The 2026 Senior World Championships will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 through November 1 and will be streamed live on FloWrestling. Wyatt Hendrickson will be representing Team USA at 125 kg for the second year in a row and will be looking to bring home his first senior-level world medal. The heavyweight field is deep this year, led by defending world champion and pound-for-pound #1 wrestler in the world, Amir Zare. Outside of Zare, there are a host of medal contenders that will make it incredibly challenging for Hendrickson to reach the podium. Check out the article below to see a full breakdown, with predictions, for the heavyweight division at Worlds this year!
125 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.
125 kg World Championship Seeds
- Giorgi Meshvildishvili, AZE
- Amir Zare, IRI
- Shamil Sharipov, BRN
- Robert Baran, POL
- Vladislav Baitsaev, HUN
- Mohsen Siyar, GER
- Jonovan Smith, PUR
- Hakan Buyukcingil, TUR
The Favorite
- Amir Zare, IRI
Zare might be the biggest favorite of any wrestler at the 2026 World Championships. He's the defending world champion and hasn't lost since his Olympic finals match against Geno Petriashvili. Zare is 18-0 in this streak with 8 techs and hasn't given up more than 3 points in a match. Zare has defeated nearly every top contender in the field but looked slightly vulnerable at the Asian Games when he needed a late takedown to defeat Yedige Kassimbek in the semifinals. Even in that match, Zare showed he can win in more ways than controlling the handfight and pushing out his opponents. Zare might be tested in Astana, but if he loses, it will be the biggest upset of the tournament.
Zare's win in the 2025 World Finals:
Title Contenders
- Shamil Sharipov, BRN
- Yedige Kassimbek, KAZ
The above two wrestlers are the only ones who have been able to keep things close with Zare over the past year. Shamil Sharipov is a transfer from Russia and won world bronze last year. At Worlds last year, Sharipov recorded wins over Abdulla Kurbanov (pin), Buheerdun (pin), Jonovan Smith (pin), and Filip Koscic (11-0), while only losing to Amir Zare (7-3). It's worth noting that Sharipov is 0-5 against Zare, but four of those losses have been by decision (4-0, 7-3, 3-0, and 5-0), and only one has been by tech fall. What makes Sharipov especially dangerous is that he's a pinner, and of the 56 senior-level wins I have a record of, 15 have come by pin. Sharipov has suffered losses to Buheerdun and Yedige Kassimbek this year, but his overall track record and ability to keep things "close" with Zare make him a threat to win the title.
Sharipov's pin over Wyatt Hendrickson:
Kazakhstan's Yedige Kassimbek has made huge improvements over the past few years and vaulted himself up the rankings at 125 kg. Just two years ago, Kassimbek lost in the U17 World finals to Michael Mocco. Now, at 19, Kassimbek won bronze at the Asian Championships, silver at the Ulaanbaatar Open, gold at the Polyak Imre, and bronze at the Asian Games this year. Outside of the Zare losses, his only other stumble on the year was a 2-2 criteria loss to Dinesh in the finals of the Ulaanbaatar Open. Kassimbek will be unseeded, and if he's drawn in on the top side, opposite Zare and Sharipov, he should be considered the favorite to reach the finals.
Kassimbek's win in the 2025 U23 World Finals over Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad:
Medal Contenders
- Abdulla Kurbanov, RUS
- Wyatt Hendrickson, USA
- Giorgi Meshvildishvili, AZE
- Buheerdun Buheerdun, CHN
- Robert Baran, POL
The list of medal contenders at 125 kg is massive, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if any of them reach the podium in Astana. All of the above wrestlers are either slated to be on the top side of the bracket, opposite Zare and Sharipov, or are unseeded. Meshvildishvili and Baran are both guaranteed to be on the top side of the bracket. Kurbanov, Hendrickson, and Buheerdun will all be randomly drawn in. That makes this bracket incredibly fun because we're likely to see some medal-caliber matches in the early rounds of the tournament.
Abdulla Kurbanov leads this list and is 18-1 on the year, with his only loss coming back at the Yarygin to Shamil Musaev (3-1). Aside from that, Kurbanov has been incredibly consistent, with victories over Vladislav Baitsaev (4-2), Mason Parris (8-5), Hakan Buyukcingil (by pin), and several of Russia's top heavyweights. Kurbanov is a U23 world bronze medalist and placed 5th at senior Worlds back in 2023. Last year, Kurbanov teched Wyatt Hendrickson in the opening round of Worlds before losing to Shamil Sharipov in the quarters. Kurbanov doesn't quite have the talent to challenge Zare or Sharipov, but if he's top side, he won't have to worry about that task in Kazakhstan.
Kurbanov's win over Wyatt Hendrickson at last year's World Championships:
Wyatt Hendrickson is 16-2 on the year and is currently riding a 12-match winning streak into Worlds. During this streak, Hendrickson has been incredibly dominant, with 4 wins coming by pin and 5 by tech. It's also worth noting that Hendrickson has three victories over world medalists this year (two over Mason Parris and one over Giorgi Meshvildishvili), and his only losses are to world medalists (Shamil Sharipov and Mason Parris). Hendrickson looks dialed in this year, and I think we'll see a much better performance in Astana than we saw in Zagreb.
Hendrickson's win over world silver Giorgi Meshvildishvili:
Giorgi Meshvildishvili won silver last year at Worlds and won bronze at the Olympics in 2024. Meshvildishvili was fortunate enough to be on the opposite side of the bracket from Zare, Sharipov, Kurbanov, and Hendrickson last year and only had to defeat Baran, Baitsaev, and Khasanboy Rakhimov to make the finals. It feels like it won't be as easy for Meshvildishvili this year, but if he gets lucky again, he could have a similar path to the finals. Meshvildishvili has been solid all year and notably won the Khadartsev Cup and the 2026 European Championships. His only loss was a 15-4 tech against Wyatt Hendrickson, but again, Hendrickson and Kurbanov are unseeded and could get drawn in on the bottom side.
Meshvildishvili's win in the 2025 World Semis over Robert Baran:
China's Buheerdun is one of the most interesting wrestlers in the bracket at 125 kg. Honestly, his results just don't make sense. He has victories in his career over Shamil Sharipov (from the recent Asian Games) and two-time world medalist Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (from the 2023 Asian Games), but a loss this year to Venezuela's Jose Diaz. Buheerdun went 1-1 last year at Worlds, defeating Johannes Ludescher but losing to Shamil Sharipov (by pin). That match against Sharipov really explains the duality of Buheerdun. He started the match with a nice upper-body attack and then a turn to take a 6-0 lead. However, in the second period, he gave up a fairly easy takedown and then ultimately was pinned. Buheerdun has some real skills that can challenge some of the best wrestlers in the world. If he wrestles a little smarter and is more consistent in Kazakhstan, he's capable of wrestling his way to a medal match.
Buheerdun's wild match against Sharipov:
Robert Baran won his first career world medal last year, winning bronze in Zagreb. Remarkably, Baran had competed at 6 World Championships and 2 Olympic Games before reaching the podium. Baran has been solid again this year, with notable victories over Mohsen Siyar, Kamil Kosciolek, and Taye Ghadiali, but losses to Mohsen Siyar (6-3), Giorgi Meshvildishvili (3-1 and 2-0), Dinesh (5-1), Wyatt Hendrickson (11-0), and Morteza Mohammadzadeh. As the #4 seed, Baran is set up nicely to reach the semis as long as he doesn't draw Hendrickson, Kurbanov, or Kassimbek in his quarter.
Baran's win in the bronze medal match at the 2025 World Championships over Vladislav Baitsaev:
Sleepers & Landmines
- Hakan Buyukcingil, TUR
- Aleksandre Abramishvili, GEO
Wrestlers like Vladislav Baitsaev, Mohsen Siyar, and Dzianis Kharmiankou are all worth mentioning, but it's highly unlikely they make a run to a medal considering their draw and how deep this field is. Buyukcingil and Abramishvili fit the "Sleepers & Landmines" category much better considering their age and recent results. Abramishvili is fresh off a silver medal performance at the U23 World Championships, where he teched Coby Merrill. Buyukcingil is a U23 and two-time U20 world bronze medalist and placed at six different senior-level international tournaments this year. During this run, Buyukcingil recorded notable victories over Christian Lance, Mohsen Siyar, Aleksandre Abramishvili, Alen Khubulov, Volodymyr Kochanov, Shamil Musaev, and Alan Khugaev. It's highly unlikely that either Buyukcingil or Abramishvili medals at Worlds, but they have the potential to challenge some of the medal contenders and make a name for themselves in Astana.
Abramishvili's win over Coby Merrill:
125 kg World Championship Prediction
Until he loses, I'm picking Amir Zare to win every tournament he enters. Yes, he's been challenged by Kassimbek and Sharipov, but his dominance is unmatched in this field, and I expect a motivated Zare after his close match at the Asian Games. Zare has the ability to dominate in Astana and cement himself as the #1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the world.
Full 125 kg Medal Predictions
Gold - Amir Zare, IRI
Silver - Yedige Kassimbek, KAZ
Bronze - Shamil Sharipov, BRN
Bronze - Abdulla Kurbanov, RUS
How to Live Stream 2026 Senior World Championships:
STREAMING: Watch the 2026 Senior World Championships on FloWrestling. SIGN UP HERE.
On Your TV: Download the FloSports App Now Available on Roku, Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV, Samsung, VIZIO, & LG.
On The Go: Download the FloSports app on iOS or Android.
FloWrestling Archived Footage
Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.
Take Your Wrestling Coverage to the Next Level With NextGen Wrestling
Looking for more ways to stay connected to the sport? NextGen Wrestling brings wrestling fans closer to the action with features built for the modern wrestling community.
Follow the latest results, keep up with athletes and teams, explore rankings and matchups, and get the information you need in one place.
Whether you're a coach tracking your team, a wrestler following the competition or a fan keeping tabs on the season, NextGen Wrestling makes it easier to stay informed from the first whistle to the final result.
Join The Conversation On Social
- Follow us on Twitter @flowrestling
- Follow us on Instagram @flowrestling
- Like us on Facebook