#WrestleGuatemala

#WrestleGuatemala Weight-to-Watch: 74kg

Thursday, May 20, 2021 - 00:55 By Eric Olanowski

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (May 18) – Two-time world champion Kyle DAKE (USA) and three-time Olympian Franklin GOMEZ (PUR) headline the seven-man 74kg bracket at next week’s Pan-American Championships (May 27-30). 

Last month, Dake defeated Olympic champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) two matches to none in the finals of the United States Olympic Trials and solidified himself as The Stars and Stripes’ representative for the Pan-American Championships and the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

Dake, who won back-to-back world titles at 79kg, will be competing at the continental championships for the first time in his career and is on a mission to keep his 40-month win streak alive. ‘Kid Dynamite’ will be lacing up his boots at 74kg for a third consecutive international competition beginning his run to August’s Tokyo Games.

In his previous two showings, Dake went undefeated and claimed golds at the ’21 Henri Deglane and the ’20 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event. 

Undoubtedly, Dake’s toughest competition will be Puerto Rico’s ’11 world finalist Franklin Gomez. The four-time Pan-Am medalist and returning silver-medal winner is on a quest to reach the top of the continental podium for the first time in over a decade. Despite winning medals in three of his last four continental appearances, the Puerto Rican has fallen short of winning gold since his first continental appearance back in ’11. 

The Pan-American Championships will be Gomez’s second competition back since the COVID layoff. He competed in Rome’s Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event earlier this year where he won a pair of matches – including a 6-4 win over Rio Olympic bronze medalist Yakup GOR (TUR) – but fell to two-time world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) and ’19 world silver medalist Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) and settled for fifth place. 

Wrestling at the Pan-American Championships kicks off on May 27 and can be followed live on www.uww.org.  

74kg Pan-American Entries 
Renato Patricio DA SILVA (BRA) 
Jasmit Singh PHULKA (CAN) 
Hossman Eduardo CARVAJAL ROJAS (COL) 
Malhcon Alizon PINEDA CUNIL  (GUA) 
Victor Eduardo HERNANDEZ LUNA (MEX) 
Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) 
Kyle DAKE (USA) 

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Returns to World Championships After Beating Azarpira

Friday, June 19, 2026 - 11:56 By Vinay Siwach

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KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his World Championships debut at 70kg in 2015. The Olympic champion will be at 97kg for his eighth World Championships, 11 years later.

Yazdani, a three-time world champion, booked his spot on Iran's team for the 2026 World Championships after beating world silver medalist Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) in two straight matches in Kemran on Friday.

Azarpira needed to win only one bout to earn his spot as he was a returning world medalist but Yazdani secured two wins, 4-2 and 5-3, to end Azarpira's hopes. 

According to selection criteria set by Iran, a returning world medalist needed to win only one bout while the opponent needed two straight wins to claim the spot.

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), blue, shakes hands with Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) after beating him in the second bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In the first bout, Yazdani scored three stepouts and a point for passivity while Azarpira managed a takedown to the lead but he could not find another takedown or two one-point scoring actions needed to win.

An hour later, the two wrestlers returned for their second bout. Azapira, needed just a win to secure his place, led 3-3 on criteria in the second period. After Yazdani led 3-0, Azarpira fired back a takedown and stepout to earn the criteria.

In the final minute, Azarpira pressured Yazdani towards the zone and just went it seemed that he has scored a stepout, Yazdani circled back and scored a takedown to take a 5-3 lead. A shocked Azarpira protested the decision but he had no challenge left as he had used and lost the challenge in the first period.

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) tries to score on Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) during the 97kg bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Yazdani, with all his experience, managed to hold on to his two point lead and confirm that he will return to the World Championships three years later. The Iranian will be chasing his eighth medal as he already has medals from every edition he has participated in.

The 31-year-old began with a silver medal at 70kg in 2015, won gold at 86kg in 2017, 2019 and 2021, and won bronze in 2018. At the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, he finished silver medals, losing those finals to David TAYLOR (USA).

This, however, won't be Yazdani's debut at 97kg. He wrestled at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in February and reached the final before Stephen BUCHANAN (USA) defeated him, 13-3.

Yazdani's next challenge will be to win a medal at the October 24-November 1 World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 97kg weight class will most likely have returning world champion Kyle SNYDER (USA), Paris Olympic champion and world bronze medalist Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) and world bronze medalist Arash YOSHIDA (JPN).

Former Olympic and world champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) will also be in the mix if he makes the Russian team. Olympic silver medalist Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), former world champion Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), will also be challenging for the three-time Olympic medalist Iranian.

Yazdani, Firouzpour Win

Two other weight classes, 74kg and 97kg, were also contested to confirm the Iran Freestyle team for the World Championships.

Former world silver medalist Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) defeated Yones EMAMI (IRI) in two straight bouts to clinch the spot at 74kg, a weight class that Emami has ruled in Iran for quite a few years now.

In two high-scoring bouts, Yazdani won 10-6 and 11-7, mostly using his counters in the zone to book his spot.

At 92kg, world bronze medalist Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) defeated Mobin AZIMI (IRI), 2-1, in the second bout of the series to claim the spot. As he was the returning world medalist, Firouzpour needed only one win to qualify.

Azimi won the first bout 2-2 on criteria, scoring a late stepout after three points were awarded for passivity. However, there was no such comeback in the second bout as Firouzpour kept his lead.

On Tuesday, a wrestle-off was held in Greco-Roman in which Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) defeated world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), 5-1, at 130kg to secure his spot for the World Championships.

Iran's Freestyle Team for 2026 World Championships

57kg: Milad VALIZADEH (IRI)
61kg: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI)
65kg: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)
70kg: Sina KHALILI (IRI)
74kg: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI)
79kg: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI)
86kg: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
92kg: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)
97kg: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)
125kg: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)