The 2025 Senior World Championships will take place in Zagreb, Croatia, from September 13 to 21. The 57 kg weight class in men’s freestyle will be one of the first weight classes wrestled at worlds this year, with Team USA’s Spencer Lee making his world championship debut. Check out the article below for a full breakdown, along with our medal predictions, for this incredible weight.

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57 kg World Championship Rankings

The above rankings are based on results from head-to-head matchups. United World Wrestling seeds off of Rankings Points accumulated over the past year at the Olympics, Continental Championships, and Ranking Series Tournaments. Check out the full 2025 World Championship Rankings Here.

Projected 57 kg Seeds At The 2025 World Championships:

1. Spencer Lee, USA
2. Gulomjon Abdullaev, UZB
3. Aman Sehrawat, IND
4. Roman Bravo-Young, MEX
5. Darian Cruz, PUR
6. Bekzat Almaz Uulu, KGZ
7. Islam Bazarganov, AZE
8. Almaz Smanbekov, KGZ

The Favorite

• Spencer Lee, USA

Spencer Lee will enter the 2025 World Championships as the clear favorite to win gold. Lee is coming off a silver medal performance at the 2024 Olympics, where he defeated Gulomjon Abdullaev, Bekzat Almaz Uulu, and Wanhao Zou. Lee lost a close match to Japan’s Rei Higuchi in the Olympic finals, but Higuchi will not be in the field this year. That leaves Lee as the man to beat for gold in Croatia.

Beyond Lee being the top returning medal winner, his skills on the mat present an incredible challenge for every wrestler in the 57 kg bracket. His power is unmatched at the weight, and he is also highly efficient at finishing his leg attacks to both sides of the body. What sets Spencer Lee apart from almost any wrestler in the world is his ability to turn from top with both a gut wrench and leg lace. Though Spencer has only been active on the senior level for less than two years, he’s already recorded notable wins over medal contenders Roman Bravo-Young, Islam Bazarganov, Gulomjon Abdullaev, and Rakhat Kalzhan. 

Spencer Lee's win over Roman Bravo-Young:

The Contenders

• Aman Sehrawat, IND
• Gulomjon Abdullaev, UZB
• Musa Mekhtikhanov, RUS
• Chongsong Han, PRK
• Roman Bravo-Young, MEX

The above six wrestlers enter the World Championships as the most likely competitors to challenge Spencer Lee for gold. India’s Aman Sehrawat won a bronze medal at the Olympics last year and boasts wins over world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov, Darian Cruz, Aryan Tsiutrin, Andrey Yatsenko, and several other world-class wrestlers at 57kg. Aman will be one of the tallest wrestlers in the bracket and uses his length to his advantage exceptionally well. Along with his length, Aman wrestles a relentless style with outstanding conditioning that few can withstand. As the #3 seed, he’ll be opposite Lee and RBY in the bracket and has a great chance of reaching the finals out of the bottom side of the bracket. 

Aman's win over Zane Richards:

Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev also won bronze at the 2024 Olympics, where he lost only to Spencer Lee (14-4) but defeated Arsen Harutyunyan (12-5), Aliabbas Rzazade (11-4), and Bekzat Almaz Uulu (5-1). Beyond his performance at the Olympics, Abdullaev has recent wins over Aman Sehrawat, Chongsong Han, Ali Momeni, and Aryan Tiutrin. Abdullaev is one of the most experienced wrestlers in the field and is projected to be the #2 seed in this bracket. With his past win over Aman, Abdullaev might be the most likely wrestler to make the finals opposite Spencer Lee.

Gulomjon Abdullaev's win over Ali Momeni:

Arsen Harutyunyan has also been impressively consistent over the past few years, winning three world bronze medals from 2021-2023. Along with those accolades, Harutyunyan is coming off a silver medal finish at the European Championships, where he lost to Uguev in the finals but defeated Zelimkhan Abakarov. Harutyunyan is one of the best defensive wrestlers in the weight class, and he also possesses outstanding par terre offense with a potent gut wrench and leg lace. Harutyunyan has been knocking on the door of winning a world title for the past 4 years, and this could be the year he finally breaks through.

Harutyunyan's win over Abakarov at Euros:

Russia’s Musa Mekhtikhanov will be making his world championships debut after winning Russian Nationals in June. Mekhtikhanov will not be seeded but will be randomly drawn into the bracket, making him a dangerous landmine for any wrestler in the field. Because of Russia’s war with Ukraine, Mekhtikhanov hasn’t wrestled much internationally, and most of his notable results are against fellow Russians. He was fifth at 2023 Russian Nationals, second at the Yarygin in 2024, and bronze at 2024 Russian Nationals. Mekhtikhanov also recently defeated Luke Lilledahl in a close, 8-5 match at PWL-9 last month. I don’t think Mekhtikhanov has the offensive ability to compete with Spencer Lee, but he’s skilled enough to defeat anyone else in the world at 57 kg.

Mekhtikhanov's win over Luke Lilledahl:

North Korea’s Chongsong Han has inserted himself as a contender at 57 kg after his gold medal performance at the Asian Championships with victories over Milad Valizadeh (IRI), Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag (MGL), and Rin Sakamoto (JPN). Han has significant power at 57 kg, and if he gets on top, he has a gut wrench that can turn anyone at the weight. He has lost to Aman and Abdullaev in the last year, but with the right draw, no one should be surprised if Han reaches the podium.

Chongsong Han's matches at the 2025 Asian Championships:

Roman Bravo-Young is the final wrestler who should be considered a threat to Spencer Lee at the World Championships. Bravo-Young and Lee already wrestled this year at the Zagreb Open in February, where Lee came out on top in a 6-3 decision. In that match, RBY showed he’s not too far behind Lee, and since then, RBY has made significant progress in his freestyle game. He has fantastic counter-offense and an outstanding scoring ability from neutral. RBY had one of the best matches of the year at the Mongolian Open in May, where he defeated Olympic bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat. RBY will likely be the #4 seed at Worlds, which will likely set up one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament in the semifinals against Spencer Lee. 

RBY's win over Aman:

Who Else Can Medal At 57kg?

• Ali Momeni, IRI
• Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag, MGL
• Rakhat Kalzhan, KAZ
• Islam Bazarganov, AZE
• Azamat Tuskaev, SRB
• Aryan Tiutrin, BLR
• Rin Sakamoto, JPN

The above list of SEVEN wrestlers shows the parity in the 57 kg bracket. All of the above wrestlers have achieved notable accomplishments and victories over the past year, demonstrating that they could be a factor in this weight class. Because of their lack of consistency, I’d be surprised if any reach the finals. However, I won’t be shocked if any find their way to the podium or wrestle for a medal in Croatia. Check out the accomplishments, wins, and losses of the wrestlers in this group that show their potential. 

Ali Momeni, IRI

• 2024 U23 World Bronze. 
• Notable victories over Milad Valizadeh (IRI), Abdymalik Karachov (KGZ), Almaz Smanbekov, Manvel Khndzrtsyan (ARM), Max Gallagher (USA). 
• Recent losses to Akhmed Idrisov (RUS) and Abdymalik Karachov (KGZ).

Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag, MGL

• 2025 Asian Bronze, 2023 U23 World Bronze
• Notable victories over Roman Bravo-Young (MEX), Rahul (IND), Rin Sakamoto (JPN). 
• Recent losses to Chongsong Han (PRK), Lev Pavlov (RUS), and Bekzat Almaz Uulu (KGZ)

Rakhat Kalzhan, KAZ 

• 2025 Asian Bronze
• Notable victories  - Alireza Sarlak (IRI), Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag (MGL), and Gulomjon Abdullaev (UZB). 
• Recent losses - Bekzat Almaz Uulu, Wanhao Zou (CHN), Spencer Lee (USA), and Milad Valizadeh (IRI).

Azamat Tuskaev, SRB 

• 2014 Jr World Champ, 2025 Euro Silver
• Notable victories  - Aryan Tiutrin (BLR), Musa Mekhtikhanov (RUS), Akhmed Idrisov (RUS), Suleyman Atli (TUR), Abubakr Mutaliev (RUS), Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS). 
• Recent losses - Islam Bazarganov (AZE), Nachyn Mongush (RUS), Vito Arujau (USA), Hayko Gasparyan (ARM), and Almaz Smanbekov (KGZ).

Islam Bazarganov, AZE

• Notable victories - Aryan Tiutrin (BLR), Azamat Tuskaev (SRB), Muhammet Karavus (TRU), Khabib Mekhtikhanov (RUS), Horst Lehr (GER), and Kamil Kerymov (UKR). 
• Recent losses - Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM), Nachyn Mongush (RUS), Abubakar Mutaliev (RUS), Spencer Lee (USA), and Luke Lilledahl (USA).

Aryan Tiutrin, BLR

• 2021 World Bronze
• Notable victories - Kamil Kerymov (UKR), Darian Cruz (PUR), Horst Lehr (GER), and Georgi Vangelov (BUL).
• Recent losses - Islam Bazarganov (AZE), Aman Sehrawat (IND), and Azamat Tuskaev (SRB).  

Rin Sakamoto, JPN

• 2025 Asian 5th Place, 2024 Emperor’s Cup Gold, 2025 Meiji Cup Gold
• Notable victories - Aiaal Belolyubskii (TJK), Kento Yumiya (JPN), and Kodai Nakaishi (JPN).
• Recent losses to Chongsong Han (PRK) and Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag (MGL).

57 kg World Championships Predictions

Spencer Lee is the best wrestler in this bracket, and he’s my pick to win gold at Worlds this year. Wrestlers like Roman Bravo-Young and Aman Sehrawat might be able to push Spencer, but in the end, Lee’s neutral offense, combined with his turning ability, will be the difference in Croatia. If Spencer Lee is wrestling at his best, there’s a chance he could put together a dominant performance in Zagreb, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he techs his way to his first senior world gold medal. 

Full 57 kg Medal Predictions:

Gold - Spencer Lee, USA

Silver - Aman Sehrawat, IND

Bronze - Roman Bravo-Young, MEX

Bronze - Arsen Harutyunyan, ARM