From left, Zain Retherford, Jordan Burroughs, David Taylor, Hayden Zillmer (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Another year, another world championship. Even without the inclusion of returning World/Olympic champions Russia, the competition in Belgrade will be excellent with headlining matchups brewing between 2021 Olympic medalists #2 Ravi Kumar (IND) and #3 Thomas Gilman at 57 KG and #1 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) and #2 David Taylor (USA) at 86 KG in a rematch of the world finals won by Yazdani that avenged his Olympic finals loss to Taylor. Day one of the World championships for men's freestyle will see competition from athletes at the 70, 79, 86, and 125 kilogram weight classes. Read below to figure out who are the favorites, who's got the chance to medal, and who are the dark horses that could break through.
70 KG
Title Contenders
Ilyas Bekbulatov (UZB) - 4x 65 KG Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix Champion (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018), 2015 65 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2017 65 KG European champion, 2018 65 KG European championships runner-up, 2020 70 KG Asian champion, 2015 65 KG European Games bronze medalist, 2019 70 KG Dan Kolov champion.
Key Wins: #2 (65) Haji Aliyev (2018 Indian Pro Wrestling League), #7 Anzor Zakuev (2021 Russian Pro League, 2019 70 KG Dan Kolov finals), #6 (74) David Baev (2021 Russian Pro League finals), Soslan Ramonov (2015 65 KG Russian Nationals finals), #7 Cherman Valiev (2017 65 KG Yarygin finals), #3 Viktor Rassadin (2019 70 KG Dan Kolov), Akhmed Chakaev (2018 65 KG Yarygin finals), #19 Zurab Iakobishvili (2017 65 KG European Championships), Magomed Kurbanaliev (2015 65 KG Russian Nationals finals), Brent Metcalf (2013 & 2015 65 KG Yarygin finals).
Key Losses: Togrul Asgarov (2015 65 KG European Games), #11 Ernazar Akmataliev (2021 65 KG Asian OG Qualifier semifinals), Julian Gergenov (2019 65 KG Russian Nationals), #2 (65) Haji Aliyev (2018 65 KG European championships finals)
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