR (IRI) 
Pritam PRITAM (IND) vs Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) 

1715: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) was put on the activity clock in the final minute with a score of 1-1 against Ali Bakhtiar SAVADKOUHI (IRI). But a clear singlet grab from Savadkouhi gives the point to Burroughs and the win at 2-1

1625: Bekzod ABDURAKHAMANOV (UZB), debuting at 86kg, began with a win and is now wrestling in the quarterfinals against Tarzan MAISURADZE (GEO). It was 2-1 for the Uzbek wrestler before he scores a takedown on the edge to lead 4-1. A stepout to extend the lead. It's 7-1. Another stepout and he wins 8-1.

1610: Suleyman ATLI (TUR) had it covered with a 5-3 lead and needed to defend 10 seconds. But Mohammad Esmaeil YAKHKESHI (IRI) throws him for four points with 5 seconds remaining and secures the win

1600: The semifinals for the 92kg weight class are set

Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ) vs. Ahmad Yousef BAZRIGHALEH (IRI)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) vs. Guram CHERTKOEV (RWF) 

1545: Viktor RASSDIN (RWF) takes out Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ). After building an 8-0 lead, Rassadin defended all the attacks and hangs on for a 12-7 win.

1445: Are you excited for these 65kg quarterfinals?

Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) vs Ahmet TAS (TUR)
Suleyman ATLI (TUR) vs Mohammad YAKHKESHI (IRI)
Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) vs Akbar KURBANOV (KAZ) 
Nicholas MEGALUDIS (USA) vs Ravi KUMAR (IND) 

1415: Gulamjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) sneaks one out at the end. He beats Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) 3-2.

1345: The crowd here has is on its feet. Ahmet TAS (TUR) gets two body locks to four points and beats Ramiz GAMZATOV (RWF) 11-0. Just a stunning show of power

1330: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) with some more double-leg attacks and Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ) has no answers to them. The USA wrestler wins 10-0 

1315: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) has a tendency to give up early points but then rallies to come back in those bouts. In a similar fashion, he beats Anthony ASHNAULT (USA) 10-3 

1300: Jordan OLIVER (USA) was in the lead but Aliakbar FAZLIKHALILI (IRI) scored two takedowns and moves on with a 4-2 win at 70kg

1235: Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) wins 11-0. But don't move away from Mat C. We have Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) coming up followed by Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)

1225: Joey MCKENNA (USA) now has two big wins to start off. He won his first bout 10-0 and now beats Evan HENDERSON (USA) 16-9 at 65kg.

1200: Junior Asian champion Mohmmad FIROUZPOUR (IRI) with a good start. A technical superiority win over Abdullah J M Th A ABDALKAREEM (KUW).

1145: Tokyo silver medalist Ravi KUMAR (IND) uses his outside single to great effect and scores a 7-0 win over compatriot Mangal KADYAN (IND) at 61kg.

1130: Russian champion Ramiz GAMZATOV (RWF) got a tough challenge from Daniel DESHAZER (USA) but comes out on top 5-1. Great technical wrestling from him 

1115: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) got some double-legs, some stepouts and he a win at 79kg. He moves on to the quarterfinals.

1105: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) has nerves of steel. He was trailing 3-4 with 10 seconds remaining and pulls out a huge takedown at the edge to win 5-3 at 70kg

1050: Cadet world champion Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) with a good win over Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) 10-0. It will be interesting how far Jalolov can go in the tournament at 65kg

1040: Welcome to the final day of the #WrestleIstanbul event. Kicking off proceeding on Mat B is the world champion Zagir Shakhiev (RWF) and Adil OSPANOV (KAZ). Shakhiev with a quick leg lace and leads 6-0. Ospanov with a two and two to make it 4-8. But Shakhiev has bounced back nicely to win 15-5

#WrestleNoviSad

Mesenbrink takes steady steps to win U23 Worlds gold

Saturday, October 25, 2025 - 17:22 By Vinay Siwach

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 25) -- Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) remembers his last year's U23 World Championships campaign. He won a bronze medal, left Tirana a little frustrated and missing his training room in Penn State.

With lessons from that tournament and surrounded by his Penn State teammates and coaches, Mesenbrink made sure he did not return home without a medal. The former U20 world champion became U23 world champion after beating Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2, in the 74kg final.

Mesenbrink was a leg-attack machine in the final and Ozmus did little to defend those, giving up the final in 2:59, just on the stroke of the break.

"It's just about constantly getting better, technically, and emotionally, too," Mesenbrink said. "If I'm just running in there, trying to grab onto his head, he can get in. So just being able to constantly improve. I think that's a strong testament to the people around me and to the coaches that I have and the teammates that I have at Penn State."

Seven wrestler out of the 10 on the United States Freestyle team are part of the same training center -- the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Penn State, which Mesenbrink said made a lot of difference this year.

"It's fun, because last year I came by myself. It was just me at the U23s. So it was fun this year that we had seven out of 10 guys," he said. "Last year, I knew the guys, but it wasn't my teammates, right? Now it's my teammates, the guys that I'm literally in the room with every day. We go over and it's almost like, are we even in Serbia right now? It feels like we're in America, because we got so many guys here."

In Tirana, the American wrestler lost to Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the quarterfinals but bounced back to win the bronze medal. But in Novi Sad on Friday, Mesenbrink faced Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) in the semifinals and came out on top 6-4, with a buzzer beating takedown.

The win boasted Mesenbrink's confidence who was close to make the U.S. senior team for World Championships in Zagreb where Takahashi won gold, but lost to David CARR (USA) domestically.

However, that loss made Mesenbrink think about his aims and how he wants to improve his wrestling on the mat.

"I think the big thing of not making the world team, it was just, I got to get better in those specific areas," he said. "That's the most fun part. I thought this is all this is, is a title. This is gonna be fading so quick. So I thought I'm going to go out there and I'm going to work on the things that I've been working on and I've been working really hard since Final X to get those improvements."

Mobin AZIMI (IRI)Mobin AZIMI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only other final of Freestyle, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) earned the first gold medal for Iran after beating Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3, in the 92kg final. Azimi broken Khaniev down in the final and scored three stepout points to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2

BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. PARVINDER (IND), 8-2
BRONZE: Manuel WAGIN (GER) df. Magomed KHANIEV (AZE), 8-4

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3

BRONZE: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR), 11-1
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-0

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

SF 1: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) df. Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB), 6-1
SF 2: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Aiandai ONDAR (UWW), 7-1

70kg
GOLD: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) vs. Sina KHALILI (IRI)

SF 1: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. PJ DUKE (USA), 14-4
SF 2: Sina KHALILI (IRI) df. Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA), 8-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (UWW), 5-2
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Davud DAUDOV (UWW), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) df. Khabib DAVUDGADZHIEV (UWW), 5-0
SF 2: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Daniel HERRERA (USA), 12-2