Last year in Budapest, many wrestling fans were anticipating world champions Jordan Burroughs (USA) and Frank Chamizo (Italy) to battle it out for the top spot at 74 kilograms. Russia's Zaurbek Sidakov had other ideas. Sidakov defeated both Burroughs and Chamizo en route to winning his first world title. Sidakov, Burroughs and Chamizo all return at 74 kilograms, helping to make it one of the strongest freestyle weight classes in the world.
So who are the five most likely world champions in freestyle at this year's World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan? Here are my thoughts ...
Note: This is merely this writer's opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Kyle Dake with the American flag after winning a world title in Budapest (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling)1. Kyle Dake (USA, 79 kilograms)
Dake is the reigning world champion at the non-Olympic weight class of 79 kilograms. The 28-year-old American did not surrender a single point at last year's World Championships in Budapest, outscoring his opposition 37-0. Aside from Dake, the only returning world medalist in the weight class is Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijan, a wrestler Dake has defeated three times, including in the finals of the World Championships. He defeated one of the world's top wrestlers in Alex Dieringer in two straight matches just to make the USA team. Dake is currently the heaviest favorite to win a world title according to the online sportsbook LiveBet.com, which lists him at -500 (risk $500 to win $100).
2. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia, 97 kilograms)
Sadulaev has only suffered one defeat in five world-level events. After winning world titles in 2014 and 2015, Sadulaev became the Olympic champion in 2016 at 86 kilograms. In 2017, Sadulaev moved up to 97 kilograms and reached the finals of the World Championships in Paris where he lost narrowly to fellow Olympic champion Kyle Snyder, 6-5. The Russian Tank came back to avenge the loss by earning a first-period fall in the finals of last year's World Championships. Many are anticipating a third meeting between the Rio Olympic champions in Nur-Sultan.
Hassan Yazdanicharati after winning a world title in 2017 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)3. Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran, 86 kilograms)
Yazdanicharati, the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 world champion, fell in the opening round of last year's World Championships to American David Taylor, 11-6. He came back to win bronze. With Taylor not competing due to injury, Yazdanicharati is the prohibitive favorite to win gold this year at 86 kilograms. The Iranian star has competed only once since last year's Worlds, earning a gold medal at the Dan Kolov, where he outscored his opposition 69-6. While there are some very tough opponents in the weight class, like Russia's Artur Naifonov and Turkey's Fatih Erdin, Yazdanicharati is the class of the field and one of the world's best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestlers.
4. Taha Akgul (Turkey, 125 kilograms)
Some would argue that the Rio Olympic champion Akgul is not even the favorite at 125 kilograms after failing to earn a medal at last year's World Championships. The two-time defending world champion and top seed is Georgia's Geno Petriashvili. While Akgul has not won a world or Olympic gold since 2016, he appears to have solidified himself as the man to beat once again at 125 kilograms. He dominated Petriashvili (7-0) en route to winning a European title in April. In July, Akgul blitzed the field at the Yasar Dogu, which included a 5-1 victory in the finals over two-time returning world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski of the United States.
David Baev (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling)5. David Baev (Russia, 70 kilograms)
Baev is competing at the Senior World Championships for the first time in his career. He has won gold medals at the Cadet World Championships and Junior World Championships, along with a silver at the U23 World Championships. He earned the spot for Russia at 70 kilograms after two-time world champion Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov moved up to 74 kilograms. While it might seem strange to see a wrestler competing in his first Worlds on a list of the most likely world champions, it has more to do with the composition of the 70-kilogram field. With it being a non-Olympic weight class, it lacks the talent and depth of the Olympic weight classes. Baev's toughest competition may come from two-time world medalist James Green, a wrestler he has beaten twice, with the most recent win coming at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, 10-2.
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