CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (October 6) – Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Taha AKGUL (TUR) successfully defended their titles at the world championships in Las Vegas to complete a wire-to-wire run atop the United World Wrestling freestyle rankings.

A third world champion from the 2014 world meet, Haji ALIEV (AZE), also repeated at 61kg to finish the season as the top-ranked featherweight. Aliev slumped to No.13 in the 65kg rankings earlier in the year after mixed results in the heavier weight category.

Two more wrestlers also lived up to their No.1 rankings as Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) wrapped up his third world title at 74kg after slipping to a bronze medal a year ago while Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) made his first trip to the world championships golden at 70kg.

Two silver medalists from the world meet in Tashkent, Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) at 65kg and Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) at 97kg, climbed to the top of their respective weight categories over the summer but had to settle for bronze medals in Las Vegas.

Kyle SNYDER (USA) edged defending champion Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) on criteria in the 97kg final to make the biggest leap to No.1. Synder broke into the rankings at No.15 in August following his triumph at the Pan American Games.

Meanwhile, two wrestlers went from unranked to the championship finals in Las Vegas. Asian Games bronze medalist Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) and 2014 Asian silver medalist PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) each had to settle for silver medals 65kg and 74kg, respectively.

Along with Navruzov and Purevjav, a total of five unranked wrestlers qualified their countries for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by advancing to the bronze medal finals in freestyle. 

Former world champion Michail GANEV (BUL) and European under-23 runner-up Magomedhadshi KHATIEV (AZE) at 86kg as well as JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL) at 125kg waded through repechage for fifth-place finishes – and a room at the Rio 2016 athletes’ village.

The top six wrestlers in each weight category at the world championships were automatically awarded the top six positions in this month’s rankings. The rankings No.7 to No.20 were determined, in part, by a wrestler’s performance in Las Vegas along with results in competition throughout 2015.

Wrestlers in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most notable or most recent result over the last 12 months, and their position in the previous rankings.

57kg – Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) won his first senior-level world title to overcome a disqualification at the European Games in June and claim the No.1 ranking ahead of former world champions Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) and Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS).

1. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – World No.1 (8)
2. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World No.2 (4)
3. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – World No.3 (2)
4. ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) – World No.3 (5)
5. JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) – World No.5 (6)
6. Artas SANAA (KAZ) – World No.5 (11)
7. Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB) – Pan American Games No.1 (3)
8. Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (7)
9. Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) – 2015 Ziolkowski Memorial winner
10. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) – 2015 Ziolkowski No.3 (18)
11. Asadulla LACHINOV (BLR) – World No.7 (not ranked)
12. Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) – Ziolkowski No.3 (15)
13. Anthony RAMOS (USA) – Paris Grand Prix No.1 (17)
14. Amit KUMAR (IND) – World No.13 (nr)
15. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) – European Games No.3 (9)
16. Adama DIATTA (SEN) – All-African Games No.1 (nr)
17. John PINEDA (CAN) – Paris GP No.3 (nr)
18. Makhir AMIRSLANOV (AZE) – Junior World No.1 (nr)
19. KIM Sung-Gwon (KOR) – Spanish GP No.1 (19)
20. Ivan GUIDEA (ROU) – Dan Kolov No.1 (nr)

61kg – Haij ALIEV (AZE) successfully defends his 2014 crown to return to the top of the rankings at this non-Olympic weight category.
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) topped all entries with four wins against a semifinal loss to BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) for a total of 15 classification points. Shuptar’s run included victories over World Cup winner Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI), European Games champion Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) and Asian Games silver medalist Bajrang BAJRANG (IND).

1. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – World No.1 (10)
2. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) – World No.2 (20)
3. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – World No.3 (11)
4. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – World No.3 (8)
5. Masakazu KAMOI (JPN) – World No.5 (9)
6. Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) – World No.5 (15)
7. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) – European Games No.1 (1)
8. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) – European Games No.2 (4)
9. Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) – Medved Prizes No.1 (2)
10. Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) – World Cup No.1 (5)
11. Muenir Recep AKTAS (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (10)
12. Bekhan GOIGEREEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (3)
13. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (7)
14. Dyamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (6)
15. Reece HUMPHREY (USA) – Schultz Memorial No.2 (nr)
16. Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (13)
17. Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) – Jr World No.1 (16)
18. YANG Jae-Hoon (KOR) – World No.10 (nr)
19. Radolsav VELIKOV (BUL) – European Games No.5 (17)
20. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) – Paris GP No.2 (18)

65kg – Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) pinned top-ranked Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) in the semifinals and pulled out a 4-3 win over surprising Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) in the championship final to emerge as Italy’s first-ever freestyle world champion and claim the No.1 ranking.

Navruzov, held off the medals podium since receiving a bronze medal at the the Incheon 2014 Asian Games, outscored four opponents 33-5 through the semifinals where he pinned defending world champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) on his way to a silver medal and No.2 in the rankings.

1. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) – World No.1 (5)
2. Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) – World No.2 (nr)
3. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – World No.3 (1)
4. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) – World No.3 (8)
5. Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) – European Games No.1 (3)
6. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – World No.5 (16)
7. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (7)
8. George BUCUR (ROU) – Ziolkowski No.2 (13)
9. Brent METCALF (USA) – World Cup No.1 (2)
10. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) – World No.9 (nr)
11. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (17)
12. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (2@70)
13. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Medved Prizes No.2 (4)
14. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – Paris GP No.1 (9)
15. Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) – Asia No.1 (11)
16. YEERLANBIEKE Katal (CHN) – Spanish GP No.3 (nr)
17. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – European Games No.3 (6)
18. KIM Ju-Song (PRK) – World No.11 (nr)
19. Haislan GARCIA VERANES (CAN) – Pan Am Games No.3 (nr)
20. Tomotsugu ISHIDA (JPN) – Asia No.2 (14) 

70kg – European Games gold medalist Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) won his third title of the year to secure his position atop this non-Olympic weight category.

1. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) – World No.2 (7)
3. Yakup GOR (TUR) – World No.3 (3)
4. James GREEN (USA) – World No.3 (16)
5. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (12@65)
6. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (9)
7. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – World Cup No.1 (6)
8. Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) – Asia No.1 (4)
9. Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) – European Games No.3 (8)
10. David TLASHADZE (GEO) – European Games No.5
11. Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (11)
12. Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (10)
13. Georgi ZLATOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (15)
14. Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (19)
15. Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (20)
16. Rasul DZUKAEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (nr)
17. Nurlan BEKZHANOV (KAZ) – Kazakhstan Cup No.1 (nr)
18. LING Haiwei (CHN) – Ziolkowski No.5 (nr)
19. Arun KUMAR (IND) – Kazakhstan Cup No.4 (nr)
20. Semyon RADULOV (UKR) – Stepan Sargsyan No.5 (nr)

74kg – European Games gold medalist Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) holds eventual champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) to a 4-3 decision in the semifinals to earn No.2 in the rankings over world silver medalist PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL), who lost by technical fall in the finals.

1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World No.1 (1)
2. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – World No.3 (2)
3. PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) – World No.2 (nr)
4. Narasingh YADAV (IND) – World No.3 (19)
5. Alireza GHASEMI (IRI) – Ziolkowski No.1 (11)
6. Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) – World No.5
7. Livan LOPEZ AZCUY (CUB) – Pan Am Games No.3 (9)
8. Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO) – European Games No.3 (10)
9. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (8)
10. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (13)
11. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – European Games No.2 (7)
12. Krystian BRZOZOWSKI (POL) – Granma Cup No.1 (nr)
13. Denis TSARGUSH (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (3)
14. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (5)
15. Mihaly NAGY (HUN) – World No.8 (nr)
16. Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN) – Ziolkowski No.2 (4)
17. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (6)
18. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (13@70)
19. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) – European U23 No.2 (nr)
20. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – European Games No.3 (16)

86kg – Former world champion Ibragim ALDATOV (UKR), 31, outscored three opponents, 34-2, in three bouts before falling to Asia champion Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) in the semifinals. Aldatov earned a seventh place in first appearance at the world meet since winning it all in 2013.
 
1. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) – World No.1 (1)
2. Selim YASAR (TUR) – World No.2 (10)
3. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) – World No.3 (5)
4. Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO) – World No.3 (11)
5. Magomedhadshi KHATIEV (AZE) – World No.5 (nr)
6. Mikhail GANEV (BUL) – World No.5 (nr)
7. Ibragim ALDATOV (UKR) – World No.7 (nr)
8. Pedro CEBALLOS FUENTES (VEN) – World No.10
9. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – Pan Am Games No.1 (2)
10. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (3)
11. Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) – World Cup No.1 (6)
12. ORGODOL Uitumen (MGL) – Yarygin GP No.2 (nr)
13. Piotr IANULOV (MDA) – European Games No.2 (7)
14. Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN) – Asia No.2 (13)
15. Radoslaw MARCINKIEWICZ (POL) – European Games No.3 (8)
16. Armands ZVIRBULIS (LAT) – World No.9 (nr)
17. Aleksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.2 (9)
18. William HARTH (GER) – Dan Kolov No.1 (nr)
19. Ville HEINO (FIN) – World No.13 (nr)
20. Istvan VEREB (HUN) – European Games No.5 (12)

97kg – Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) rebounded from a loss to eventual champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) with three straight wins in repechage to book his ticket to Rio 2016 with a bronze medal and a No.4 in the rankings.

1. Kyle SNYDER (USA) – World No.1 (15)
2. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – World No.2 (2)
3. Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) – World No.3 (1)
4. Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) – World No.3 (11)
5. Abbas TAHAN (IRI) – World No.5 (13)
6. Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) – European Games No.2 (4)
7. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) – World Cup No.1 (3)
8. Valeri ANDRIITSEV (UKR) – European Games No.3 (5)
9. Radoslaw BARAN (POL) – Ali Aliev No.1 (8)
10. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (10)
11. Ibragim BOLUKBASI (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (17)
12. KIM Jae-Gang (KOR) – Asia No.3 (nr)
13. Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN) – Pan Am Games No.3 (nr)
14. Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) – Olympia No.1 (18)
15. Mohamedhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) – Asia No.1 (9)
16. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (12)
17. Stefan KEHRER (GER) – Ion Corneanu No.1 (19)
18. Arjun Singh GILL (CAN) – Pan Am Games No.2 (nr)
19. Javier CORTINA LACERRA (CUB) – Granma Cup No.3 (6)
20. Imants LAGODSKIS (LAT) – Dan Kolov No.3 (nr)

125kg – Three unranked wrestlers from Asia – JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL), Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) and Nobuyoshi ARAKIDA (JPN) – join the rankings with timely wins in the super heavyweight brackets. Jargalsaikhan qualified Mongolia for Rio 2016 with a 2-1 win over Arakida in repechage.

1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – World No.1 (1)
2. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) – World No.2 (4)
3. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) – World No.3 (3)
4. Beylal MAKHOV (RUS) – World No.3 (6)
5. Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM) – World No.5 (13)
6. JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL) – World No.5 (nr)
7. Parviz HADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (9)
8. Aleksey SHEMAROV (BLR) – European Games No.2 (2)
9. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.1 (10)
10. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Asia No.2 (5)
11. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (7)
12. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) – Medved Prizes No.1 (8)
13. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) – Medved Prizes No.2 (12)
14. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (nr)
15. Nobuyoshi ARAKIDA (JPN) – Mongolian Open No.2 (nr)
16. Soslan GAGLOEV (SVK) – Dan Kolov No.1 (14)
17. Zachery REY (USA) – Pan Am Games No.1 (17)
18. Nick MATUHIN (GER) – Ziolokowski No.3 (18)
19. DENG Zhiwei (CHN) – Asia No.3 (19)
20. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) – Paris GP No.1 (11)