By Seth Petarra @SethPetar

The 2018 UWW Senior Men's Freestyle European Championships get underway Friday in Kaspiisk, Russia, featuring a loaded field of ranked competitors.

Everything you need to know as the some of the continent's top wrestlers vie for titles over the next two days.

57kg

Ranked Competitors To Watch:

#3 Giorgi Edisherashvili (AZE)

#4 Zavur Uguev (RUS)

#20 Zoheir El Ouarraqe (FRA)

Third-ranked Giorgi Edisherashvili (AZE) will be looking to win his third overall European title, with his first two coming in 2013 while competing for Georgia and in 2017 while competing for Azerbaijan. His primary competition and likely finals opponent is two-time Yarygin champ and #4 Zavur Uguev (RUS), whom Edisherashvili beat 5-1 in the semifinals last year. 

Other guys to watch in the bracket are #20 Zoheir El Ouarraqe (FRA), who was a Dan Kolov runner-up in March to Uguev; 133-pound NCAA runner-up for Michigan Stevan Micic, who is competing for Serbia; 2017 U23 world runner-up Mikyay Salim Naim (BUL); 2014 world bronze medalist and Yakutian transfer Ulidzislau Andreyeu (BLR); and returning European runner-up at the weight Andrei Dukov (ROU).

65kg

Ranked Competitors To Watch:

#1 Ilyas Bekbulatov (RUS)

#3 Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO)

#10 Haji Aliyev (AZE).

Tenth-ranked Haji Aliyev (AZE) is the most credentialed guy in the field with three 61kg world titles to his name, winning gold in 2014, 2015, and 2017, but it’s unlikely that he’ll win his second European title in this field. His primary competition is returning European champion and four-time Yarygin champ lyas Bekbulatov (RUS), who's ranked #1, and two-time world/Olympic champ and three-time European champ Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO), ranked third. Both Khinchegashvili and Bekbulatov have wins over Aliyev in the past: Bekbulatov gave him an 11-3 shellacking at the Indian Pro Wrestling League in January, and Khinchegashvili beat him at the 2016 European championships, the 2013 Yasar Dogu, and the 2013 European Championships. 

Outside of the trio of Aliyev, Khinchegashvili, and Bekbulatov, there’s a duo of returning European bronze medalists to keep an eye out for: Andrei Perpelita (MDA) and David Habat (SLO). Perpelita was bronze at 61kg last year where he lost to Khinchegashvili but rallied back in the consolation rounds to earn a huge win over #5(61) Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (AZE). Habat, an NCAA runner-up for Edinboro at 149 pounds in 2015, earned Slovenia’s first medal at the European Championships with a win over Gor Ogannesyan (UKR) in the bronze medal match last year. Depending on his draw,  2015 U23 European champion Volodya Frangulyan (ARM) could have medal potential.

70kg

Ranked Competitors To Watch:

#2 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS)

#5 Andrey Kviatkovski (UKR)

#6 Azamat Nurikov (BLR)

#7 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL)

#11 Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO)

#18 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK).

Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS), the 2016 world champion, will be looking to win his second European championship, with his first one coming back in 2014. To do this, Kurbanaliev will have to overcome a field that includes world champs, world runner-ups, and past European champs. Fifth-ranked Andrey Kviatkovski (UKR) is looking excellent in 2018 after first putting his name on the map with his runner-up finish at the 2016 European Olympic games qualifier, where he had huge wins over #6 Azamat Nurikov (BLR) and #11 Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO). So far in 2018, Kviatkovski has earned a bronze medal at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Memorial in January and a title at the International Ukrainian tournament in February. While at the Yarygin, an unranked Kviatkovski notched a stunning tech fall win over three-time Russian nationals runner-up and #7 Israil Kasumov (RUS) in the bronze medal match. Coming off the momentum of his strong performance at the Yarygin in January, Kviatkovski kept rolling and won the title at the International Ukrainian tournament, where he beat Nurikov and #11 Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO). Kviatkovski has been on fire since a fifth-place finish in Paris at 65kg. 

Nurikov, a three-time world fifth-place finisher (2014, '15, '17) notched a 2-2 win over returning world runner-up and #7 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL) at the Kadyrov Cup and thrashed returning world champ and #11 Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO) 11-5 at the International Ukrainian tournament. During this run, the only man to beat Nurikov was Kviatkovski, who gave Nurikov a razor-thin 8-7 loss.   

Magomedmurad Gadzhiev is the returning European runner-up at the weight and returning world runner-up at 65kg. He is looking to win his second European title, with his first one coming in 2016. 

Following a surprising run to a world title last year at 65kg, Zurab Iakobishvili has stumbled a bit in his move up to 70kg after taking fifth at the International Ukrainian tournament with losses to Kviatkovski and Nurikov. Still, with his length, pace, and leg attacks, Iakobishvili is always a title contender and medal threat. 

Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK), ranked 18th, is an Ossetian transfer to Slovakia and really put himself on the map with a title last year at the Korkin, where he teched #9 Evgeni Zherbaev (RUS) and looked very tough in a 5-5 loss to Iakobishvili at the International Ukrainian tournament. And keep an eye out for 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games runner-up Murtuz Muslimov (AZE), as he has some of the very best throws at the weight and always has big move potential.

79kg

Ranked Competitors To Watch:

#1 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS)

#5 Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE)

#7 Ali Shabanov (BLR)

#8 Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO)

#20 Mihail Nagy (HUN)

Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) will look to defend his #1 ranking and improve upon a bronze medal finish at last year’s European championships at 74kg. His biggest roadblocks to getting his first European title will be in the form of three-time world/Olympic bronze medalist and #5 Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE), three-time world bronze medalist and #7 Ali Shabanov (BLR), and Dan Kolov bronze medalist and #8 Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO). Gadzhimagomedov has notched wins over all these opponents in the past: Kvelashvili at the Dan Kolov in March, Shabanov at last year’s European championships, and Hasanov at the 2014 Intercontinental Championships. 

For unranked guys to watch, be on the lookout for Martin Obst (GER), Johnny Bur (FRA), and Alexandru Burca (MDA). Obst has a stingy defense and a win over two-time world bronze medalist and #3 Soner Demirtas (TUR) at the 2015 Ziolkowski, so don’t be surprised if Obst shows up in good form and is able to eke out a win against someone he's not supposed to beat. 

I watched Bur wrestle at the Dan Kolov and notch a dominant win over 2014 world fifth-place finisher Rustam Dudaev (UKR) and lose 3-0 to Kvelashvili. I was impressed with his use of his length and ability to get to leg attacks. If his skill set can develop more and round out I could see him with dark horse potential for Budapest, Hungary, this October.

Last but not least is Alexandru Burca, who has world fifth-place finishes in 2005 and 2009 and will be bringing veteran’s savvy to the field in Kaspiisk.

97kg

Ranked Competitors To Watch:

#2 Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS)

#3 Nurmagomed Gadzhiev (AZE)

#4 Georgi Ketoev (ARM)

#5 Riza Yildirim (TUR)

#8 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO)

#13 Aleksandr Husthyn (BLR)

#15 Abraham De Jesus Conyedo Ruano (ITA)

#17 Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD)

#18 Murazi Mchedlidze (UKR)

#16(92 KG) Pavlo Oliinyk (HUN)

In the weight class containing the most ranked wrestlers, 2017 Russian Nationals runner-up and #2 Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) is the front-runner to win the European title at 97kg. His biggest challenges will be in the form of 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games champion and #3 Nurmagomed Gadzhiev (AZE), 2015 European Games runner-up and #8 Elizbar Odikdze (GEO), returning world bronze medalist and #4 Georgi Ketoev (ARM), and #5 Riza Yildirim (TUR). 

Gadzhiev is coming off a title at the International Ukrainian tournament in February where he pinned #15 Abraham De Jesus Conyedo Ruano (ITA) in the finals along with getting an earlier win over #13 Aleksandr Husthyn (BLR). 

Odikadze was fifth in Paris where he notched wins over #14 Reineris Salas Perez (CUB) and #16 (92) Pavlo Oliinyk (UKR), but since then he’s lost at the Kunaev to Russian junior national champ Magomedkhan Magomedov (RUS) and to #8(92) Yuri Belonovski (RUS) at the Alans tournament. Even with inconsistent results, Odikadze is always a wrestler to watch, as he’s earned career wins over the likes of #1 Kyle Snyder (USA), eight-time world/Olympic medalist Khetag Gazyumov (AZE), #3(92) Sharif Sharifov (AZE), and two-time world champ Reza Yazdani (IRI). 

Riza Yildirim is the returning European champ at the weight. Last year in Serbia, he turned heads with big wins over Odikadze and two-time Yarygin champ Anzor Boltukaev (RUS), but I don’t think Yildirim will repeat his title-winning performance in Novi Sad, as he’s coming off a runner-up finish at the Dan Kolov in March to Baitsaev. 

Georgi Ketoev is a 2007 84kg world champ for Russia and is coming off a bronze medal performance in Paris in which he notched strong wins over #7 Magomed Ibragimov (UZB) and Odikadze. 

Conyedo Ruano is a Cuban transfer to Italy who put his name on the map after a runner-up finish to Gadzhiev at the International Ukrainian tournament in February. In Ukraine, Ruano also notched a big win over then #12 Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD). Nurov, fifth at the weight last year, had a big 19-8 win last October in the Bundesliga over Ketoev but hasn’t really notched a win of that caliber since. Nurov is coming off a fifth-place finish at the International Ukrainian tournament in February where he lost to Conyedo Ruano and Dzianis Khramiankov (BLR).