The 2026 Senior World Championships go down in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24-November 1 and will be streamed live on FloWrestling! Marcus Blaze will represent Team USA at the 61 kg weight class, competing on October 29-30 in Astana. Blaze, a U20 world champion, will be tested by World & Olympic champion Zavur Uguev (RUS), world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov, and several other world-class wrestlers. Check out the article below for a full preview, with predictions, for this weight class in Astana.
61 Kilogram 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
- Zavur Uguev, RUS
- Ahmad Javan, IRI
- Nuraddin Novruzov, AZE
- Zelimkhan Abakarov, ALB
- Kamil Kerymov, UKR
- Dzmitry Shamela, BLR
- Leomid Colesnic, MDA
- Giorgi Goniashvili, GEO
The Favorite
- Zavur Uguev, RUS
Uguev is by far the most credentialed wrestler in the field and the reigning 61 kg world champion. Along with winning last year, Uguev won gold at the 2020 Olympics and the 2018 and 2019 World Championships - all at 57 kg. Uguev has been undefeated, winning 27 straight matches, since losing to Masanosuke Ono and Vito Arujau at the 2024 World Championships. In that time frame, Uguev has notable victories over Jax Forrest (10-3), Assylzhan Yessengeldi (13-2), Arsen Harutyunyan (7-5 & by pin), Ahmad Javan (11-2), Austin DeSanto (5-0), Zelimkhan Abakarov (4-0), and a host over other high-level wrestlers.
Needless to say, Uguev is a considerable favorite considering his success over the past two years. Beyond the accolades, Uguev's defense is what makes him so difficult to defeat. In Uguev’s 27-match win streak, he’s outscored his opponents 232-31 (8.6 to 1.1 avg), with 15 shutouts, 12 techs, and 1 pin. If Uguev continues this level of dominance, he’ll cruise to his fourth world title in Astana.
Zavur Uguev's win over Jax Forrest at the 2025 World Championships:
Title Contenders
- Marcus Blaze, USA
- Omurbek Asan Uulu, KGZ
- Zelimkhan Abakarov, ALB
Marcus Blaze will be competing in his first senior world championships, but he’s familiar with international success, having won a U20 world title in 2025, a U20 world bronze in 2024, and a U17 world title in 2023. Just 19 years old, Blaze is 27-6 in his senior-level career and already has an impressive hit list that includes victories over Jax Forrest (3 times), Nico Megaludis, Luke Lilledahl, Seth Gross (twice), Nahshon Garrett, Daton Fix, Nathan Tomasello, Ben Davino (twice), Bo Bassett, Aden Valencia, and Austin DeSanto.
Similar to Uguev, Blaze has incredible defense and gives up an average of only 1.5 points per match. Blaze almost never breaks his stance and is among the best in the world at capitalizing on his opponents' errors. If Blaze has any weaknesses, it’s generating his own offense when trailing, but he seldom needs to because he hardly ever falls behind.
Marcus Blaze vs Jax Forrest Final X Series:
Omurbek Asan Uulu won silver at last year’s U23 World Championships, losing in the finals to Jax Forrest in a wild 17-14 match. Outside of the loss, Asan Uulu showed off his potent offense with tech fall wins over Yongquan Luo (11-0), Erdal Shukri Galip (12-0), Endrio Avdyli (12-2), and Tolga Ozbek (12-1). Most recently, Asan Uulu defeated 2026 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Chermen Tavitov (8-7) at PWL 11. Asan Uulu isn’t incredibly experienced or credentialed, but his offensive capabilities make him a threat to defeat anyone in the world at 61 kg.
Omurbek Asan Uulu's win in the semifinals at the 2025 U23 World Championships:
Zelimkhan Abakarov is the final wrestler in this field who should be considered a serious title contender. In fact, Abakarov won world gold in 2022 by defeating Thomas Gilman in the finals, and Abakarov is the only wrestler in the field with a win over Uguev. Abakarov defeated Uguev, 4-4, in the bronze medal match of the 2023 World Championships. Since then, Abakarov has been inconsistent, losing to Aman Sehrawat (12-0), Ayub Musaev (6-1), Arsen Harutyunyan (5-2), Leomid Colesnic (7-4), Chermen Tavitov (8-5), Zavur Uguev (4-0), Giorgi Goniashvili (by pin), and Islam Guseinov (11-0). Still, at his best, Abakarov is dangerous and shouldn’t be underestimated by anyone.
Abakarov's win over Thomas Gilman in the finals of the 2022 World Championships:
Medal Contenders
- Toshihiro Hasegawa, JPN
- Ahmad Javan, IRI
- Nuraddin Novruzov, AZE
I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the above three wrestlers win a medal, but would be shocked if they came away with gold. Ahmad Javan won a silver medal at last year’s World Championships. So, why isn’t he one of the title contenders? Javan’s path to the finals was relatively easy considering he was on the opposite side of the bracket from Zavur Uguev, Jax Forrest, Takara Suda, Tairbek Zhumashbek Uulu, Udit Udit, and Assylzhan Yessengeldi. Javan has solid victories, but he’s never defeated anyone close to Uguev or Abakarov’s level, and I’d be surprised if we see Javan make the finals this year.
Ahmad Javan's win over Nahshon Garrett at the 2025 Zagreb Open:
Japan’s Hasegawa won a bronze medal back in 2021 and surprisingly made the world team this year after Rei Higuchi forfeited the spot. Hasegawa failed to place at this year’s Asian Championships, losing a competitive 8-5 match to Ahmad Javan. Though Hasegawa hasn’t been on a world team since 2022, he’s still been one of Japan’s best lightweights. In the past few years, Hasegawa has boasted notable wins over Aman Sehrawat and Chongsong Han. Hasegawa might be a bit past his prime, and I don’t think he can defeat Uguev, but he’ll be a threat to everyone else in the weight.
Hasegawa's win in the 2021 World bronze medal match:
Nuraddin Novruzov won a bronze at last year’s Worlds but has since taken losses to Zavur Uguev, Zelimkhan Abakarov, Simone Piroddu, Assyl Aitakyn, and Deepak. I wouldn’t consider Novruzov a medal contender if it wasn’t for the fact that he’ll be the #3 seed and opposite from Abakarov and Uguev. Novruzov does have significant wins over Reza Momeni, Leomid Colesnic, Kamil Kerymov, and Kum Hyok Kim, so with another favorable draw, we could see Novruzov back in a medal match at this year’s World Championships.
Novruzov's win in the bronze medal match at the 2025 World Championships:
Sleepers & Landmines
- Allan Oralbek, KAZ
- Kwang Myong Kim, PRK
- Deepak Deepak, IND
The above three wrestlers have never medaled at Worlds but have strong results over the past year that suggest they could make some noise in Astana. Allan Oralbek won Kazakhstan Nationals this year and notably defeated last year’s world bronze medalist Assylzhan Yessengeldi. Beyond that result, Oralbek won a silver medal at the ranking series tournament in Türkiye with wins over Emrah Ormanoglu (3-1), Nebi Uzun (3-1), Saban Kilziltas (10-), while only losing to Gulomjon Abdullaev (3-2). Oralbek won’t be seeded, so his success might be draw-dependent, but he’s wrestling well this year and is a wrestler to watch in his home country.
North Korea’s lightweights had a breakout tournament at last year’s World Championships, and it will be fascinating to see if they can do it again this year. Kum Hyok Kim was North Korea’s 61 kg rep last year and ultimately placed 5th. I’m assuming Myong Kim will be the rep this year after his performance at the 2026 Asian Championships, where he won a gold medal by defeating Aman Sehrawat (13-10), Gulomjon Abdullaev (by pin), Azatberdi Ashyrgylyyev(11-0), and Batnasan Gankhuleg (10-0). Myong Kim won’t be seeded, but he’s capable of making a deep run regardless of where he’s drawn in the bracket.
India’s Deepak has had a solid year, winning gold at the 2026 Ulaanbaatar Open and bronze at the Ranking Series Tournament in Türkiye. In those tournaments, Deepak recorded notable victories over Nuraddin Novruzov (9-8), Mikyay Naim (8-1), Assyl Aitakyn (6-0), and Bair Baianduev (6-0). At the Khadarstev Cup last month, Deepak placed 5th while losing to Imam Umarov (7-6) and Ramiz Gamzatov (13-2). Deepak isn’t a threat for gold, but he’ll be a tough matchup for any of the medal contenders and is capable of making a medal match with the right draw.
61 kg World Championship Predictions
Zavur Uguev is the favorite entering Worlds, and he’s my pick to win this bracket. Uguev’s experience, defense, and positioning is better than anyone else and should result in him standing atop the podium. Blaze and Abakarov are the two wrestlers in this bracket that have the best styles to challenge Uguev, and if any other wrestler wins gold, I’d expect it to be those two. Regardless of how this bracket plays out, it will be incredible to watch in Astana.
Full 61kg Medal Predictions
Gold: Zavur Uguev, RUS
Silver: Marcus Blaze, USA
Bronze: Zelimkhan Abakarov, ALB
Bronze: Omurbek Asan Uulu, KGZ