The 2023 Senior World Championships are set to go down in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24. The men’s freestyle portion of the tournament will take place from September 16-19. Check out the below article for a complete breakdown with predictions for the 86 kg weight class at the 2023 World Championships.

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86 kg World Championship Rankings 

Check out the top 10 wrestlers ranked at 86 kg who will compete at the 2023 World Championships. These rankings are based on head-to-head results between these competitors.

View all of our 2023 World Championship Rankings here.

The Favorites - Taylor And Yazdani Poised For Round 6 In Serbia

David Taylor (USA) and Hassan Yazdani (IRI) have separated themselves from the 86 kg pack over the past 6 years. Yazdani won 86 kg world titles in 2017, 2019, and 2021 while David Taylor won world titles in 2018 and 2022 along with an Olympic title in 2021. It’s also worth noting that Taylor and Yazdani have not lost to anyone else in the world in this time frame. With this in mind, and with Taylor and Yazdani winning the last 6 world and Olympic titles, they are the clear favorites to come away with gold in Belgrade. 

David Taylor holds the series lead against Yazdani winning four of their five matches. Taylor’s first win over Yazdani came in the 2017 World Cup in an epic match that ended with Taylor getting a pin after being down early. Then, Taylor won again in the first round of the 2018 World Championships in an 11-6 victory after Yazdani led 6-2 at the break. Taylor extended his winning streak to 3 over Yazdani in the finals of the Tokyo Olympics when Taylor was able to secure the match-winning takedown with less than 20 seconds left in the match.

The two renewed their rivalry in the finals of the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway just over two months after their Olympic finals meeting. In this match, Yazdani was finally able to conquer Taylor and came away with a 6-2 victory. However, last year Taylor got back on top in the rivalry winning in the finals of the 2022 World Championships in the most decisive victory of the rivalry - 7-1. Taylor and Yazdani are set to be seeded on the opposite side of the bracket once again this year and all signs point to them meeting in the finals for their sixth head-to-head match. 

David Taylor - Hassan Yazdani Rivalry Recap:

• 2017 World Cup - David Taylor wins by fall
• 2018 Worlds - David Taylor wins 11-6
• 2020 Olympics - David Taylor won 4-3 
• 2021 Worlds - Hassan Yazdani won 6-2

David Taylor's win over Hassan Yazdani in the 2022 World Finals, 7-1

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The Contenders

Despite Taylor and Yazdani being the clear favorites, a solid group of medal contenders has emerged over the past year. Russia’s representative Arslan Bagaev is the newest wrestler to emerge and the first we’ll highlight. He recently won Russian Nationals and will be taking over the 86kg spot after Artur Naifonov (2X world & Olympic bronze) - Russia’s representative from 2019-2022. Along with winning Russian Nationals, Bagaev also took home gold at the 2021 Yarygin where he defeated a number of ranked wrestlers. Bagaev is absolutely a medal threat but his 2023 losses to Hassan Yazdani (10-0) and Azamat Dauletbekov (KAZ) should slow his “hype” down a bit and temper expectations for the young Russian.

Arslan Bagaev's win in the finals of the 2023 Russian Nationals:

Dauletbekov is another wrestler to watch out for in Belgrade. He is set to be the #3 seed and won a bronze medal at last year’s world championships while defeating Myles Amine (9-1), Taimuraz Friev (4-2), and Yurieski Torreblanca (2-1). Dauletbekov also won gold at this year’s Asian Championships while recording a win over Alireza Karimi. However, Dauletbekov struggled (slightly) at the Kyrgyzstan Ranking Series tournament where he lost to Abubakr Abakarov but came back for bronze with wins over Osman Gocen (TUR) and Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL). Dauletbekov is a medal threat but his 12-0 loss to David Taylor last year proves he is still a tier behind the best at 86 kg.

Azamat Dauletbekov's win over Myles Amine in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Championships:

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Abubakr Abakarov, Myles Amine, and Boris Makoev are three other 86kg wrestlers who have proven themselves at past worlds/Olympics. Amine won an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo and has past career wins over Abakarov, Osman Gocen, Sebastian Jezierzanski, and a host of other ranked wrestlers. Abakarov won bronze at the 2021 World Championships and has past wins over Boris Makoev (world medalist), Azamat Dauletbekov, Fatih Erdin (world medalist), and Sebastian Jezierzanski. Boris Makoev won a world silver medal back in 2017 and got back on the podium last year with a bronze medal at worlds. Makoev has an impressive list of wins in his career that include J’den Cox, Yurieski Torreblanca, Sebastian Jezierzanski, Abubakr Abakarov, and a number of other past credentialed wrestlers. No one should be surprised if Makoev, Amine, or Abakarov win a medal in Serbia. 

Myles Amine's win over Sebastian Jezierzanski in the semifinals of the 2023 European Championships:

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Finally, Japan’s Hayato Ishiguro burst onto the 86 kg scene this year after winning a silver medal at the Zagreb Open in February. At that tournament, Ishiguro defeated Myles Amine (by pin) and Zahid Valencia (11-0) in successive matches before losing to Hassan Yazdani (13-2) in the finals. On top of his performance in Zagreb, Ishiguro won a junior world title in 2018 where he notably defeated Aaron Brooks in the finals, 11-10. Ishiguro will be one of the most interesting wrestlers to watch in this bracket and will be randomly drawn into the bracket since he doesn’t have enough rankings points to be seeded.

Hayato Ishiguro's win over Zahid Valencia at the Zagreb Open in Ferbruary:

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Sleepers & Dark Horses

There is a solid group of wrestlers who haven’t yet won a world medal but have shown they’re capable of challenging some of the more credentialed wrestlers in the 86 kg field. France’s Rakhim Magamadov is at the top of this list. Magamadov is France’s best young prospect at only 20 years old and the winner of the last two U20 World Championships at 86 kg. Magamadov is still getting his feet wet at the senior level but recently won a bronze medal at the Budapest Ranking Series Tournament in July where he defeated past world medalist Fatih Erdin.

Rakhim Magamadov's win in the finals of the 2023 U20 World Championships:

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Poland’s Sebastian Jezierzanski earned the #1 seed at this year’s world championships but has yet to medal at Senior Worlds putting him in the “Sleeper & Dark Horse” category. Jezierzanski earned his seed by placing 5th at last year’s worlds, bronze at the 2023 European Championships, and wrestling at all 4 of the Ranking Series events this year. Jezierzanski doesn’t have many signature wins yet but his close losses to Myles Amine, Zahid Valencia, Abubakr Abakarov, and Azamat Dauletbekov are enough to make him a wrestler to watch at worlds.

Cuba’s Yurieski Torreblanca is a dangerous unseeded wrestler in this field who has given David Taylor fits in the past and has wins in his career over Alex Dieringer and Mark Hall. Torreblanca has won Pan-Ams five different times but has never placed at a world championships. Still, Torreblanca’s a dangerous competitor and will be a threat to any of the contenders. 

Türkiye’s Osman Gocen is another competitor to watch in this field. He won a junior world silver medal back in 2016 and has solid results during his time at the senior level. He qualified for the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021 and won a European bronze medal in 2022 where he lost only to Myles Amine (6-6 on criteria). Along with those impressive finishes, Gocen has wins over Abubakr Abakarov, Fatih Erdin, Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, Sohsuke Takatani, and Boris Makoev. Gocen has yet to perform his best at the senior world championships but might be primed for a breakout in Serbia. 

Osman Gocen's win over Boris Makoev:

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86 kg 2023 World Championship Predictions

As mentioned above, it would be shocking if anyone other than David Taylor or Hassan Yazdani walked away with gold from Serbia. Yazdani will be looking for revenge after dropping the world finals match last year while Taylor will attempt to cement himself as one of the best American freestyle wrestlers of all time by winning his 3rd world title to go with his Olympic gold. From my perspective, David Taylor has widened the gap against Yazdani and has proven he's the better overall wrestler. Taylor controlled last year's match, and while the score might be closer this year, I believe the outcome will be the same - David Taylor will finish the match with his arm raised as the world champion.

Gold - David Taylor, USA

Silver - Hassan Yazdani, IRI

Bronze - Myles Amine, SMR

Bronze - Arslan Bagaev, AIN (RUS)