U.S. men’s freestyle team receives draw for 2026 Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial
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by Zack Chavez, USA Wrestling
Ridge Lovett steps onto the mats at the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Brackets are set for seven U.S. men’s freestyle wrestlers competing at the 2026 Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial in Budapest, Hungary. Men’s freestyle action begins July 15 at BOK Hall, with qualification rounds at 10:30 a.m. local time.
Headlining the U.S. men’s freestyle lineup are 2024 Olympian and 2023 World bronze medalist Mason Parris (125 kg) and three-time U23 World medalist Jacob Cardenas (97 kg). Ridge Lovett is entered at 70 kg after a runner-up finish at Final X last month and a gold medal at the Senior Pan American Championships in May.
Parris is joined at 125 kg by Demetrius Thomas in a 17-man bracket. Both open in the quarterfinals on opposite sides of the bracket. Parris’ path includes two age-group World medalists and requires three wins to reach the finals. Thomas draws a side featuring three 2025 Senior World medalists: Azerbaijan’s silver medalist Giorgi Meshvildishvili, Poland’s bronze medalist Robert Baran and Bahrain’s bronze medalist Shamil Sharipov. Meshvildishvili and Baran meet in the opening round, with the winner facing Thomas in the quarterfinals.
Cardenas enters the 97 kg bracket after competing at 92 kg in two international tournaments earlier this year. He is one of 10 athletes in the qualification round of a 21-man bracket. Also jumping to 97 kg is Azerbaijan’s 2025 World bronze medalist Osman Nurmagomedov.
Lovett is the lone wrestler with a first-round bye in the 70 kg bracket and needs three wins to reach the finals. He is joined in the field by a two-time age-group World champion, Kanan Heybatov of Azerbaijan, and 2024 Senior World silver medalist Ahmet Duman of Turkey.
Will Lewan and Dustin Plott return to international competition after United World Wrestling Ranking Series appearances earlier in 2026. Lewan (74 kg) makes his second Ranking Series appearance of the year after placing seventh at the Muhamet Malo. Plott, a bronze medalist at the Zagreb Open and a 10th-place finisher at the Muhamet Malo, will make his third Ranking Series appearance of 2026 at 92 kg.
Beau Bartlett is entered in the 65 kg bracket and will look to build on his third-place finish at the Yasar Dogu, Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan in January.
Men’s freestyle competition will be contested on Wednesday and Thursday, with action beginning at 10:30 a.m. local time/4:30 a.m. ET. Lovett, Bartlett and Lewan will compete on Wednesday, while the remaining four U.S. wrestlers will contest their brackets on Thursday.
The 2026 Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial Ranking Series also features women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. The women’s freestyle draws will be announced on Wednesday, followed by Greco-Roman on Thursday.
The full schedule for the 2026 Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial Ranking Series is listed below.
A live stream of the Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial will be available to the U.S. audience through FloWrestling. Brackets and updated results will be hosted on UWW Arena.
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds
12:30 p.m. – Semifinals
1:30 p.m. – Repechages
5:00 p.m. – Opening ceremony
6:00 p.m. – Medal matches
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds
12:30 p.m. – Semifinals
1:30 p.m. – Repechages
6:00 p.m. – Medal matches
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds
12:30 p.m. – Semifinals
1:30 p.m. – Repechages
6:00 p.m. – Medal matches
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds
1:30 p.m. – Semifinals
2:30 p.m. – Repechages
6:00 p.m. – Medal matches
10:30 a.m. – Qualification rounds
1:30 p.m. – Semifinals
2:30 p.m. – Repechages
6:00 p.m. – Medal matches
*All times listed local to Budapest, Hungary, which is located six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
65 kg – Beau Bartlett (Hoboken, N.J./New York City RTC)
VS Nika Zakashvili (Georgia)
70 kg – Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho/Nebraska WTC/Titan Mercury WC)
VS Ebrahim Elahichouran (Iran) or Abhimanyou Abhimanyou (India)
74 kg – Will Lewan (Naperville, Ill./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)
VS Magomedrasul Asluev (Bahrain) or Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan)
92 kg – Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC)
VS Ali Tcokaev (Azerbaijan)
97 kg – Jacob Cardenas (Kearny, N.J./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)
VS Andro Margishvili (Georgia)
125 kg – Mason Parris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC)
VS Abraham Conyedo (Italy)
125 kg – Demetrius Thomas (Providence, R.I.)
VS Robert Baran (Poland) or Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan)
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