Leading up to the World Championships we previewed each weight class, made championship picks and identified a pool of contestants who could/would be on the medal stand. Let's check and see if those predictions held up. The contenders and championship picks are listed before the actual medalists and a breakdown.

57kg: Mostly A Hit
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
There was not a shortage of championship contenders at 57kg. Of the former World Champions, three headline the field and Khinchegashvili has twice been disappointed on the biggest stage. Yang was stung by several different Russian opponents, as well as Rahimi, in his title drought between 2009 and 2014. All the big players have traded wins, except for Rodriguez. Rodriguez competed at 60kg before the weight changes and medaled at 61kg last year. The random draw will be very important.

Who does Brock like to win?
I am taking Bonne Rodriguez to win the title here at 57kg. He has wrestled surprisingly well for someone his age dropping a weight class. If paired opposite of Khinchegashvili, I believe the list of world final disappointments for the Georgian will continue. Rodriguez is almost impossible to take down when you attack his right leg, and his par terre offense is second to none.

Title Contenders:
Yang, North Korea (UWW No.1)
Bonne Rodriguez, Cuba (UWW No.3)
Khinchegashvili, Georgia (UWW No.8)
Lebedev, Russia (UWW No.2)
Rahimi, Iran(UWW No.4)

Medal Contenders:
Erdenebat, Mongolia (UWW 5th)
Andreev, Belarus (UWW 16th)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
I had Bonne Rodriguez to win, and that obviously didn’t happen. The circumstances surrounding his loss allows me to take a pass on the miss. Bonne Rodriguez was the aggressor against Lebedev in my eyes (as well as plenty in attendance), but was put on the shot clock two times to Lebedev’s one. We will leave the caution and correct hold call alone as it has already been addressed plenty of times. The #FreeBonne campaign on Twitter is evidence enough that many feel Bonne Rodriguez was robbed by questionable officiating decisions.

I already talked about Khinchegashvili and how tremendously important his draw was. Also, you have to respect the tournament that Hassan Rahimi had coming out of the bottom bracket. He defeated Ramos (USA), Jong (PRK), and Lebedev (RUS) on the way to the finals. Khinchegashvili dealt with losing a late lead to Yang (PRK) in the 2014 finals and now Rahimi has to bear that burden this year. The contenders all wrestled well, except the two who did not represent their country. Jong (PRK) took fifth in place of Yang and Lachinov (BLR) finished 7th.

Final Results:
Gold: Khichegashvili (GEO)
Silver: Rahimi (IRI)
Bronze: Lebedev (RUS)
Bronze: Erdenebat (MGL)


61kg: Hit
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
It is a shame for fans that Russia has only one entry. They have a deep field of World and Olympic Champions on the bench. Bogomoev has only had a few hiccups over the past few years and unfortunately for him, one came at the World Championships in Tashkent. The good news for Bogomoev is that Rodriguez, who defeated him, made the drop to 57kg.

Aliev has bumped up to 65kg a few times taking some losses. Even back down at 61kg for the World Cup and European Games he hasn’t been able to find the top of the podium. I think the title contenders are really in a different league at this point and will be surprised if the title doesn’t come from one of these three.

Who does Brock like to win?
Aliev is the returning champ, but he has taken some losses this year. Both Bogomoev and Ehsanpoor have defeated him in the spring. Aliev tested the waters at 65kg a few times and I believe being honed in at 61kg will benefit his performance in Las Vegas. I am sticking with the champ to repeat.

Title Contenders:
Bogomoev, Russia (UWW No. 1)
Ehsanpoor, Iran (UWW No. 5)
Aliev, Azerbaijan (UWW No. 10 at 65kg)

Medal Contenders:
Dubov, Bulgaria (UWW No. 8)
Niyazbekov, Kazakhstan (UWW No. 7)
Frangulyan, Armenia (UWW No. 2)


Post Tournament Breakdown:
Haji Aliev wrestled really well en route to the title and made my prediction look good. The slight miss I had here was not having Vasyl Shuptar, defeated Bogomoev on his way to the semi-final, and Nomin Batbold as a contenders. Bogomoev held criteria in a 2-2 match and had a single leg in the air, but was too cautious working for a finish and the referee restarted the action. Shuptar was able to score a step out point for the win in the closing seconds. Batbold, who competed at 57kg through the Yarygin in January was scheduled to be an alternate for Mongolia. After Yarygin, he made the move to 61kg with some mixed results. He had a great tournament and will be a force for many years to come as he is only 22 years old.

Final Results:
Gold: Aliev (AZE)
Silver: Batbold (MGL)
Bronze: Dubov (BUL)
Bronze: Shuptar (UKR)


65kg: Huge Miss
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
Bekbulatov has many grand prix and major wins, but doesn’t have any experience at the World Championships on the Senior level. In addition, Bekbulatov hasn’t found the top of the stand at Euros, either. It sounds like a stretch to put someone with his resume on the title contender list, but you must remember the reigning World Champion is sitting at home in favor of Bekbulatov.

Asgarov seems to have settled into the weight change and is looking more like the guy that some believed would finish his career as an all-time great. Mohammadi has been great over the past year, but was sat during the World Cup against the United States. This cheated us out of a Mohammadi/Metcalf match-up. Despite Metcalf's number two ranking, he lacks a victory against the title contenders and lost to Bekbulatov at Yarygin.

Who does Brock like to win?
Mohammadi won a 14-10 barnburner over an in-shape, healthy and very motivated Asgarov at the World Cup. We haven’t seen this form from Asgarov since his Olympic Gold performance in London in 2012. If they are separated; I like the chances of seeing a Mohammadi/Asgarov rematch. Mohammadi does very well attacking Asgarov’s legs and seemed to learn how to tie-up and stay away from the sneaky slide-by's as the match wore on. I will take Mohammadi to come out on top again and earn the World Title he missed out on last year.

***Ramonov(RUS) will be inserted into the line-up and will be a title contender here at 65kg. He has stumbled at a few events this year and taken some losses, but he is the reigning World Champion.

Title Contenders:
Mohammadi, Iran (UWW No. 1)
Bekbulatov, Russia (UWW No. 7)
Asgarov, Azerbaijan (UWW No. 3)

Medal Contenders:
Kaya, Turkey (UWW No. 6)
Metcalf, USA (UWW No. 2)
Chamizo, Italy (UWW No. 5)
Ganzorig, Mongolia (UWW No. 16)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
Raise your hand if you had Frank Chamizo (ITA) taking on Ikhtiyor Navruzov (UZB) in the final when the bracket came out. Look around at the people with their hands in the air: they are liars. Chamizo had a brutal draw hitting Gadzhiev (POL via RUS) and Jong (PRK) in his two opening bouts. This brought him into the most impressive stretch of any wrestler in the tournament. In back-to-back matches he defeated Toghrul Asgarov (AZE), 10-5, and pinned Seyed Ahmad Mohammadi (IRI). Navruzov was dominant on the other side of the bracket as he teched two-time returning bronze medalist Mandakhnar Ganzorig (MGL) and pinned reigning World Champion Soslan Ramonov (RUS). The surprise finalists meant we saw the favorites take bronze. One great thing that came out of the unseeded brackets is that we got to see Asgarov and Mohammadi wrestle for bronze. Mohammadi dominated in the World Cup rematch that was such a great bout.

Final Results:
Gold: Chamizo (ITA)
Silver: Navruzov (UZB)
Bronze: Mohammadi (IRI)
Bronze: Ramonov (RUS)


70kg: Miss
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
Just like the situation at 65kg, the reigning World Champion is on the bench for Russia. Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov will represent Russia instead of Khetik Tsabolov. Gazimagomedov cemented his spot on the team with a Euro Games title when he defeated both Russian defector Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL) and Yakup Gor (TUR) en route to the Gold Medal.

Who does Brock like to win?
I didn’t mention Hassan Yazdani Charati in the contenders commentary because I am picking him to win the title. USA fans may remember it was Charati who defeated Aaron Pico in the 2014 Junior World Final. He has lead me to believe that we are watching the infancy of a career all-time great. Look for this to be a pit stop on his way to a showdown at 74kg with Burroughs and Tsargush, who have already stamped their mark on the history books.

Title Contenders:
Gor, Turkey (UWW No. 3)
Gazimagomedov, Russia (UWW No. 1)
Gadzhiev, Poland (UWW No. 2)
Yazdani Charati, Iran (UWW No. 7)

Medal Contenders:
Abdurakhmanov, Uzbekistan (UWW No.4)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
I severely underestimated Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS). He was fantastic the entire day. His domination is why this is considered a miss. Gadzhiev wrestled down at 65kg, which took one of my medalist away. James Green (USA) got on the medal stand in his first outing, and showed that he should have been in the list medal contenders after his win over Chamizo this summer. I still believe Yazdani Charati will develop into an all-time great for Iran, but he isn’t quite there yet.

Final Results:
Gold: Gazimagomedov (RUS)
Silver: Yazdani Charati (IRI)
Bronze: Green (USA)
Bronze: Gor (TUR)


74kg: Hit
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
There is no shortage of contenders in the medal hunt. However, my two title contenders seem to be way ahead of the rest of the field. Aniuar Geduev has two Euro Golds and two Golds from the prestigious Ivan Yarygin. He has yet to appear at the World Championships because of Russia’s incredible depth. This is the third weight class in a row that Russia is keeping the reigning World Champion at home. The other title contender is Jordan Burroughs, he needs no introduction.

Who does Brock like to win?
I believe Burroughs will continue to climb the ladder in the United States toward becoming the most decorated Freestyler of all-time. A fourth World or Olympic title would leave only John Smith (6) and Bruce Baumgartner (5) ahead of him. When considering the reduction of weight classes and split of the Soviet Union, the debate is certainly real when trying to pick our best ever.

Title Contenders:
Burroughs, USA (UWW No. 1)
Geduev, Russia (UWW No. 2)

Medal Contenders:
Hasanov, Azerbaijan (UWW No. 16)
Takatani, Japan (UWW No. 4)
Lopez Azcuy, Cuba (UWW No. 9)
Shabanov, Belarus (UWW No. 13)
Kurbanov, Uzbekistan (UWW No. 8)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
Jordan Burroughs was an easy pick made by everyone. With Geduev drawing into his side the true championship match took place in the semi-finals. The battle was incredible as Geduev pushed Burroughs late in the match. Yadav of India made this a little bit of a miss by taking out Lopez of Cuba. Most of the medal contenders drew into Geduev’s quarter and didn’t have a chance in the repechage making the misses in this weight understandable.

Final Results:
Gold: Burroughs (USA)
Silver: Purevjav (MGL)
Bronze: Yadav (IND)
Bronze: Geduev (RUS)


86kg: Hit
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
Salas Perez and Sadulaev met for the title last year. If anyone is to get in the way of that rematch I think it will be Karimimachiani. He is very young and should have the steepest growth trajectory of anyone in the field. I was hesitant to put Herbert in the contenders field because of his lackluster results overseas. He seemed to improve dramatically as he got more mat time throughout the spring.

Who does Brock like to win?
Sadulaev was the only title contender for a reason. He hasn’t lost since November 2013 when he stumbled against Osmanov at the Golden Grand Prix. Earlier I predicted that Yazdani Charati could become an all-time great. Barring injury, Sadulaev will be an all-time great. If the May 9, 1996 birth date is factual; he won his first World Title at 18. You have to think many more are in his future. If you believe the chatter, he already is the best Russia has at 97kg. You have to believe a 19-year old Sadulaev will soon grow into that weight category.

Title Contenders:
Sadulaev, Russia (UWW No. 1)

Medal Contenders:
Salas Perez, Cuba (UWW No. 2)
Karimimachiani, Iran (UWW No. 5)
Yasar, Turkey (UWW No. 10)
Herbert, USA (UWW No. 19)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
The day started off with the upset of Reineris Salas Perez (CUB) in the top bracket. It looked as though I could have a huge miss as Herbert went down in the opening round, as well. From there things looked pretty good. Sadulaev (RUS) was as heavy of a favorite as they come on the men’s freestyle side. Karimimachiani (IRI) wrestled well against Sadulaev in the semi-final and Yasar (TUR) was already talked about previously.

Final Results:
Gold: Sadulaev (RUS)
Silver: Yasar (TUR)
Bronze: Karimimachiani (IRI)
Bronze: Aminashvili (GEO)


97kg: Hit
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
Three guys have dominated 97kg during this Olympic cycle. Reza Yazdani (IRI),Gadisov (RUS), and Gazumov (AZE) have each been world finalists the past two years. Gazumov fell to Yazdani in the 2013 championship and Gadisov in the 2014 finale. An injury will keep Yazdani out of this year’s championship. If paired in opposite brackets, I think we will see Gadisov and Gazumov in a rematch of the 2014 final. Don’t be surprised if young Kyle Snyder throws a wrench in these plans. He had a great showing against Gatsalov at the 2014 Beat the Streets Dual as a high school senior. He also defeated 2012 Olympic Champion, Jake Varner, three times en route to making the World Team.

Who does Brock like to win?
Gadisov is leading the series over Gazumov, but dropped the most recent match at the Euro Games in June. The key sequence in that bout had Gadisov getting over anxious on a go behind, and Gazumov was able to catch his legs and drive through to score the takedown. This match is usually a slow pace with some heavy hand fighting. I like Gadisov to take back the upperhand in this rivalry and win his second consecutive title.

Title Contenders:
Abdusalam Gadisov, Russia (UWW No. 2)
Khetag Gazumov, Azerbaijan (UWW No. 1)

Medal Contenders:
Mohamedhossein Hossei Askari Mohammadian, Iran (UWW No. 9)
Elizbar Odikadze, Georgia (UWW No. 4)
Kyle Snyder, USA (UWW No. 15)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
Kyle Snyder (USA) may not have been the outright pre-tournament pick to win, but the thought was definitely there that he could spoil the title hopes of the mainstays. Despite the fact that Gadisov (RUS) and Gazumov (AZE) drew each other in the quarterfinals, my championship outcome was correct as the match went in Gadisov’s favor. The bad news for him was that in the real championship, the 19-year old American converted a late takedown to take the title away from the reigning champion. Gazumov came back through the repechage and defeated Odikadze (GEO) for a bronze medal. The other bronze was my only miss at the weight as Tahan represented Iran rather than Mohammadian. He fell to Oliinyk (UKR) in the bronze medal match.

Final Results:
Gold: Snyder (USA)
Silver: Gadisov (RUS)
Bronze: Gazumov (AZE)
Bronze: Oliinyk (UKR)

125kg: Miss
Pre-Tournament Commentary and Title Contenders:
The big story is the return of Beylal Makhov (RUS). Rumors have been swirling for a while, and they were confirmed this past week with an official press release. Makhov won three World titles between 2007 and 2010. However, he still hasn’t secured an Olympic title. He was a bronze medalist in 2012, and not on the Russian team in 2008. He made his wrestling return last year at 130kg in Greco with a bronze medal finish at the World Championships. He was victorious at Ali Aliev in July and looks to join a small group of wrestlers that have medaled or won in Greco and Freestyle in the same year.

Don’t let the fact that your returning champion is back in the field get lost in the Makhov news. Taha Akguel (TUR) hasn’t stood below the top platform since Moscow Lights in November of 2013. Shemarov (BLR) brings a resume complete with a World title, and Petriashvili (GEO) is still just 21 years old with a World Bronze being won at 19. Is there another weight with such compelling questions to be answered? Probably not.

Who does Brock like to win?
I hate picking against Akguel, but the resurrection of Makhov is forcing me to lean that way. He will compete on Tuesday in Greco-Roman and Saturday in Freestyle. If he comes out of Tuesday healthy, there should be enough recovery time to see the best Makhov has to offer on Saturday. I think that Makhov will make a grand re-entry to Freestyle wrestling and win the title.

Title Contenders:
Beylal Makhov, Russia (UWW No. 6)
Taha Akguel, Turkey (UWW No. 1)

Medal Contenders:
Aleksey Shemarov, Belarus (UWW No. 2)
Geno Petriashvili, Georgia (UWW No. 3)
Jamaladdin Magomedov, Azerbaijan (UWW No.4)
Alen Zaseev, Ukraine (UWW No. 12)

Post Tournament Breakdown:
I hit every medalist in the field, but marked this a miss. It wasn’t hard to identify the final medalist before the tournament, which were ranked 1, 3, 4, and 6. But this is still a miss because of how much better Akguel (TUR) was than the field. I wrongly picked against him. Even though he had some close matches early on in the tournament, he got it done in a big way when it counted in the semi-finals and finals by recording 10-0 technical falls on Makhov (RUS) and Magomedov (AZE). Making that mistake won’t happen again, and something tells me that Akguel will be appropriately ranked in the pound-for-pound rankings when they come out.

Final Results:
Gold: Akguel (TUR)
Silver: Magomedov (AZE)
Bronze: Petriashvili (GEO)
Bronze: Makhov (RUS)