Global Wrestling Standings: Tazhudinov Cements 97kg Top Seed as Sadulaev Looms Large for Astana

The race for the top seed in freestyle wrestling's marquee 97-kilogram division has reached its mathematical conclusion, but the battle for the world title is only just beginning. Following a flawless performance at the final United World Wrestling (UWW) Ranking Series event of the summer, Bahrain's Akhmed Tazhudinov has cemented his position as the number one ranked wrestler globally.[1][3]

Tazhudinov, the reigning Olympic and World Champion, outscored his opponents by a staggering 44-2 margin during his gold-medal run at the Polyák Imre Memorial in Budapest. The 21-year-old phenom capped his tournament with an 11-0 technical superiority victory over Poland's Zbigniew Baranowski, proving he has fully recovered from a nearly year-long hiatus from international competition.[1]

"I feel very good, and I'm very happy to be back on the mat," Tazhudinov told UWW reporters following his dominant victory. "I'll reach 100 percent form by the World Championships."[1]

Securing the number one seed guarantees Tazhudinov the most favorable path through the bracket at the 2026 Senior World Championships, which are scheduled to take place from October 24 to November 1. The tournament was recently relocated from Manama, Bahrain, to Astana, Kazakhstan, following a UWW Bureau decision citing geopolitical uncertainties and international travel complications in the Gulf region.[2]

While Tazhudinov sits comfortably atop the standings with maximum classification points, the rest of the 97kg field is a chaotic mix of rising stars and returning legends. Chief among them is Abdulrashid Sadulaev, the Russian superstar competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete, whose presence threatens to upend the entire tournament structure.[1][3]

Sadulaev, a multi-time Olympic and World Champion, marked his return to the 97kg weight class earlier this year with a gold medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in Tirana, Albania. Because he has competed sparingly and recently dropped down to 92kg before returning to his natural weight, Sadulaev lacks the cumulative ranking points to secure a top-four seed in Astana.[1][3]

This creates a nightmare scenario for the seeded wrestlers. As an unseeded entrant, Sadulaev will be randomly drawn into the bracket, meaning he could face Tazhudinov, Iran's Amirali Azarpira, or American standout Kyle Snyder in the very first round of the World Championships.[3]

Snyder, the veteran American and perennial medalist, is currently fighting to hold onto a top-four seed after a mixed season. Snyder suffered a surprise 10-4 defeat to UWW neutral athlete Mukhamed Khaniev in Tirana, dropping him slightly in the global standings and leaving him vulnerable to a tougher draw in Kazakhstan.[3]

Meanwhile, Iran's Amirali Azarpira remains a formidable presence in the top three of the UWW standings. Azarpira holds a rare recent victory over Tazhudinov—a 5-2 decision at the Zagreb Open—proving that the Bahraini superstar is not entirely invincible when pressured early in a match.[1][3]

The relocation of the World Championships to Astana's Barys Arena adds another layer of intrigue to the standings race. Kazakhstan's own Rizabek Aitmukhan, a former world champion at 92kg who has recently bulked up to 97kg, is rapidly climbing the rankings and will have a massive home-mat advantage in October.[2]

As the international wrestling calendar shifts from the Ranking Series to continental training camps, the 97kg division stands as the most compelling weight class in the sport. The mathematical standings reward Tazhudinov's consistency, but the unseeded presence of Sadulaev ensures that the bracket in Astana will be a minefield from the opening whistle.[3]