We're less than two months away from the 2017 world championships, so we've been looking ahead by projecting the top four seeds at each weight. After separating the returning world finalists at last year's Olympics, United World Wrestling has expanded to separate four wrestlers this year.

It is a rather simple process: points were awarded in Rio, at the non-Olympic weight world championships, and then at the various continental championships based on placement and the size of the bracket. The four people with the most points at each weight in Paris will be separated.

Projected Seeds: 57kg | 61kg | 65kg | 70kg

Over the course of the last four years, 13 different athletes from 11 countries won medals at this weight. The United States, Russia and Iran were the only countries to win more than one medal, with Jordan Burroughs and Ainuar Geduev the only athletes to win multiple medals.
 
A new Olympic quad leaves us in familiar territory, with a strong possibility four athletes who did not medal in Rio end up on the podium in Paris. Burroughs made his seventh straight world team and is seeking his fourth world title (in addition to his 2012 Olympic gold).
 
One thing we know for sure is that Burroughs won't be seeded, and will be thrown into the random draw this August. So who will be seeded?
 

Weight	Rank	Name	Country	Points
74kg	1	Soner Demirtas	TUR	67
74kg	2	Bekzod Abudrakhmonov	UZB	54
74kg	3	Zelimkhan Khadjiev	FRA	52
74kg	4	Ainuar Geduev	RUS	40
74kg	5	Jabrayil Hasanov	AZE	35
74kg	6	Galymzhan Usserbayev	KAZ	30
74kg	6	Murad Suleymanov	AZE	30

 
Commentary: Soner Demirtas (TUR) broke through last year with a bronze medal in Rio. The 2010 junior world silver medalist has earned four straight European medals, improving from bronze to silver, and then winning the past two.


Demirtas should be happy to see Olympic champ Hassan Yazdanicharati move up to 86kg, as the Iranian beat him at both Yasar Dogu and the Olympics. Demirtas may be the top seed by a wide margin, but he will hope to avoid Burroughs, who beat him at Yasar Dogu last year, and Muslim Evlaev (KGZ), who beat him at the Islamic Solidarity Games.
 
Though Burroughs won't be seeded, another former Division 1 All American will be. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB), who actually teched Burroughs in Rio, will be the second seed. The Asian champ has been a staple on the senior level since placing third as a senior for Clarion in 2012. His best year was 2014, when he won the Asian Games and was bronze at that year's world championships in his home country.
 
Another Burroughs victim will be the three seed. Zelimkhan Khadjiev was born in Russia but moved to France when he was just four years old will almost definitely be the most focused on men's freestyler for the host country. The 2014 junior world champ was runner-up this year at the U23 Euro championships, but might be best remembered for getting headlocked in his bronze medal match at the 2015 world championships.
 
As I've mentioned in previous seeding articles, we still do not know how ties will be broken. We also don't have a very good idea of who Russia will be sending. If Ainuar Geduev (RUS) comes, he will be the four seed. If Geduev doesn't go, and Azerbaijan sends Rio bronze Jabrayil Hasanov, the Azeri will be the four seed.
 
The problem comes in neither go, meaning Azerbaijan sends Murad Suleymanov. Somehow never a junior world medalist, Suleymanov won every color medal at Junior Euros, a silver at last year's U23 Euros and was runner-up at this year's senior Euros. He is currently tied with Olympic 5th Galymzhan Usserbayev (KAZ).

Projected 74kg Seeds

1. Soner Demirtas (TUR), 67 points
   
2. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB), 54 points
   
3. Zelimkhan Khadjiev (FRA), 52 points
   
4. Murad Suleymanov (AZE), 30 points