#RankingSeries

Matteo Pellicone Postponed, 2022 Calendar Finalized

Thursday, January 20, 2022 - 10:05 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 20) – The United World Wrestling postponed the Matteo Pellicone and announced Almaty and Tunis as the host sites for the remaining pair of '22 Ranking Series events Thursday.

Despite the efforts of the Italian Wrestling Federation to host Rome's Matteo Pellicone on the previously scheduled dates of February 4-7, the latest restrictions due to the Omicron variant proved to be a roadblock in hosting the event.

The tournament will now be held June 22-25 in Rome, Italy preceding the U20 European Championships, which begin June 27 at the Pala Pellicone.

In the same meeting, the Bureau finalized the '22 Ranking Series calendar. In their continued efforts to spread the Ranking Series events worldwide, United World Wrestling selected Africa and Asia as host continents for the remaining pair of 2022 events.

Apart from the season opener Ranking event – the Yasar Dogu – in Istanbul, Turkey (February 24-27), the second event will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan (June 2-5). The Matteo Pellicone will be the third event (June 22-25), with Tunis, Tunisia being the final Ranking Series stop of the season (July 14-17).

Matteo PelliconeThe Matteo Pellicone Ranking event will now be held on June 22-25 in Rome, Italy. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Ranking Series Calendar 2022:

1st Ranking Series: February 24-27, Istanbul (TUR)
2nd Ranking Series: June 2-5, Almaty (KAZ)
3rd Ranking Series: June 22-25, Rome (ITA)
4th Ranking Series: July 14-17, Tunis (TUN)

"We really think that these adjustments will benefit the sport and for the competitions organized every year," UWW President Nenad LALOVIC said while announcing the changes. "Points will be allocated to the wrestlers, depending on their rank at these events. At the end of the year, the athletes who will have the highest number of points will become the best wrestlers of the year."

Updated Ranking System

Throughout '21, UWW has worked tirelessly to find improvements in the competition system. As a result, the Technical Commission and Bureau Members analyzed the current system and several other topics.

One of the most significant changes made by the Bureau was the approval of the updates to the current competition's ranking and seeding system.

UWW decided to add the XIX Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria (June 27-30) as a trial event to award ranking points to wrestlers participating in the Games. Other Regional Games could potentially be added to the Ranking system on a case-by-case basis. However, the final ranking points will only be awarded based on results in four out of the five events for the athletes who compete in Regional Games. The Olympics, Senior World and Continental Championships points remain unaffected.

The following competitions will determine the ranking of a wrestler:

Ranking Series (international tournaments selected by UWW)
Senior Continental Championships
Senior World Championships or Olympic Games
XIX Mediterranean Games (eligible wrestlers)

"We encourage all your athletes to compete during these events," Lalovic said. "The [ranking] points will serve them when we establish the seeds for the Senior Continental and World Championships."

The new rankings have been updated on uww.org, with wrestlers holding points from the Tokyo Olympic Games and Oslo World Championships.

Another significant decision was changing the number of seeds at different competitions. As a result, the Bureau approved to have eight seeds for the Senior World Championships and the Olympic Games instead of the previous four.

Similarly, the number of seeded wrestlers at the '22 Senior Continental Championships will now be four instead of two. The seeds will be determined by the Ranking Series events organized before the aforementioned competitions but also by taking into account the points earned at the 2021 Senior World Championships and the Tokyo Olympic Games.

World CupThe 2018 freestyle World Cup was hosted by the USA in Iowa City. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

USA, Azerbaijan to host '22 World Cups

In a first, UWW will host a combined Freestyle and Women's Wrestling World Cup in Iowa, USA.

Iowa will host the combined World Cup for two consecutive years – 2022 and 2023 – marking a new beginning in the wrestling calendar. This will also be the second time Iowa has hosted the Freestyle World Cup. The legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa hosted the '18 World Cup.

After a four-year absence, wrestling will return to Baku, as the Bureau provisionally approved the Azerbaijan capital to host the Greco-Roman World Cup pending a venue inspection visit. The tournament will be held on November 5-6.

Rounding off the calendar was the selection of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as the host city for the Senior Asian Championships (April 19 to 24).

#WrestleTirana

Muhamet Malo 2025 Ranking Series Day 2 Recap

Thursday, February 27, 2025 - 10:32 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 27) -- Muhamet Malo 2025 Ranking Series day two is underway with the four Freestyle and two Women's Wrestling weight classes. Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI), Kyle SNYDER (USA), Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) and Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) in action.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 RESULTS

15:40: Paris Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) is into the 125kg final after a 3-0 win over Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR). Zare was given two points for inactivity from Buyukcingil and he scored a stepout late in the match to make it 3-0. He will face Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW) in the final who defeated Paris Olympic 97kg silver medalist Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) 7-4 in the other semifinal. The finals begin 18:00.

Who is Arash Yoshida who beat Kyle Snyder?

15:25: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) has done it! He beats Kyle SNYDER (USA) in the semifinals at 97kg. Yoshida, who seems small for 97kg, was in all sorts of trouble for five minutes and 30 seconds of the match. The match saw Snyder score a takedown on the edge and as Yoshida was trying to sneak out of the hold, Snyder scored a pushout, all while Yoshida was on activity time. Snyder led 4-0 before giving up a stepout. Both wrestler continued the pressure in the second period but Snyder's strength and positioning didn't let Yoshida get his on his attacks. However, Yoshida managed to get a cut-back and a turn to lead 5-5 on criteria with 30 seconds on the clock. Despite Snyder's efforts, Yoshida managed to remain in contact and not get scored on. A stunning win for the Yoshida.

Yoshida, whose father is Iranian married to a Japanese national, will face Erfan ALIZADEH MALAFEH (IRI) in the final after he defeated Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK), 3-2, in the other semifinal.

15:10: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) just gut-wrenched Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) in the 92kg semifinal to win it in a minute and 41 seconds. He will face Alan BAGAEV (UWW) in the final after he defeated Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA). Bagaev came out with a arm throw for four and transitioned into a lace for two turns to lead 8-0. No points scored in the second period as Bagaev moved into the final

15:00: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) is into the 79kg final with a very controlled win over Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN). He scored a takedown, two setpouts and got another point for caution while Saipudinov scored one takedown and got one point for fleeing from Gamkrelidze. His opponent will be Gadzhimurad ALIKHMAEV (UWW), who got a walkover after Evan WICK (USA) pulled out injured.

14:50: Haruna MARUYAMA (JPN) with a 10-0 technical superiority win over Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR). No much to show from Khomenets and she gets rolled over as Maruyama uses a trap-arm gut. She will face Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) in the final after she defeated Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) with a takedown in the last 30 seconds.

14:40: Umi ITO (JPN) gets done with her semifinals at 50kg with a fall over Katie DUTCHAK (CAN). Arm-barred her for the win in a minute and seven seconds. In the second semifinal, Oksana LIVACH (UKR) gets a good win over Erin GOLSTON (USA). After leading 5-0 at the break, Livach scored one more takedown to win 7-0

Semifinals will begin at 14:30

14:15: Kyle SNYDER (USA) with another controlled win over Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (UWW). He kept his distance after leading 3-0 and won to advance to the 97kg semifinals. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) also advances with a big 11-1 win over Dato PIRUZASHVILI (GEO)

14:00: When in full flow, Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) is a delight to watch. He gets four takedowns in his 8-0 win over Mirani MAISURADZE (GEO) at 92kg. Effortless from Ghasempour.

13:55: Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) with a takedown with seven seconds left on the clock to beat Boris MAKOEV (SVK) at 92kg. Makoev with a meek surrender. Akturk was leading 4-1 but Makoev scored a takedown to cut it to 4-3. Akturk then added a stepout to make it 5-0 with 38 seconds left. With 17 seconds on the clock, Makoev with a takedown to lead 5-5 on criteria but seemed to have been caught off guard by Akturk's quick attack from center and the Turk gets the takedown and the win.

13:45: Umi ITO (JPN) gets to work as soon as she is on the mat but she doesn't get a clean win here against Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW). Two takedowns, a double-leg fireman carry gave Ito an 8-0 lead but Sokolova surprised her with a headlock for four. Ito survived the fall to get a reversal and another takedown later she led 11-4 at the break.

She scores a four-pointer with a cut-back but gives up a reversal. The 15-5 score gives her the win but Sokolova challenges, asking for two points for the cut-back. The challenge is lost and Ito wins 16-5

13:30: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) with a clutch takedown and defense to beat MEIDUOLAJI (CHN), 6-5, at 50kg and advance to the semifinals. Meidoulaji led 5-4 and looked like she would defend her lead with ease but Livach managed to get a takedown in the second period to win.

13:20: At 55kg, Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) with a fall over Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW). Khoroshavtseva was leading only 1-0 at the break but changed levels in the second to lead 8-0 before getting the fall.

13:15: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) manages to get the job done against Karla GODINEZ (CAN) at 55kg. Not much action in the match but Murayama wins 2-0 to advance to the semifinals.

13:00: Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) with a first-period 10-0 technical superiority over Irena BINKOVA (BUL) at 55kg. Khomenets will most likely face Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) next

12:50: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI), first time on mat since winning silver medal at the Paris Olympics, looks in good form. While he did not go on a rampage, he was content with a 7-0 win over Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) at 125kg.

12:35: 2023 Asian champion Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), wrestling at his first Ranking Series, begins with a fall. He made it 10-0 before pinning Gurgen SIMONYAN (ARM). A mix of Iranian underhooks and Japanese speed there. Read more about Arash Yoshida here

12:20: Kyle SNYDER (USA) is a machine! He was down 2-0 at the break but finds a way to break through in the second period to beat Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) 3-2 at 97kg. Huge win for Snyder. Goleij was up 1-0 and then added a stepout to start the second period. Snyder kept his calm and got a takedown by elevating Goleij off the mat to lead 2-2 on criteria with two minutes and 10 seconds remaining. Snyder kept himself away from Goleij for the remaining time but Goleij forced an opening and got a single leg attack going. However, he landed Snyder in the zone and forced a pushout. The referees scored it grounded with no points. That was with nine seconds remaining. Iran challenged after restart but there was no change in decision and Snyder led 3-2. Goleij had four seconds to score a takedown for the win but that never happened.

12:10: Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) with a great start at 92kg. Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) tried matching the ties but Akturk too good for him and wins 8-1 to advance at 92kg.

11:45: Umi ITO (JPN) at 50kg starts with a first period technical superiority win over Aida KERYMOVA (UKR). Ito was in Tirana for the U23 World Championships last year but was pinned to suffer her first-ever international loss.

11:30: Day two of the Muhamet Malo 2025 Ranking Series and we start at 11:30 as the number of bouts are lesser than Wednesday. Some big names competing today.