By Richard Immel
USA Wrestling

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – United World Wrestling released its men’s freestyle seeds for the 2026 Senior World Championships based on the preliminary entry list. 

Four U.S. athletes are seeded in the top eight of their brackets—Returning champions Trent Hidlay (No. 1 at 92 kg) and Kyle Snyder (No. 1 at 97 kg), 2024 Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee (No. 2 at 57 kg), who was the Pennsylvania and Northeast Region winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2017, and returning World silver medalist Levi Haines (No. 3 at 79 kg). 

The remaining six Americans - Marcus Blaze (61 kg), who was the Ohio and National winner of the DSHSEA in 2025, Bo Bassett (65 kg), Zain Retherford (70 kg), who was the Pennsylvania and National winner of the DSHSEA in 2013, James Green (74 kg), Kyle Dake (86 kg) and Wyatt Hendrickson (125 kg), who was the Kansas winner of the DSHSEA in 2019, will enter the men’s freestyle tournament unseeded and drawn into brackets at random. 

Seeds are determined based upon the aggregation of ranking points for the year, which are earned by placements at the previous year’s World Championships, plus continental championships and ranking series events. 

A complete list of entries for the Senior World Championships is available at uww.org. Entries and seeds are subject to change prior to the official draw. 

The Senior World Championships will be held October 24 through November 1 at Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan. Men’s freestyle takes the mat at week’s end for Team USA, after Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle. 

The event will stream live on FloWrestling.com to the U.S. market. United World Wrestling will provide brackets and updated results on uww.org. 

For more information on the Senior World Championships, visit the USA Wrestling Event Hub.

2026 Senior World Championships 

At Astana, Kazakhstan, October 24 – November 1  

Reference Links 

• Men's freestyle entry list

• USA Wrestling event hub

• Live stream

• Brackets and results

Men’s Freestyle Seeds 

57 kg 

1. Chongsong Han (North Korea)

2. Spencer Lee (United States)

3. Islam Bazarganov (Azerbaijan)

4. Roman Bravo Young (Mexico)

5. Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia)

6. Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico)

7. Vladimir Egorov (North Macedonia)

8. Aryan Tsiutryn (Belarus) 

61 kg 

1. Zavur Uguev (Russia)

2. Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan (Iran)

3. Nuraddin Novruzov (Azerbaijan)

4. Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania)

5. Kamil Kerymov (Ukraine)

6. Dzmitry Shamela (Belarus)

7. Leomid Colesnic (Moldova)

8. Georgii Okorokov (Australia) 

65 kg 

1. Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran)

2. Sujeet (India)

3. Peiman Biabani (Canada)

4. Shamil Mamedov (Bulgaria)

5. Rashid Babazade (Azerbaijan)

6. Nika Zakashvili (Georgia)

7. Alibeg Alibegov (Bahrain)

8. Ossimzhan Dastanbek (Kazakhstan) 

70 kg 

1. Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia)

2. Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan)

3. Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary)

4. Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia)

5. Vasile Diacon (Moldova)

6. Kanan Heybatov (Azerbaijan)

7. Arman Andreasyan (Armenia)

8. Sina Khalili (Iran) 

74 kg 

1. Taimuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia)

2. Giorgi Elbakidze (Georgia)

3. Magomedrasul Asluev (Bahrain)

4. Murad Kuramagomedov (Hungary)

5. Orozbek Toktomambetov (Kyrgyzstan)

6. Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (Japan)

7. Ibragim Veliev (Belgium)

8. Farhad Nourikhorjestan (UWW Refugee Team) 

79 kg 

1. Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (Azerbaijan)

2. Suldkhuu Olonbayar (Mongolia)

3. Levi Haines (United States)

4. Mohammad Ashghar Nokhodilarimi (Iran)

5. Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (Belarus)

6. Luka Chkhitunidze (Georgia)

7. Michael Labriola (Puerto Rico)

8. Akhsarbek Gulaev (Slovakia) 

86 kg 

1. Arsenii Dzhioev (Azerbaijan)

2. Kamran Ghasempour (Iran)

3. Ibragim Kadiev (Russia)

4. Rakhim Magamadov (France)

5. Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (Georgia)

6. Ivars Samusonoks (Latvia)

7. Bolat Sakayev (Kazakhstan)

8. Georgios Kougioumtsidis (Greece) 

92 kg 

1. Trent Hidlay (United States)

2. Miriani Maisuradze (Georgia)

3. Amanula Gadzhimagomedov (Russia)

4. Amirhossein Firouzpourbandpei (Iran)

5. Ahmed Bataev (Bulgaria)

6. Samuel Scherrer (Switzerland)

7. Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan)

8. Ali Tcokaev (Azerbaijan) 

97 kg 

1. Kyle Snyder (United States)

2. Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain)

3. Arash Yoshida (Japan)

4. Akhmed Adamovich Magamaev (Bulgaria)

5. Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland)

6. Vicky (India)

7. Richard Vegh (Hungary)

8. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 

125 kg 

1. Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan)

2. Amir Zare (Iran)

3. Shamil Sharipov (Bahrain)

4. Robert Baran (Poland)

5. Vladislav Bajcajev (Hungary)

6. Mohsen Siyar (Germany)

7. Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico)

8. Hakan Buyukcingil (Türkiye)