Pool A: USA, Cuba, Russia, Mongolia
Pool B: Iran, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkey
Each team will compete in three dual meets against the other teams in their pool. The final team placement will be determined by teams with the same placement within their pool competing against each other.
This is the second year that The Forum has hosted the World Cup. Iran won the event handily last year with the aid of not only two standing World champions but a huge and vocal crowd supporting them.
Iran will again be the favorite, but many teams are loaded: both with established and newer talent.
Iran has two World champions in its lineup: Hassan Rahimih (57 kilos) and Reza Yazdani (97 kilos), but two standing Junior World champions are also capable of making noise, Iman Sadeghikoukandeh (61 kilos) and Alireza Karimimachiani (86 kilos).
Russia will continue its tradition of not sending its top wrestlers to this event. Given Russia's history of dominating at the World Championships, including an amazing performance in Tashkent, Uzbekistan this past year (with five gold medalists), it's difficult to question this strategy. Russia will most certainly have some of their stars of tomorrow in Los Angeles, even if they haven't fully developed yet. Last year at the World Cup, Russia's Khetag Tsabolov at 70 kilos didn't look like a world-beater, but cruised to the gold medal in Tashkent. This year, watch out for Israel Kasumov (also at 70 kilos), who won the 2014 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix.
Cuba, a team that didn't compete in the 2014 World Cup, is coming off a strong sixth-place finish at the 2014 World Championships. Shockingly, they did so competing in only four of the eight weight classes. All four athletes won medals in Tashkent but for the World Cup, Cuba will send a full lineup (though they are the only team with no alternates listed on their roster).
USA will send a team with all eight of its No. 1-ranked athletes. This includes Olympic gold medalists Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos) and Jake Varner (97 kilos). Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott (61 kilos) has returned as the No. 1 wrestler at this weight and looks sharp. Two-time bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev (125 kilos) has been remarkably consistent and is capable of sweeping a talented field this weekend.
There will be a high percentage of quality matches throughout all four sessions. The following are some to watch with special interest as the whistle blows:
Session I
86 kilos: Ed Ruth (USA) vs. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba)
Three-time NCAA champ Ruth had moments of greatness in his first World Championships last year, but was unable to medal. He faces the two-time World silver medalist (2013, 2014) Perez in his opening match, which will be a considerable test for him.
97 kilos: Jake Varner (USA) vs. Javier Cortina Lacerra (Cuba)
One would think that the standing Olympic Champ would be a clear favorite in this match, but Lacerra managed a bronze at the last World Championships, while Varner went 1-1 (although Lacerra lost the bronze-medal match, his opponent had his medal sstripped after failing a doping test.)
61 kilos: Iman Sadeghikoukandeh (Iran) vs. Georgi Kaliev (Belarus)
Sadeghikoukandeh looked great in the finals of the 2014 Junior Worlds against American Joey McKenna in a dominating win. Sadeghikoukandeh is a real pushout artist and it will be interesting to see what he is able to do at the senior level this weekend.
125 kilos: Komeil Ghasemi (Iran) vs. Alexi Shemarov (Belarus)
In a deep heavyweight field, a World champ and a two-time medalist will go at it in the opening session.
Session II
70 kilos: Nick Marable (USA) vs. Israel Kasumov (Russia)
Marable looked solid at the World Championships last year, making the quarterfinals. The young Kasumov should give him a good test this year.
57 kilos: Hassan Rahimi (Iran) vs. Sezer Akguel (Turkey)
Rahimi was in the best match of the World Cup last year where he lost in the final seconds to Viktor Lebedev of Russia in a battle of World champions. Rahimi is slick and has amazing counter-offense. He will have his hands full with Akguel, a two-time World medalist.
57 kilos: Yowlys Bonne Rodrigues (Cuba) vs. Erdenebat Bekhbayar (Mongolia)
Rodrigues was a World bronze medalist in 2014, but up a weight at 61 kilos. It will be interesting to see how successful he is making the cut down to 57 kilos.
Erdenebat Bekhbayar of Mongolia defeated Tony Ramos at the 2014 World Championships (Photo/Larry Slater)57 kilos: Tony Ramos (USA) vs. Erdenebat Bekhbayar (Mongolia)
This will be a rematch from the first round of the World Championships last year, won by Erdenbat 7-4. The bout had a number of exciting scrambles and it will be interesting to see what adjustments Ramos has made.
65 kilos: Brent Metcalf (USA) vs. Ganzorig Mandakhnaran (Mongolia)
Metcalf has looked solid in the senior freestyle world circuit, but got injured in the second round of the World Championships last year. He finished undefeated in the World Cup last year, but beat no world medalists. The field at 65 kilos this year will give him a chance to change that.
65 kilos: Haji Aliev (Azerbaijan) or Magomed Muslimov vs. Masoud Esmailpourjouyzbari (Iran) or Sayed Ahmad Mohammadi
Aliev beat Esmailpourjouybari for the gold medal of the 2014 World Championships, but down a weight class at at 61 kilos. However, it's no guarantee that either will be the starter this weekend. Mohammadi is also a World silver medalist, but at the same weight class. Muslimov won the Paris Grand Prix earlier this year, finishing ahead of Esmailpourjouybari, Aliev and Brent Metcalf.
70 kilos: Togrul Asgarov (Azerbaijan) vs. Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran)
Considered one of the best, pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world after winning his Olympic gold medal over the late, great Besik Kudukhov, Togrul Asgarov has competed sporadically with varying success and shot up two weight classes. If he's truly grown into the weight and still fully motivated, he'll be tough to beat. Yarahmadi will punish him if he's not.
Session IV
Jordan Burroughs will certainly provide a lot of entertaining wrestling, but if he's close to one-hundred percent, it's tough to see him having close matches. It's impossible to predict any Session IV matchups, but if a USA-Iran dual meet were to occur, just about the entire dual meet would have bouts to get excited about.
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