The final Ranking Series tournament of the year will be held in Budapest, Hungary from July 17-20. This event will feature many of the best wrestlers in the world with several of USA’s world team members competing. In the article below, we’ll preview the five most important weights in men’s freestyle for American fans to follow in Budapest. 

Is David Carr Ready To Win A World Title?

74 kg Ranked Wrestlers

• #1 Chermen VALIEV, ALB
• #3 Taimuraz SALKAZANOV, SVK
• #5 Kota TAKAHASHI, JPN
• #6 David Aaron CARR, USA
• #8 Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV, HUN
• #16 Magomed KHANIEV, AZE

The rest of the 74 kg field:

• Turan BAYRAMOV, AZE
• Magomedrasul ASLUEV, BRN
• Adam Skene THOMSON, CAN
• Giorgi ELBAKIDZE, GEO
• Jaideep JAIDEEP, IND
• Mohammad SHAKERI, IRI
• Alibek ABDIKASSYMOV, KAZ
• Yeldos KUANYSHBAY, KAZ
• Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV, KGZ
• Daegil HAN, KOR
• Sangho HAN, KOR
• Szymon WOJTKOWSKI, POL
• Soner DEMIRTAS, TUR

74 kg has 4 of the top 6 ranked wrestlers in the world competing in Hungary! #1 ranked Chermen Valiev leads this pack as the favorite after defeating world and Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov at 2025 Euros. Beyond that signature win, Valiev also won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics and boasts victories over Taimuraz Salkzanov, Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov, Nurkozha Kaipanov, Avtandil Kentchadze, and several other ranked wrestlers. 

Valiev's Win Over Sidakov at the 2025 European Championship Finals:

For American wrestling fans, all eyes will be on David Carr, and this will be a great litmus test for what to expect from Carr at the 2025 World Championships. Carr competed at the Zagreb Open earlier this year in February, where he won a silver medal by defeating Murad Kuramagomedov (12-2) but lost in the finals to Salkazanov, 4-0. Can Carr close the gap on Salkazanov? Is Carr ready to win world gold? Fortunately, we should get the answer to those questions in Hungary.

Salkazanov's win over David Carr at the 2025 Zagreb Open:

Zahid Valencia vs Kadimagomedov And Savadkouhi

86 kg Ranked Wrestlers

• #6 Zahid VALENCIA, USA
• #9 Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU, UWW
• #13 Arsenii DZHIOEV, AZE
• #15 Rakhim MAGAMADOV, FRA

The rest of the 86 kg field:

• Simon MARCHL, AUT
• Taran GORING, CAN
• Aiden STEVENSON, CAN
• Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI, GEO
• Tornike SAMKHARADZE, GEO
• Zeteny GANGL, HUN
• Patrik PUESPOEKI, HUN
• Ali SAVADKOUHI, IRI
• Nurzhan ISSAGALIYEV, KAZ
• Gyeongyeon LEE, KOR
• Paulius LESCAUSKAS, LTU
• Cezary SADOWSKI, POL
• Igor SZUCKI, POL
• Boris MAKOEV, SVK
• Osman GOCEN, TUR

Zahid Valencia is riding the hot hand after making his second senior-level world team and coming off two straight Final X victories over Kyle Dake. But how will Valencia fare against this deep field in Hungary? Valencia will be tested by Olympic silver medalist Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (who teched Dake at the 2020 Olympics), Ali Savadkouhi (who beat Jordan Burroughs), world medalist Boris Makoev, along with a number of other tough competitors in this bracket. If Valencia can win gold in Hungary, he’ll solidify himself as a world title contender at 86 kg this year.

Savadkouhi's win over Jordan Burroughs at the 2022 World Cup:

A Mini-World Championship For Trent Hidlay

92 kg Ranked Wrestlers

• #1 Dauren KURUGLIEV, GRE
• #3 Osman NURMAGOMEDOV, AZE
• #4 Abubakr ABAKAROV, AZE
• #5 Mohammadmobin AZIMI, IRI
• #7 Trent HIDLAY, UST
• #9 Miriani MAISURADZE, GEO

The rest of the 92 kg field:

• Benjamin GREIL, AUT
• Magomed SHARIPOV, BRN
• Lars SCHAEFLE, GER
• Krisztian ANGYAL, HUN
• Musza ARSUNKAEV, HUN
• Benjamin HONIS, ITA
• Arystan KARABEK, KAZ
• Filip SZUCKI, POL
• Yaraslau IADKOUSKI, UWW

Trent Hidlay is in a DEEP field at 92 kg, and similar to Valencia and Carr, how Hidlay performs here will tell us a lot about how he will perform at Worlds in September. Russian transfer Dauren Kurugliev is the #1 ranked wrestler in the world and will be the favorite to win in Hungary. Kurugliev won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics at 86 kg and is coming off a European title where he defeated world medalists Osman Nurmagomedov and Feyzullah Akturk. Kurugliev is a phenomenal athlete and is one of the hardest wrestlers to score on in the world. 

After Kurugliev, Osman Nurmagomedov, Abubakar Abakarov, and Mohammadmobin Azimi are legitimate gold threats that will be in the 92 kg bracket. Both Abakarov and Nurmagomedov are past world medalists, and Azerbaijan will likely use this tournament to decide who will be their world team rep this year. Iran’s Azimi is also a dangerous competitor who will test Hidlay. Azimi won the U20 World Championships in 2023, where he defeated eventual Senior World champ Rizabek Aitmukhan.

Kurugliev's win over Nurmagomedov in the 2025 Euro finals:

Levi Haines First Test Internationally

79 kg Ranked Wrestlers

• #6 Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS, GRE
• #10 Akhsarbek GULAEV, SVK
• #11 Fariborz BABAEIRAGANI, IRI
• #13 Mahdi YOUSEFIHAJIVAR, IRI
• #19 Magomet EVLOEV, TJK
• #20 Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE, GEO

The rest of the 79 kg field:

• Khidir SAIPUDINOV, BRN
• Zelimkhan KHADJIEV, FRA
• Luka CHKHITUNIDZE, GEO
• Lucas KAHNT, GER
• Chandermohan CHANDERMOHAN, IND
• Ryunosuke KAMIYA, JPN
• Nurlan BEKZHANOV, KAZ
• Bolat SAKAYEV, KAZ
• Daulet YERGESH, KAZ
• Michael LABRIOLA, PUR
• Ramazan SARI, TUR
• Levi David HAINES, USA

Despite being the world team rep this year, this will be Levi Haines’ first-ever senior-level international tournament. Haines’ is entering an incredibly deep field, with 6 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 along with several other top competitors. Outside of Russia’s Akhmed Usmanov, this tournament is essentially a preview of the World Championships. If Haines can place here, he’ll be ready to medal at Worlds in September.

Beyond the ranked wrestlers, it’s worth highlighting Khidir Saipudinov, Bolat Sakayev, Daulet Yergesh, and Michael Labriola. Saipudinov has been ranked in the past and holds wins over David McFadden and current #5 Mokhamed Nasirkhaev. Bolat Sakayev has a victory over Chance Marsteller. Daulet Yergesh defeated Carter Starocci at U23 World in 2022. Labriola was a 4-time All-American and NCAA runner-up at Nebraska. Those wrestlers add depth to an already stacked weight class and make 79 kg one of the most interesting brackets to watch in Hungary.

Yousefi's win over Gulaev at the 2025 Zagreb Open:

Luke Lilledahl vs Roman Bravo-Young

57 kg Ranked Wrestlers

• #5 Luke LILLEDAHL, USA 
• #9 Milad VALIZADEH, IRI 
• #11 Roman BRAVO YOUNG, MEX 
• #13 Islam BAZARGANOV, AZE 
• #14 Azamat TUSKAEV, SRB
• #20 Rahul RAHUL, IND 

The rest of the field:

• Peter HAMMER, CRC 
• Roberti DINGASHVILI, GEO 
• Luka GVINJILIA, GEO 
• Niklas STECHELE, GER 
• Adilet ALMUKHAMEDOV, KAZ 
• Abzal OKENOV, KAZ 
• Bekzat ALMAZ UULU, KGZ 
• Sunggwon KIM, KOR 
• Muhammet KARAVUS, TUR 
• Aryan TSIUTRYN, UWW

If you don’t follow international wrestling closely, you might be surprised to see Luke Lilledahl ranked #5 in the world at 57 kg. However, Lilledahl won a U20 world title last year while defeating Russia’s Lev Pavlov. At the time, Pavlov was ranked 10th in the world after placing second at Russian Nationals. Since then, 57 kg has been tumultuous, with several of the top wrestlers moving up in weight or sitting out this year. Because of all of the movement, Lilledahl has slowly risen in the rankings, and the Ranking Series Tournament will be a great opportunity for him to prove himself.

Roman Bravo-Young is the other wrestler who stands out in this bracket. Despite failing to place at the Olympics, RBY has made steady progress since last year and most recently won a silver medal at the Mongolian Open (in May). There, Bravo-Young defeated 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat but lost to Mongolia’s Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag. The 57 kg bracket is filled with talent, and if RBY can win gold, he’ll solidify himself as a podium contender heading into the World Championships. 

Bravo-Young's win over Aman Sehrawat at the 2025 Mongolian Open: