Polyak Imre, Varga Janos & Kozma Istvan Memorial:
Iran names freestyle quartet for Ranking Series event
Iran has entered four freestyle wrestlers for the fourth and final United World Wrestling (UWW) Ranking Series event of the 2026 season, with the tournament in Budapest offering the last opportunity to earn ranking points ahead of October’s World Championships.
The Polyak Imre, Varga Janos & Kozma Istvan Memorial—named after three Hungarian wrestling greats—will be held in the Hungarian capital from July 15 to 19, although UWW has said the entry lists remain subject to change until 72 hours before the start of each Greco-Roman and freestyle competition.
Iran’s preliminary squad features two wrestlers in the 65kg division—former world U23 bronze medalist Abbas Ebrahimzadeh and 2024 world U20 champion Ali Khorramdel—alongside Ebrahim Elahi at 70kg and Ali Savadkouhi at 86kg.
The 65kg category is expected to be among the most competitive of the tournament. In addition to the two Iranians, the field includes American stars Vitali Arujau and Beau Bartlett, Bulgaria’s Shamil Mamedov, Kazakhstan’s Nachyn Kuular and Canada’s Iran-born Peiman Biabani, raising the possibility of an all-Iranian showdown should both progress deep into the draw.
Elahi also faces a daunting challenge in the 70kg class, where the leading contenders include Islam Dudaev, Ismail Musukaev, Ridge Lovett and Alec Pantaleo.
At 86kg, Savadkouhi could come up against four-time world champion Kyle Dake, fellow American Zahid Valencia and Azerbaijan’s Arseniy Dzhioev in one of the tournament’s strongest weight classes.