Zahid Valencia accepts 86 kg men’s freestyle berth at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management

Reigning World champion Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) has accepted his automatic bid to 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, and will battle for the men’s freestyle 86 kg spot on the 2026 U.S. World Team. Final X is set for Friday, June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Valencia completed one of the most dominant seasons in USA Wrestling history in 2025, culminating with a gold medal at the Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, which automatically qualified him for Final X. It will be his fifth Final X appearance.

The 28-year-old posted an undefeated 24-0 record in 2025, with international gold medal wins at the Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International, Zagreb Open Ranking Series, and Senior Pan American Championships, in addition to his World title. Of his 24 wins, 16 were decided by technical fall, while only 8 went to decision. He combined to outscore his opponents 224-21, with 16 being held scoreless.

At the World Championships, Valencia achieved a remarkable feat by not surrendering a single match point during the tournament. He shut out all five of his international opponents, put up 49 total match points, and ended four matches early by technical fall.

It marked Valencia’s second career Senior World medal, adding to his bronze medal at 92 kg in 2023. He has earned a pair of international medals at 86 kg in 2026, a bronze from the Zagreb Open Ranking Series and a gold from the Dan Kolov – Nikola Petrov International.

Valencia was a two-time NCAA champion for Arizona State and a U20 World silver medalist.

Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team in two-of-three international disciplines—men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. In total, 20 weight classes will be contested, 10 in each discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will wrestle a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the U.S. representative for the 2026 Senior World Championships in Manama, Bahrain.

The Final X opponent for Valencia will be determined on April 25 at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. The men’s freestyle 86 kg champion from the U.S. Open will advance to face Valencia in a best-of-three series at Final X.

Final X will serve as the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit, its 16th to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise critical funds each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party takes place at the conclusion of Final X.

It will be Valencia’s fifth appearance at a BTSNY Annual Benefit event. In 2016, Valencia dropped a 10-1 decision to eventual Senior World bronze medalist and two-time U23 World Champion Mojtaba Goleij of Iran in Times Square. He has participated in three Final X – BTSNY crossover events with a 2-1 series record. He dropped the 2022 series 2-0 to Olympic champion David Taylor, then defeated Michael Macchiavello in 2023 and two-time Olympic medalist Kyle Dake in 2025, both in straight matches.

BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages, which include access to premier seating at Final X, plus the exclusive after-party, are currently available at btsny.org. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org. Donations and BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages directly help BTSNY make a lifelong impact on New York City youth in need.

Event-only tickets for Final X without access to the BTSNY after-party celebration are available on Ticketmaster.

12:30 p.m. (ET) – U.S. National Team true-third matches

2 p.m. (ET) – Session one (Round one)

5 p.m. (ET) – Session two (Rounds two and three, if necessary)

Match order for each session will be provided at a later date

FloWrestling will serve as the host broadcast partner for Final X. Fans can watch the event live or on-demand at FloWrestling.com. Online results for Final X will be available on USA Bracketing.

For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.

65 kg – Real Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

57 kg – Helen Maroulis (Scottsdale, Ariz./Titan Mercury WC)

68 kg – Kennedy Blades (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)

76 kg – Kylie Welker (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa Women’s WC/Titan Mercury WC)