#WrestleBucharest

Sadulaev Slides into Monday Night's Semifinals

Monday, April 8, 2019 - 13:01 By Eric Olanowski

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BUCHAREST, Romania (April 8) - The Russian Federation, led by three-time world and Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV compiled an 8-2 record in the opening round and inserted three of five wrestlers into Monday night’s semifinals.  

Sadualev, the top-ranked wrestler in the world at 97kg, easily picked up wins against his first two opponents, outscoring them, 15-2. “The Russian Tank” shutout Azerbaijan’s returning European bronze medalist Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE) in the opening round, then drilled Germany’s 2017 U23 European bronze medalist Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER), 12-3, to reach the semifinals. 

In the semifinals, the three-time European champion will wrestle Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD). 

In the second 97kg semifinals match, Kaspiisk silver medalist Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) will lace up against Georgia’s 2018 world bronze medalist Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO). 

In addition to Abdularashid Sadualev, Russia’s Muslim SADULAEV and Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV also made the semifinals at 57kg and 79kg respectively. 

The reigning Ivan Yariguin champion, Muslim Sadulaev, scored a pair of close victories en route to his 57kg semifinals run. 

First, Sadulaev scored a 5-2 win over Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), then followed that up with a 4-2 victory over Spain’s Levan METREVELI VARTANOV. He’ll wrestle Romania’s Andrei DUKOV (ROU), who snuck past Italy’s Givi DAVIDOVI, 4-2, for a spot in Monday night’s semifinals.  

The second 57kg semifinal will feature the tournament favorite, reigning world bronze medalist Suleyman ATLI (TUR), and Georgi VANGELOV (BUL). 

At 79kg, Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov, the 2018 Budapest world bronze medalist, blew past Turkey’s Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU in his quarterfinals match and will square off against Ukraine’s Oleksii DOMANYTSKYI. 

The two weight classes that won’t feature a Russian semifinalist are 65kg and 70kg.

At 65kg, three-time world champion Haji ALIYEV (AZE) reached the semifinal after scoring the 5-3 come-from-behind win against Nachyn KUULAR (RUS), who knocked off Olympic champion Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) the round prior. Aliyev will take on Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) for a spot in Tuesday night’s finals. 

The other 65kg semifinal is between Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) and Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR).

At 70kg, there were two world champions who were upset in the opening round. 

Azerbaijan’s Aghahuseyn MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) defeated defending world champion Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS), 4-3, in the quarterfinals, then reached the semifinals with a 12-2 win over Devid SAFARYAN (ARM). He’ll take on Great Britain's Nicolae COJOCARU in tonight’s semifinals. 

Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) was the second wrestler to knock off a world champion in the opening round at 70kg. Gadzhiev, in a rematch of the 2017 world finals, avenged his loss and got the best of Georgia’s Zurabi IAKOBIASHVILI, 7-0. 

He’ll wrestle Mustafa KAYA (TUR) tonight's semifinals which begin at 18:00 (local time). 

RESULTS
57kg
SEMIFINAL - Georgi Valentinov VANGELOV (BUL) vs. Suleyman ATLI (TUR) 
SEMIFINAL - Muslim SADULAEV (RUS) vs. Andrei DUKOV (ROU)

65kg
SEMIFINAL - Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) vs. Haji ALIYEV (AZE) 
SEMIFINAL - Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) vs. Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)

70kg
SEMIFINAL - Mustafa KAYA (TUR) vs. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) 
SEMIFINAL - Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR) vs. Aghahuseyn MUSTAFAYEV (AZE)  

79kg
SEMIFINAL - Andrei KARPACH (BLR) vs. Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE) SEMIFINAL - Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) vs. Oleksii DOMANYTSKYI (UKR)

97kg
SEMIFINAL - Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) vs. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) 
SEMIFINAL - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) vs. Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD)

#UWWAwards

UWW Top Ranked Wrestlers of 2025: Verbina, Komarov, Aoyagi

Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 19:03 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 17) -- United World Wrestling has announced the three Best Ranked Wrestlers in 2025. The three wrestlers earned the most ranking points in the year 2025.

The most ranking points in the year 2025 were earned by world champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) in Greco-Roman as he scored 83,500 points. In Women's Wrestling, world silver medalist Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) was the highest ranked wrestler as she earned 64,200 points.

In Freestyle, world champion Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) earned 76,900 points, the best among all wrestlers.

Verbina: Women's 55kg

Verbina may not have won the gold medal at the World Championships but she had a busy year, wrestling more often than others. That earned her more ranking points than many as she finished at the top of the rankings in Women's Wrestling.

Her first competition was the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in which she finished fifth for just 4,000 points. In the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in Tirana, Albania where she finished with a bronze medal that earned her 5,2000 points. She added 10,000 points for her gold medal at the European Championships. Another gold, at the Budapest Ranking Series, added 8,000 points.

Verbina entered the World Championships with 27,200 points. She jumped ahead of many with 37,000 points for her silver medal at 55kg. Her total went up to 64,200 points, taking her past the likes of world champions Sakura ONISHI (JPN) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN). Both finished 1,200 points less than Verbina.

Komarov: Greco 87kg

Komarov began his season with the Zagreb Open Ranking Series and finished fifth, giving him 9,000 points. A similar result at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series gave him 9,000 points.

A big boost came at the European Championships in which Komarov won a bronze medal at 87kg to earn 11,500 points. In June, another fifth place finish at the Budapest Ranking Series added 9,000 points to his name to take the total to 38,500 points before the World Championships.

In Zagreb at the Worlds, Komarov won the gold medal and earned a stunning 45,000 points to 83,500 points, the most among all wrestlers and 13,780 points more than second most -- Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB).

Aoyagi: Freestyle 70kg

World champion was the top ranked freestyle wrestler with 76,900 points, 9,600 points more than the second place wrestler.

His first competition was the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in which he bagged the gold medal to earn 11,000 points. He then added a bronze medal at the Asian Championships and earned 9,500 points for the same.

The Budapest Ranking Series gold gave him another 11,000 points, taking his total to 31,500 points before the World Championships. He became a world champion in Zagreb and that gold medal was worth 45,000 points, sending his total to 76,500 points.

Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), with 66,900 points, is the second-best wrestler, 9,600 points less than Aoyagi.