The 2022 Asian Championships will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from April 19-24 with some of the best wrestlers in the world taking the mat across all three styles. In this article, we’ll break down some of the top wrestlers to watch in men’s freestyle who will compete on Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24.

Ravi Kumar (IND), 57kg

Kumar won silver at 57kg in Tokyo last summer but didn’t compete at the world championships two months later in Oslo. He returned to action this February competing at 61kg at both the Kolov and the Yasar Dogu winning silver and gold respectively. Back down at 57kg, Kumar is among the best in the world because of his size and incredible pace. At the Asian Championships, look for Kumar’s biggest challenger to be Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev. The two have met 4 times throughout their careers and have split with two wins apiece. Their most recent bout was just 2 months ago at the Yasar Dogu with Kumar winning an incredible 11-10 bout. Watch that match below:

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Rei Higuchi (JPN), 61kg

A 2016 Olympic Silver medalist, Rei Higuchi has struggled to make his way back to the top since his runner-up performance at the Rio Games. While he did win gold at the U23 world championships in 2018, he hasn’t made a senior world or Olympic team since 2016. That is largely due to being stuck between 57kg and 65kg and behind some of Japan’s strongest wrestlers. Higuchi attempted to move up to 65kg in 2018 and actually defeated world and Olympic champ Takuto Otoguro. However, he chose to move down in 2021 to make the Olympic team but failed to make weight at an Olympic qualifying tournament. Now at 61kg, Higuchi should be a threat to everyone in the world - including Daton Fix. 

Higuchi’s gold medal match at the 2018 U23 World Championships

Bajrang Punia (IND), 65kg

Bajrang Punia is one of the most loved international wrestlers due to his fierce and entertaining wrestling style. He’s also a lot of fun to follow on social media. In Mongolia, Bajrang will take the mat for his first international tournament since winning bronze last summer in Tokyo. As a three-time Asian champ, Bajrang will be a big favorite to win gold in 2022 - especially with the absence of Olympic champ Takguo Otoguro from the field. One potential match to watch for Bajrang is against Iran’s 2021 junior world champ Rahman Amouzad - the young Iranian wrestles a similar style to Bajrang and is considered by many to be Iran’s next star at 65kg.

Bajrang’s win over Joey McKenna at the 2021 Matteo Pellicone:

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Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ), 70kg

There might not be a wrestler on the planet more fun to watch than Kyrgyzstan’s Ernazar Akmataliev. His creativity and big-move potential not only make him a must-watch wrestler but also have established Akmataliev as one of the best wrestlers in the world at 70kg. Akmataliev had an incredible 2021 - he qualified for the Olympics, won a world silver medal, and then won a U23 world title. Akmataliev will be the favorite to win gold at the Asian Championships and should put on a show in the process.

Akmataliev’s win over Russia's Zherbaev to make the 2021 world finals:

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Ali Savadkoui (IRI), 79kg

Jordan Burroughs had one of his most dominating performances at last year’s wold championships highlighted by a controlling, 5-1 win over Iran’s Mohammed Nokhodi in the finals. After those finals, it appeared no one was close to Burroughs at 79kg…enter Ali Savadkoui. Burroughs and Savadkoui met in the semi-finals at the 2022 Yasar Dogu this past February in a match where Burroughs escaped with a 2-1 win because of a penalty point off an errant Savadkoui singlet pull. Savadkoui has presented himself as a legitimate contender at 79kg and will be fascinating to watch in Mongolia. 

Burroughs’ win over Savadkoui:

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Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI), 97kg

Mohammadian was the talk of 2020 when he won the Matteo Pellicone by teching Bo Nickal and pinning Kyle Snyder. However, he failed to live up to expectations when he lost first round at the Olympics to Elizbar Odikadze. His performance at the upcoming Asian Championships should tell us a lot about Mohammadian’s future at 97kg and if he’ll be able to challenge Kyle Snyder at this year’s world championships. 

Mohammadian’s win over Kyle Snyder from January 2020:

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While the above are some of the best wrestlers in men's freestyle, you can look at everyone entered across all three styles here.

See where these wrestlers stack up in our international rankings.