The 2025 Senior World Championships will take place in Zagreb, Croatia, from September 13 to 21. The 97 kg weight class in men’s freestyle will be in the third group of weight classes wrestled at worlds this year on September 15 and 16. Team USA’s Kyle Snyder will be competing in his 11th straight Worlds/Olympics and will be aiming to win his 10th world/Olympic medal. Check out the article below for a full breakdown, along with our medal predictions, for 97 kg at this year’s World Championships

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97 kg 2025 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.

97 kg 2025 World Championship Seeds

1. Akhmed Tazhudinov, BRN 
2. Givi Matcharashvili, GEO
3. Kyle Snyder, USA
4. Magomedkhan Magomedov, AZE 
5. Amirali Azarpira, IRI 
6. Zbigniew Baranowski, POL 
7. Arash Yoshida, JPN 
8. Richard Vegh, HUN

The Favorites

• Akhmed Tazhudinov, BRN - 2024 Olympic Gold, 2023 World Gold
• Abdulrashid Sadulaev, RUS - 2016 & 2020 Olympic Gold, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, & 2024 World Gold, 2017 World Silver

The potential matchup between Akhmed Tazhudinov and Abdulrashid Sadulaev is undoubtedly the most anticipated of the World Championships. Unfortunately, there are questions surrounding whether or not Sadulaev will be allowed into Zagreb because of visa issues (at the writing of this article, Sadulaev has not been granted a visa to enter Croatia). Without going into too much detail, Sadulaev attempted to wrestle at the 2024 European Championships in Romania by obtaining a travel visa to a nearby country. Because he failed to follow the proper requirements for entering Romania, he was given an almost 5-year ban from the Schengen Zone (which Croatia is part of). For a full summary of Sadulaev’s visa issue, CLICK HERE. A final decision hasn’t been made on Sadulaev’s visa issues, but we’ll update this article as more information becomes available.

Whether or not Sadulaev is in the field, Akhmed Tazhudinov is the man to beat at 97 kg. In just two years, Tazhudinov has firmly established himself as the pound-for-pound best wrestler in the world. Tazhudinov burst onto the scene at the 2023 World Championships when he teched Kyle Snyder and was leading 9-2 over Sadulaev before he injury defaulted out of the tournament. Tazhudinov proved that performance wasn’t a fluke by winning the Olympics last year with consecutive victories over Amirali Azarpia (4-3), Alisher Yergali (14-2), Kyle Snyder (6-4), and Givi Matcharashvili (by pin). Tazhudinov is still only 22 years old and presumably only getting better. Another gold medal this year, with another win over Sadulaev, and Tazhudinov could quickly become one of the all-time greats at 97 kg.

Tazhudinov's wins over Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev at 2023 Worlds:

If Sadulaev is allowed into Worlds, he’s absolutely a threat to win gold. Sadulaev wrestled as good as he has in years at last year’s World Championships, where he defeated David Taylor and Kamran Ghasempour to win gold. At 2024 Worlds, Sadulaev looked in much better shape and markedly improved from his performance at 2023 Worlds, when he lost to Tazhudinov. Sadulaev is already a once-in-a-generation wrestler and can establish his legacy even further if he can win another world title in Croatia. He just has to get there first. 

Sadulaev's win over David Taylor at the 2024 World Championships:

The Contenders

• Kyle Snyder, USA - 2016 Olympic Gold, 2020 Olympic Silver, 2015, 2017, & 2022 World Gold, 2017 & 2021 World Silver, 2019 & 2023 World Bronze
• Amirali Azarpira, IRI - 2024 Olympic Bronze
• Arash Yoshida, JPN - 2023 World 5th
• Givi Matcharashvili, GEO - 2024 Olympic Silver, 2022 World Bronze
• Magomedkhan Magomedov, AZE - 2024 Olympic Bronze, 2023 World Silver, 2022 World Bronze
• Rizabek Aitmukhan, KAZ - 2023 World Gold (at 92kg), 2024 U23 World Gold, 2024 U20 World Gold

Kyle Snyder leads this deep list of contenders and is obviously the most credentialed wrestler in this tier. Unfortunately for Snyder, he’s also suffered losses in the past year to Akhmed Tazhudinov, Amirali Azarpira, and Arash Yoshida. Even with those results, Snyder has a great draw as the #3 seed opposite both Azarpira and Tazhudinov. Snyder is also 4-0 in his career against #2 seed Givi Matcharashvili and was leading most of the match against #7 seed Arash Yoshida before giving up 4 points with only 45 seconds left. As long as Sadulaev isn’t drawn into the bottom side, Snyder should be considered the favorite to reach the finals. 

Snyder's win over Sadulaev at the 2017 World Championships:

Iran’s Amirali Azarpira is only 23 years old and might have the best chance of knocking off Tazhudinov after Sadulaev. Azarpira is one of the few wrestlers who can match the size and length of Tazhudinov, and the two wrestled a close, 4-3 match at the Olympics last year. Azarpira also boasts a 2-1 record over Kyle Snyder (winning the last two matches) and a 9-1 win over Arash Yoshida from April of 2024. Azarpira has all of the skills to win this bracket, and though he’s not the favorite, he’s definitely a wrestler to watch out for in Croatia and capable of shocking the world against Tazhudinov. 

Azarpira's win over Kyle Snyder at the 2024 Zagreb Open:

Japan’s Arash Yoshida is riding incredible momentum heading into the World Championships this year. At only 21 years old, Yoshida started 2025 by winning the Zagreb Open with victories over Kyle Snyder (5-5) and Iran’s Erfan Alizadeh (3-2). A month later, Yoshida won gold at the Asian Championships, capped off by a win over world champion Rizabek Aitmukhan in the finals (7-1). Even with these results, Yoshida has only wrestled at Senior Worlds one other time - in 2023, where he placed 5th with tech fall losses to Osman Nurmagomedov and Zahid Valencia. Though he has impressive victories, Yoshida is one of the most inexperienced wrestlers in the field, and now that he has notable victories under his belt, he won’t take anyone by surprise in Zagreb.

Yoshida's win over Kyle Snyder at the 2025 Zagreb Open:

Givi Matcharashvili, Magomedkhan Magomedov, and Rizabek Aitmukhan are all extremely credentialed wrestlers in this field and add amazing depth to the 97 kg bracket. However, I view all of these wrestlers as more of “gatekeepers” to the medal stand rather than true gold medal threats. Every wrestler in this group has reached the podium at worlds, but none have defeated Tazhudinov, Sadulaev, Snyder, Yoshida, or Azarpira. It wouldn’t be surprising to see any of these three wrestlers win a medal at Worlds, but it’d be absolutely shocking to see them win gold. 

Sleepers & Landmines

• Magomedgadhzi Nurov, MKD - 2019 World Bronze
• Aliaksandr Hushtyn BLR - 2021 World 5th

Because of the amazing depth at 97 kg, there aren’t many true “Sleepers & Landmines” in the bracket. I chose Nurov and Hushtyn because they’re two experienced wrestlers who have competed several times on the biggest stages. At 32 years old, Nurov won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and could use his experience to surprise and upset some of the younger, more inexperienced wrestlers in the bracket. Hushtyn, who is also 32, hasn’t ever reached the medal stand at Worlds or Olympics, but he won a silver medal at the European Championships 3 times and was also the runner-up at the 2019 Yarygin. Hushtyn is a crafty veteran, and this could be the year he finally punches through for a medal.

97 kg World Championship Prediction

Akhmed Tazhudinov has been on an incredible run over the past two years, and I don’t see that ending this year in Zagreb. He’s likely still getting better, and his unique combination of size and skill for the weight makes him a nightmare matchup for every wrestler in the field. If Sadulaev gets his visa and can compete at Worlds, things will certainly get tougher for Tazhudinov. Even still, I believe Tazhudinov is the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world and will prove that in Croatia.

Full 97 kg Medal Predictions

Gold - Akhmed Tazhudinov, BRN

Silver - Kyle Snyder, USA

Bronze - Amirali Azarpira, IRI

Bronze - Arash Yoshida, JPN

*If Sadulaev does get his visa, I think he’ll win silver or bronze, depending on where he’s drawn into the bracket.