The 57 kg weight class is once again shaping up to be one of the deepest weights at the World Championships. With five legitimate title contenders, several returning world medalists, and a handful of dangerous unseeded wrestlers, there is no shortage of potential matchups that could completely change the bracket. Check out the article below for a full preview of the 57 kg weight class at this year's World Championships, taking place October 24 through November 1, streaming live on FloWrestling!
57 kg World Championship Rankings
View The Full World Championship Rankings Here
*Of note - the World Championship rankings are based on head-to-head match results. The seeds are based on points accumulated at UWW Ranking Series Tournaments, the 2025 World Championships, and the 2025 Continental Championships.
Projected World Championship Seeds
- Chongsong Han, PRK
- Bekzat Almaz Uulu, KGZ
- Spencer Lee, USA
- Islam Bazarganov, AZE
- Roman Bravo-Young, MEX
- Arsen Harutyunyan, ARM
- Gulomjon Abdullaev, UZB
- Roberti Dingashvili, GEO
See all of the 2026 World Championship Rankings HERE
Title Contenders
- Chongsong Han, PRK
- Arsen Harutyunyan, ARM
- Spencer Lee, USA
- Roman Bravo-Young, MEX
- Aman Sehrawat, IND
The list of contenders at 57 kg is likely going to be the biggest of every weight at Worlds this year. There is no true favorite, and the list of title contenders is as big as there is going to be at any weight at the World Championships.
We'll start with last year's world champion: North Korea's Chongsong Han. Han was the biggest surprise of any of the world champions last year, winning the title with victories over Darian Cruz, Guesseppe Rea, Roman Bravo-Young, Arsen Harutyunyan, and Bekzat Almaz Uulu. Han's run through the 2025 World Championships was particularly impressive because he was unseeded and had to navigate several of the top wrestlers in the weight on his way to gold.
Since Worlds, however, Han has shown that he is beatable. He lost to Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag at the Yarygin (13-1) and then dropped a wild 6-6 decision to Musa Mekhtikhanov in the Ulaanbaatar Open final.
Han wrestles a unique style with excellent defense and fundamentals, but he is also capable of scoring big with throws and par terre offense. Now that there is considerably more tape on Han, it will be tougher for him to surprise opponents the way he did last year. The biggest question is whether he can reproduce the incredible performance he had in Zagreb when everyone in the field now knows exactly what they are dealing with.
Han's win in the 2025 World Finals over Bekzat Almaz Uulu:
Arsen Harutyunyan was bronze last year at Worlds after defeating Spencer Lee, Roman Bravo-Young, Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag and Vladyslav Abramov. He has now won four World bronze medals in his career, and another deep run would continue one of the most remarkable streaks of consistency at 57 kg.
Since Worlds, Harutyunyan has wrestled exclusively at 61 kg, including a bronze-medal run at the 2026 European Championships. He has also continued to take on bigger opponents outside of the traditional 57 kg schedule. As he did last year, Harutyunyan appears headed back down to 57 kg for Worlds. His ability to generate offense from both sides, combined with his defensive wrestling and dangerous par terre game, makes him one of the hardest wrestlers in the bracket to prepare for.
Harutyunyan has been knocking on the door of a World title for years. The big question this time is whether he can finally put together four matches in one tournament against a field where nearly every round could be a medal-level matchup.
Arsen Harutyunyan's win over Spencer Lee:
After winning Olympic silver in 2024, Spencer Lee entered last year's World Championships as the gold-medal favorite. Instead, Lee had one of the most disappointing performances of last year's tournament after getting teched by Harutyunyan and failing to place.
Since Worlds, Lee has been extremely active and has picked up significant victories over Luke Lilledahl, Anthony Knox, Ramiz Gamzatov, Aamat Tuskaev, Fuga Sasaki, Horst Lehr, and Roman Bravo-Young. Lee's biggest test of the year came domestically against Lilledahl. Lilledahl defeated Lee 5-4 in the 2026 U.S. Open final, but Lee responded by winning the 2026 Final X series to earn the United States' World team spot. The first match of that series ended 7-1 in Lee's favor, and Lee ultimately won the best-of-three series.
The 2026 version of Spencer Lee looks extremely difficult to beat. His leg attacks remain some of the most efficient in the weight, and his ability to score from top can turn close matches into bonus-point wins very quickly. The question remains the same as last year - will we see the best version of Spencer Lee at Worlds?
Spencer Lee's wins over Luke Lilledahl at Final X 2026:
Roman Bravo-Young is another wrestler who has a legitimate argument for winning the World title.
RBY finished fifth at last year's World Championships after beating Darian Cruz and losing to both Chongsong Han and Arsen Harutyunyan. Since then, he has continued to establish himself as one of the most dangerous offensive wrestlers at 57 kg.
At the 2026 Zagreb Open, Bravo-Young tech falled Anthony Knox and Milad Valizadeh before losing to Lee by injury default in the gold medal match. After recovering from a broken ankle in the Lee match, RBY dominated the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games (in July), winning five matches by technical fall and defeating Darian Cruz 11-0 in the final.
RBY's style is particularly dangerous because he can score without needing extended offensive sequences. His counter offense is among the best in the weight. The big question is whether he can maintain that offense against the very best defensive wrestlers in the bracket.
Roman Bravo-Young's win over Anthony Knox at the 2026 Zagreb Open:
Aman Sehrawat is another wrestler who could completely change the outcome of this weight.
The 2024 Olympic bronze medalist has spent much of 2026 at 61 kg, but he dropped back down to 57 kg for the Polyák Imre Memorial in July and immediately looked like one of the best wrestlers in the world. Sehrawat won the tournament with victories over Nikoloz Botchorishvili, Meirambek Kartbay, Islam Bazarganov and Roberti Dingashvili. Three of those four wins came by technical superiority.
That tournament is especially important because Sehrawat didn't simply make weight and survive (something he failed to do at the 2025 World Championships). He dominated a group of wrestlers who are expected to play major roles at Worlds.
Sehrawat's length and pace make him extremely difficult to wrestle for six minutes. He is one of the tallest wrestlers in the weight class and does an excellent job using that length to create scoring opportunities. If he can maintain that level of conditioning at Worlds, and make weight, he has the tools to beat anyone in the field.
Aman's win over Zane Richards from the 2024 Zagreb Open:
Medal Contenders
- Milad Valizadeh, IRI
- Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag, MGL
- Abubakar Mutaliev, RUS
- Bekzat Almaz Uulu, KGZ
- Islam Bazarganov, AZE
- Gulomjon Abdullaev, UZB
Valizadeh has quietly become one of the most consistent wrestlers in the weight. He won nine of his 11 UWW matches in 2026 and has wins over several wrestlers who will be in the World field. His biggest result came at the Asian Championships, where he defeated Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag by technical superiority in the final. That result is especially important because Batkhuyag has already proven capable of beating Chongsong Han.
Valizadeh may not receive as much attention as Lee, Han or Harutyunyan, but he has the type of disciplined style that can make him extremely difficult to defeat.
Batkhuyag has been one of the most dangerous wrestlers at 57 kg over the last two seasons. He defeated Han at the Yarygin earlier this year and owns a 2025 World Championship win over Azamat Tuskaev before losing to Harutyunyan in the round of 16.
He also won the Mongolian Open in 2025 with a victory over Roman Bravo-Young in the final.
Batkhuyag has the physicality to give virtually everyone in this bracket problems. He’s incredibly strong and has the defensive ability to shut down some of the best scorers at 57 kg. His biggest challenge will be avoiding another difficult early-round draw.
Batkhuyag's win over Roman Bravo-Young:
Mutaliev is one of the more intriguing additions to the field. He won the 2026 Russian Nationals and picked up significant victories over Musa Mekhtikhanov, Amir Chamzyn, and Akhmed Idrisov along the way. As strong as that performance was, Mutaliev was one of the biggest surprises of Russian Nationals. Mutaliev last made a world team in 2021, where he ultimately failed to place after losing to Thomas Gilman and Horst Lehr. Make no mistake, Mutaliev is dangerous, but his lack of consistency makes him an unlikely gold medal contender.
Almaz Uulu was the World silver medalist last year and arguably came closer to winning the title than anyone other than Han. He defeated Garette Saunders, Rin Sakamoto, and Vladimir Egorov before beating Gulomjon Abdullaev 8-0 in the semifinals. He ultimately lost to Han 12-9 in the World final. Almaz Uulu has wrestled primarily at 61 kg in 2026, including a narrow 4-3 loss to Abdullaev at the Asian Championships. If he returns to 57 kg, his experience from last year's World run makes him an obvious medal threat.
Almaz Uulu's win over Gulomjon Abdullaev at the 2025 Senior World Championships:
Gulomjon Abdullaev is a wrestler I considered putting in the title contenders but he doesn't have the consistency needed to be considered a gold contender. Abdullaev has extensive experience at the highest level and owns wins over many of the wrestlers in this field. He won an Olympic bronze medal in 2024 and defeated Arsen Harutyunyan at those Games. He also has a long history of success at both 57 and 61 kg.
If Abdullaev is able to get back to his best form at 57 kg, he has the experience and style to make a run at the finals. But unlike some of the other contenders, there is more uncertainty surrounding exactly what version of Abdullaev will show up in Astana.
Abdullaev's win over Russia's Musa Mekhtikhanov at the 2025 World Championships:
Bazarganov has quietly put together another strong season. He won the European Championships at 57 kg, defeating Aryan Tsiutryn, Roberti Dingashvili and Musa Mekhtikhanov on the way to the title. He then placed fifth at the Polyák Memorial after losing to Aman Sehrawat and Meirambek Kartbay. Bazarganov has already proven that he can beat elite European competition, and his projected No. 4 seed could give him a significant advantage in the draw.
Sleepers & Landmines
- Darian Cruz, PUR
- Aryan Tsiutryn, BLR
- Yamato Ogawa, JPN
Darian Cruz remains one of the most experienced wrestlers in the field. He was a 2024 Olympian and has competed against virtually every major name at 57 kg. Cruz's biggest problem is that he has had some tough recent losses against the very top of the weight, including an 11-0 loss to Bravo-Young at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games. Still, with the right draw, no one should be surprised to see Cruz wrestle in a medal match in Astana.
Tsiutryn is another dangerous veteran. He won bronze at the 2026 European Championships, defeating Roberti Dingashvili 8-3 in the bronze-medal match after losing to Bazarganov in the quarterfinals. Tsiutryn also reached the round of 16 at last year's Worlds, where he lost a close 4-1 match to Gulomjon Abdullaev. He doesn't need much offense to make a match difficult, and his experience makes him a legitimate landmine for one of the contenders in this field.
Ogawa is a much less proven name at the senior level, but he is worth watching. The young Japanese wrestler has been competing at 57 kg and has already shown strong scoring ability in age-group competition by winning bronze at the 2026 U20 World Championships. Japan has produced some of the most technically sound wrestlers in the history of this weight, so Ogawa is worth keeping an eye on at the World Championships.
57 kg World Championship Predictions
If Spencer Lee is wrestling his best in Astana, I expect him to win gold. Lee has the most dangerous par terre offense in the world with the unique ability to end any match if he gets on top. Beyond that, Lee showed at Final X the grit needed to win while trailing, something we hadn't yet seen from Lee on the senior level. Chongson Han, Arsen Harutyunyan, Roman Bravo-Young, Aman Sehrawat, and others are huge threats to Lee. Still, I think we'll see the best version of Spencer Lee in Astana, and if that's true, I don't expect anyone to stop Lee from winning gold.
Gold: Spencer Lee, USA
Silver: Chongsong Han, PRK
Bronze: Arsen Harutyunyan, ARM
Bronze: Roman Bravo-Young, MEX