World Championships Bracketology: Men's Freestyle 65 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg and 97 kg
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Photo: Reigning Olympic and World champion Kyle Snyder (United States) puts it all on the line for his third gold on Saturday. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.
Brackets have been released for the final day of men’s freestyle competition at the 2017 World Championships being held at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France.
Weight classes competing tomorrow include 65 kg/143 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 74 kg/163 lbs. and 97 kg/213 lbs.
Each bracket has been broken down into several categories to add extra insight and perspective on what fans can expect during day three of the World Championships.
Complete brackets, as well as a live stream of the event, are available to U.S. residents on Trackwrestling.com.
65 kg/143 lbs.
The favorite: Franklin Gomez Matos (Puerto Rico)
Potential bracket buster: Zain Retherford (United States)
Early matches to watch: Round of 16 – Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) vs. Bajrang Bajrang (India); Round of 32 – Seung-Chul Lee (Korea) vs. Alan Gogaev (Russia); Round of 16 – Adam Batirov (Bahrain) vs. Zain Retherford (United States); Round of 32 – Azamat Nurykau (Belarus) vs. Nikolay Kurtev (Bulgaria)
Strongest quadrant: Quadrant three boasts several top talents in the running for a finals berth. Battling it out in this area will be two-time Military World champion Agahueseyin Mustafaev (Azerbaijan), 2014 Military World champion Lkhamgarmaa Narmandakh (Mongolia), two-time University World medalist Nikolay Kurtev (Bulgaria), 2016 European bronze medalist Azamat Nurykau (Belarus), three-time Olympian Haislan Garcia (Canada), three-time European medalist Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland), 2016 Military World silver medalist Kuk-Gwang Kim (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and two-time Asian bronze medalist Masakazu Kamoi (Japan).
The tough road: Alan Gogaev (Russia) is expected to see a meat grinder of contenders. Up first is 2017 Asian silver medalist Seung-Chul Lee (Korea). His remaining road of potential foes could be two-time Asian medalist Meisam Nasiri (Iran), Zain Retherford (United States) and European bronze medalist Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia).
American outlook: In his first crack at the World Championships, Retherford will open against 2017 European bronze medalist David Habat (Slovenia). His subsequent finals path looks to be past Asian and European medalist Adam Batirov (Bahrain), Gogaev or Nasiri, then Iakobishvili. Retherford has a tough, but navigable path to the finals.
70 kg/154 lbs.
The favorite: Frank Chamizo (Italy)
Potential bracket buster: Yakup Gor (Turkey)
Early matches to watch: Round of 32 – Frank Chamizo (Italy) vs. Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan); Round of 32 – Ilman Mukhtarov (France) vs. Moustafa Hosseinkhani (Iran); Round of 16 – Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia) vs. Akzurek Tanatarov (Kazakhstan)
Strongest quadrant: Look no further than quadrant three. We will see a rematch of the 2015 World finals between Frank Chamizo (Italy) and Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan) in the first round. Chamizo was the World champion in 2015, while Navruzov finished with the silver. Both won bronze medals at the Rio Olympics at 65 kg. Also in the quadrant are two-time World bronze medalist Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia), 2016 World bronze medalist Elaman Dogdurbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Akzurek Tanatarov (Kazakhstan).
The tough road: Given what was just outlined in quadrant three, Chamizo will have his work cut out for him to pick up a second World crown. He starts off with Navruzov, then is looking at potential matches with Dogdurbek Uulu and Ganzorig before hitting someone like Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Russia) or Yakup Gor (Turkey) in the semis.
American outlook: James Green appears to have a great draw to make his first World final. He begins with Pan American silver medalist Nestor Taffur (Colombia) in the round of 16. 2015 U23 European champion Zurabi Erbotsonashvili (Georgia) is a likely quarterfinal opponent, followed by 2016 World bronze medalist Moustafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) in the semis.
74 kg/163 lbs.
The favorite: Jordan Burroughs (United States)
Potential bracket buster: Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)
Early matches to watch: Round of 32 – Yabrail Hasanov (Azerbaijan) vs. Galimzhan Userbaev (Kazakhstan); Round of 32 – Zelimkhan Khadjiev (France) vs. Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran); Round of 32 – Jordan Burroughs (United States) vs. Ali Shabanau (Belarus); Round of 32 – Jumber Kvelashvili (Georgia) vs. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan)
Strongest quadrant: Olympic champion and three-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (United States ) headlines a very deep quadrant three at 74 kg. Also in the running here are 2014 Junior World champion Zelimkhan Khadjiev (France), 2015 Asian champion Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran), two-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanau (Belarus), 2014 World silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) and 2017 European bronze medalist Grigor Grigoryan (Armenia).
The tough road/American outlook: For the first time in his career Burroughs will not be on the same side as a Russian foe at the World Championships. That said, for Burroughs to complete his journey back to the top he will have to oust some serious threats on Saturday. His path to another World final looks something like Shabanau, Takatani, Yarahmadi and 2017 Asian champion Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan). Burroughs does own previous wins over all four of these opponents, and could exact a little revenge should the Abdurakhmanov match matriculate.
97 kg/213 lbs.
The favorite: Kyle Snyder (United States)
Potential bracket buster: Georgi Ketoev (Armenia)
Early matches to watch: Round of 32 – Riza Yildirim (Turkey) vs. Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan); Round of 32 – Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) vs. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba); Round of 32 – Amir Mohammadi (Iran) vs. Aleksandr Hushtyn (Belarus); Round of 16 – Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukrain) vs. Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia)
Strongest quadrant: The trend continues with quadrant three being the toughest of the bunch here at 97 kg. Olympic champion and two-time World champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) takes aim at another gold. Three-time World medalist Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba), two-time World bronze medalist Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukraine) and three-time European medalist Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) are all represented in this quadrant. The Russian Tank will be plenty tested at his new weight class.
The tough road: The road couldn’t be more treacherous than it looks for Odikadze, who slots in at the number three seed. Assuming everyone avoids the upset bug, Odikadze would have to beat Oliinyk, Sadulaev and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan) just to get a crack at Olympic and World champion Kyle Snyder (United States) in the finals.
American outlook: Captain American himself, Snyder is in solid shape to make a return appearance in the World Championships final at 97 kg. He begins against 2016 Olympian and World No. 14 Mamed Ibragimov (Kazakhstan). It’s really a toss-up as to who Snyder will see next. No potential second-round opponent should be worrisome for Snyder. The key bout for Snyder is his semifinal against either three-time Junior World medalist Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan) or 2017 European champion Riza Yildirim (Turkey). Get the semifinal win, and we may be looking at the most anticipated World final ever.
Brackets have been released for the final day of men’s freestyle competition at the 2017 World Championships being held at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France.
Weight classes competing tomorrow include 65 kg/143 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 74 kg/163 lbs. and 97 kg/213 lbs.
Each bracket has been broken down into several categories to add extra insight and perspective on what fans can expect during day three of the World Championships.
Complete brackets, as well as a live stream of the event, are available to U.S. residents on Trackwrestling.com.
65 kg/143 lbs.
The favorite: Franklin Gomez Matos (Puerto Rico)
Potential bracket buster: Zain Retherford (United States)
Early matches to watch: Round of 16 – Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) vs. Bajrang Bajrang (India); Round of 32 – Seung-Chul Lee (Korea) vs. Alan Gogaev (Russia); Round of 16 – Adam Batirov (Bahrain) vs. Zain Retherford (United States); Round of 32 – Azamat Nurykau (Belarus) vs. Nikolay Kurtev (Bulgaria)
Strongest quadrant: Quadrant three boasts several top talents in the running for a finals berth. Battling it out in this area will be two-time Military World champion Agahueseyin Mustafaev (Azerbaijan), 2014 Military World champion Lkhamgarmaa Narmandakh (Mongolia), two-time University World medalist Nikolay Kurtev (Bulgaria), 2016 European bronze medalist Azamat Nurykau (Belarus), three-time Olympian Haislan Garcia (Canada), three-time European medalist Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland), 2016 Military World silver medalist Kuk-Gwang Kim (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and two-time Asian bronze medalist Masakazu Kamoi (Japan).
The tough road: Alan Gogaev (Russia) is expected to see a meat grinder of contenders. Up first is 2017 Asian silver medalist Seung-Chul Lee (Korea). His remaining road of potential foes could be two-time Asian medalist Meisam Nasiri (Iran), Zain Retherford (United States) and European bronze medalist Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia).
American outlook: In his first crack at the World Championships, Retherford will open against 2017 European bronze medalist David Habat (Slovenia). His subsequent finals path looks to be past Asian and European medalist Adam Batirov (Bahrain), Gogaev or Nasiri, then Iakobishvili. Retherford has a tough, but navigable path to the finals.
70 kg/154 lbs.
The favorite: Frank Chamizo (Italy)
Potential bracket buster: Yakup Gor (Turkey)
Early matches to watch: Round of 32 – Frank Chamizo (Italy) vs. Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan); Round of 32 – Ilman Mukhtarov (France) vs. Moustafa Hosseinkhani (Iran); Round of 16 – Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia) vs. Akzurek Tanatarov (Kazakhstan)
Strongest quadrant: Look no further than quadrant three. We will see a rematch of the 2015 World finals between Frank Chamizo (Italy) and Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan) in the first round. Chamizo was the World champion in 2015, while Navruzov finished with the silver. Both won bronze medals at the Rio Olympics at 65 kg. Also in the quadrant are two-time World bronze medalist Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia), 2016 World bronze medalist Elaman Dogdurbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Akzurek Tanatarov (Kazakhstan).
The tough road: Given what was just outlined in quadrant three, Chamizo will have his work cut out for him to pick up a second World crown. He starts off with Navruzov, then is looking at potential matches with Dogdurbek Uulu and Ganzorig before hitting someone like Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Russia) or Yakup Gor (Turkey) in the semis.
American outlook: James Green appears to have a great draw to make his first World final. He begins with Pan American silver medalist Nestor Taffur (Colombia) in the round of 16. 2015 U23 European champion Zurabi Erbotsonashvili (Georgia) is a likely quarterfinal opponent, followed by 2016 World bronze medalist Moustafa Hosseinkhani (Iran) in the semis.
74 kg/163 lbs.
The favorite: Jordan Burroughs (United States)
Potential bracket buster: Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)
Early matches to watch: Round of 32 – Yabrail Hasanov (Azerbaijan) vs. Galimzhan Userbaev (Kazakhstan); Round of 32 – Zelimkhan Khadjiev (France) vs. Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran); Round of 32 – Jordan Burroughs (United States) vs. Ali Shabanau (Belarus); Round of 32 – Jumber Kvelashvili (Georgia) vs. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan)
Strongest quadrant: Olympic champion and three-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (United States ) headlines a very deep quadrant three at 74 kg. Also in the running here are 2014 Junior World champion Zelimkhan Khadjiev (France), 2015 Asian champion Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran), two-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanau (Belarus), 2014 World silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) and 2017 European bronze medalist Grigor Grigoryan (Armenia).
The tough road/American outlook: For the first time in his career Burroughs will not be on the same side as a Russian foe at the World Championships. That said, for Burroughs to complete his journey back to the top he will have to oust some serious threats on Saturday. His path to another World final looks something like Shabanau, Takatani, Yarahmadi and 2017 Asian champion Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan). Burroughs does own previous wins over all four of these opponents, and could exact a little revenge should the Abdurakhmanov match matriculate.
97 kg/213 lbs.
The favorite: Kyle Snyder (United States)
Potential bracket buster: Georgi Ketoev (Armenia)
Early matches to watch: Round of 32 – Riza Yildirim (Turkey) vs. Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan); Round of 32 – Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) vs. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba); Round of 32 – Amir Mohammadi (Iran) vs. Aleksandr Hushtyn (Belarus); Round of 16 – Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukrain) vs. Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia)
Strongest quadrant: The trend continues with quadrant three being the toughest of the bunch here at 97 kg. Olympic champion and two-time World champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) takes aim at another gold. Three-time World medalist Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba), two-time World bronze medalist Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukraine) and three-time European medalist Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) are all represented in this quadrant. The Russian Tank will be plenty tested at his new weight class.
The tough road: The road couldn’t be more treacherous than it looks for Odikadze, who slots in at the number three seed. Assuming everyone avoids the upset bug, Odikadze would have to beat Oliinyk, Sadulaev and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan) just to get a crack at Olympic and World champion Kyle Snyder (United States) in the finals.
American outlook: Captain American himself, Snyder is in solid shape to make a return appearance in the World Championships final at 97 kg. He begins against 2016 Olympian and World No. 14 Mamed Ibragimov (Kazakhstan). It’s really a toss-up as to who Snyder will see next. No potential second-round opponent should be worrisome for Snyder. The key bout for Snyder is his semifinal against either three-time Junior World medalist Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan) or 2017 European champion Riza Yildirim (Turkey). Get the semifinal win, and we may be looking at the most anticipated World final ever.
