UWW announces All-World Team for Men’s Freestyle World Cup
by Taylor Gregorio, USA Wrestling
United World Wrestling has announced the 10-man All-World Team for the 2022 Men’s Freestyle World Cup set for Dec. 10-11 in Iowa City, Iowa. The squad was selected based off performances of individuals at the 2022 World Championships in Serbia whose teams finished outside of the top-five in the team standings. It features a World champion, two other World finalists and five World bronze medalists.
2022 World champion at 57 kg Zelimkhan Abakarov made history last month, becoming the first gold medalist for Albania when he defeated USA’s Thomas Gilman in the World finals. He is joined by World silver medalists from Slovakia in Tajmuraz Salkazanov at 74 kg and Batyrbek Tsakulov at 97 kg. Both lost to Americans in the World finals, with Salkazanov falling to Kyle Dake, a four-time World champion, and Tsakulov falling short to Kyle Snyder, a four-time World and Olympic champion.
Bronze medalists expected to compete are Iszmail Muszukajev of Hungary (65 kg), Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan (70 kg), Arsalan Budazhapov of Kyrgyzstan (79 kg), Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan (86 kg) and Osman Nurmagomedov of Azerbaijan (92 kg).
Dauletbekov lost to Olympic champion David Taylor in the semifinals, and similarly Nurmagomedov fell in the semis to two-time World champion J’den Cox. Budazhapov was defeated in the quarterfinals by Jordan Burroughs, who went on to become the first American to win seven World and Olympic titles.
Rounding out the All-World squad is fifth-place finisher Georgi Vangelov of Bulgaria at 61 kg and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi, who was eighth in Serbia.
In addition to the all-star team, the top-five teams from the World Championships will be in attendance, including World champs USA as well as Iran, Japan, Mongolia and Georgia. Iowa City will also play host to the Women's Freestyle World Cup that same weekend.
Tickets are on sale now at xtreamarena.com.
2022 MEN’S FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
Dec. 10-11, 2022 | Iowa City, Iowa
All-World roster
57 kg: Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania), 2022 World gold
61 kg: Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria), 2022 World 5th, 2020 Olympic 5th
65 kg: Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary), 2022 World bronze, 2019 World bronze
70 kg: Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan), 2022 World bronze, 2021 World silver
74 kg: Tajmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia), 2022 World silver, 2021 World silver, 2019 World bronze
79 kg: Arsalan Budazhapov (Kyrgyzstan), 2022 World bronze
86 kg: Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan), 2022 World bronze
92 kg: Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan), 2022 World bronze, 2021 World bronze
97 kg: Batyrbek Tsakulov (Slovakia), 2022 World silver
125 kg: Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (Ukraine), 2022 World 8th, 2019 World bronze