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 74 kg weight class at the 2023 World Championships.

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Zaurbek Sidakov Is Officially IN For Worlds

Due to the war in Ukraine, Russia was banned from all International competitions last year. Because of that ban, 2-time world and Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov did not wrestle at the 2022 World Championships. Sidakov was set up to make his return to international competition this year with Russian athletes being allowed to compete at the World Championships as “Individual Neutral Athletes.” With that allowance, all athletes from Russia and Belarus needed to clear an independent vetting process to ensure they did not support the war in Ukraine or have membership in the military.

Originally, It seemed as though Zaurbek Sidakov would not clear the vetting process due to his military affiliation. Sidakov was notably a Military World Champion in 2018 and even has a photo on his Instagram in his military uniform from 2015. On top of that, Sidakov was not listed in the entry list on UWW's website. However, on Tuesday, just 4 days before Worlds begins, Sidakov was added to the current entries found here and United World Wrestling made an official announcement that Sidakov, Sadulaev, Uguev, and all of Russia's best wrestlers are cleared to compete at the 2023 Senior World Championships.

With Sidakov in the bracket, he's the clear favorite to come away with gold. Sidakov won Worlds in both 2018 and 2019 where he defeated Jordan Burroughs on last-second scores in both matches. Then at the Tokyo Olympics, Sidakov again proved he's the best 74 kg wrestler in the world by winning gold where he defeated Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov in the finals, 7-0. However, despite all of that success, Sidakov recently dropped a match to 2021 world bronze medalist Timur Bizhoev. That might show that Sidakov has lost a step and could be vulnerable this year. Even with the recent loss, Sidakov has established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world and will be the man to beat in Belgrade.

Sidakov's win over Burroughs at the 2019 World Championships:

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74 kg World Championship Rankings 

Check out the top 10 wrestlers ranked at 74 kg who will compete at the 2023 World Championships (assuming Sidakov is out). These rankings are based on head-to-head results between these competitors.

View all of our 2023 World Championship Rankings here.

Will Dake Get Revenge On Kadimagomedov

Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov and Kyle Dake are the clear next tier after Sidakov in the 74 kg weight class. Before we highlight Kadimagomedov and Dake, it’s worth highlighting that the 74 kg bracket in Serbia will contain 10 past world/Olympic medalists with 3 of those wrestlers being world champions! Remember, only the top 5 qualify for the Olympics, so that means at least 5 past world/Olympic medalists will leave Belgrade without qualifying their respective countries for the 2024 Olympics.

Most Americans learned Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov’s name when he teched Kyle Dake, 11-0 in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo, Olympics. Kadimagomedov then went on to defeat Frank Chamizo (9-7) to reach the finals before falling to Zaurbek Sidakov for gold (7-0). While that was the day most Americans learned of Kadimagomedov, he’s not a “flash in the pan” but has been a world-class wrestler for the past decade. 

Originally from Russia, Kadimagomedov was a Russian Nationals champion in 2017 at 70 kg where he defeated Zaurbek Sidakov in the quarters (4-2) and went on to represent Russia at those World Championships (he failed to place after going 2-1). Kadimagomedov then transitioned up to 74 kg in 2018 but was stuck behind Sidakov and transferred to Belarus in 2020. Kadimagomedov immediately won a European title in February of 2020 and then qualified for the Olympics by defeating two-time world silver medalist Tajmuraz Salkazanov (12-4), world silver medalist Soner Demirtas (8-4), world bronze medalist Arsalan Budazhapov, and world bronze medalist Vasyl Mykhailov (6-2). All of that to say, Kadimagomedov’s Olympic performance was not a fluke and we should expect him to put on another outstanding performance in Belgrade. 

Kadimagomedov's win over Salkazanov in May 2021:

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Kyle Dake’s only loss in the past 5 years was the Olympic quarterfinal bout with Kadimagomedov. Aside from that match, Dake has been perfect and has established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world. Dake’s four world titles and Olympic bronze have already put him in the conversation with some of the greatest wrestlers in American history. In fact, if Dake wins Worlds this year and the Olympics next year, he’d be behind only Jordan Burroughs (7) and tied with John Smith at 6 total golds. Obviously, that’s looking too far ahead, but Dake certainly is aiming for gold and would like nothing more than to get his revenge on Kadimagomedov in Serbia. 

Kyle Dake's win in the 2022 World Finals over Tajmuraz Salkazanov:

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The Depth At 74 kg Is Insane!

The level of contenders at 74 kg is by far the deepest of any weight at the world championships. Tajmuraz Salkazanov leads this list as a two-time world silver medalist and 3-time European Champion. Salkazanov has won silver at the last 2 world championships where he’s lost only to Kyle Dake in the finals. Despite those losses, Salkazanov has compiled an incredible hitlist that includes victories over Timur Bizhoev, Avtandil Kentchade, Ali-Pasha Umarpashaev, Frank Chamizo, Razambek Zhamalov, and Soner Demirtas. Salkazanov has been right on the edge of winning world gold and is the main challenger to Dake and Kadimagomedov.

Salkazanov's most recent win over Frank Chamizo:

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Frank Chamizo is also a dangerous competitor with a proven track record in this bracket. Chamizo is a two-time world champion, world silver medalist, and Olympic bronze medalist. Though Chamizo has losses on his ledger to Kadimagomedov, Dake, and Salkazanov, Chamizo’s style and athleticism will keep him in every match at Worlds. 

Iran’s Younes Emami is coming off a bronze medal performance at the 2022 World Championships where he lost only to Kyle Dake (2-2 on criteria). Then, just a few months after his world championship performance, Emami put together a fantastic string of wins over Tajmuraz Salkazanov, Fazil Eryilmaz, and Timur Bizhoev (all world medalists) before losing to Jason Nolf at the Zagreb Open. Emami will be a threat to anyone he wrestles in Serbia and as the #4 seed opposite Dake and Salkazanov, he can absolutely make a run to the finals.

Emami's win over Salkazanov at the 2022 Zagreb Open:

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As mentioned, Chermen Valiev will likely man the 74 kg spot in the case of Zaurbek Sidakov's absence. Valiev obviously doesn’t have the same credentials as Sidakov but he’s still a dangerous competitor capable of winning gold. Though this is Valiev’s first world championship, his career hit list is incredible with past wins over Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov, world champion David Baev, Jason Nolf, Timur Bizhoev, and a number of other top 20 ranked wrestlers in the world. Valiev has a defense that rivals Dake’s and has a knack for winning close matches. His skill set suits him well to make a deep run at worlds and we shouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the finals opposite Kyle Dake. 

Chermen Valiev's win over Jason Nolf at the 2022 Yarygin:

Sleepers & Dark Horses - There's Still More World Medalists!

As previously mentioned, the amount of past world medalists in the 74 kg bracket is almost unbelievable. On top of the wrestlers we’ve listed above, check out this list of world medalists we haven’t yet mentioned:

• Avtandil Kentchadze (2018 World Silver)
• Soner Demirtas (2016 Olympic Bronze, 2017 & 2022 World Bronze)
• Khetik Tsabolov (2014 World Champ, 2017 World Silver)
• Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (2020 Olympic bronze, 2014 & 2018 World Bronze)
• Arsalan Budazhapov (2022 World Bronze)

We shouldn’t be surprised if any of these reach a medal match this year but it’s also worth pointing out that many of them will be randomly drawn into the bracket. With so much depth at this weight, we’re going to see incredible matches from the first round on at 74 kg.

Beyond past world medalists, it’s also worth mentioning Turan Bayramov (AZE) and Ali-Pasha Umarpashaev (BUL). Bayramov was a U23 world champion in 2019, a cadet world champion in 2016, and won a junior world bronze in 2021. He also came in 5th place at senior worlds in 2021 and has notable wins this year over world medalist Soner Demirtas and junior world champion Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev. Umarpashaev is a wild wrestler who is always capable of hitting a big move and ending a match early with a pin. Umarpashaev placed 5th at last year’s world championships and even defeated Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov in March of 2021. Again, with as deep as 74 kg is, we shouldn’t expect anyone in this category to win gold but they’re certainly wrestlers to watch out for in Serbia.

Umarpashaev's win over Kadimagomedov:

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74 kg 2023 World Championship Predictions

The depth and parity at 74 kg make it almost impossible to predict but that’s not going to stop me from making some predictions! Will Sidakov continue to prove he's the best wrestler in the world or will Dake get his revenge over Kadi and finally get a chance to take out Sidakov? From my perspective, I believe Sidakov has fallen off just slightly and Dake is still wrestling at his peak. Because of that, I'm picking Dake to come home with gold!

74 kg Medal Predictions:

Gold - Kyle Dake, USA

Silver - Zaurbek Sidakov, AIN-RUS

Bronze - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov, AIN-BLR

Bronze - Frank Chamizo, ITA