Wrestling World Championships:
New superheavyweight era in Greco-Roman as Hedayati makes debut
For two decades, the Greco-Roman 130kg gold medal at the World Championships and Olympic Games has largely been contested by legendary Cuban Mijaín López and Turkish great Riza Kayaalp, who have collected 14 titles between them across 24 major events. Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh has been the only wrestler to break their duopoly twice, winning world titles in 2023 and 2025.
But a new force is ready to challenge the established order: Mirzazadeh’s compatriot Fardin Hedayati.
Having collected five world and Asian age-group titles, the highly touted Iranian heavyweight, who defeated Mirzazadeh in the trials to secure his place on the national team, is ready for his World Championships debut as the global showpiece gets underway in Astana, Kazakhstan, today.
With two years remaining before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, gold in Astana would strengthen Hedayati’s credentials as a serious contender for Olympic glory.
However, he will face a tough challenge, as Kayaalp returns to the World Championships after a three-year absence, having claimed a record 13th European title in April.
Another veteran in the mix is Russia’s Sergei Semenov, who missed out on a medal last year and returns in search of his second world title. China’s Wenhao Jiang will also be a talent to watch after becoming his country’s first U23 world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling last week in Las Vegas.
Elsewhere, defending champion Mohammad-Hadi Saravi of Iran enters the competition as the man to beat at 97kg. The Paris Olympic champion reclaimed the world title in Zagreb last year, defeating Russia’s Artur Sargsian in the final to secure his second world crown.
Sargsian, who has now lost twice to Saravi, will be joined by returning bronze medalists Kiryl Maskevich of Belarus and Murad Ahmadiyev of Azerbaijan in challenging the Iranian.
At 87kg, Iran’s Alireza Mohmadi will return with unfinished business after narrowly missing out on his first senior world title last year. The Iranian Olympic silver medalist led Serbia’s Aleksandr Komarov in the final before suffering a 4-3 defeat. Komarov will defend his crown, while Bulgaria’s Olympic champion Semen Novikov is another major threat.
Saeid Esmaeili, meanwhile, will aim to retain his world title at 67kg. The Iranian prodigy followed his Olympic triumph with world gold last year, defeating Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov in the final. Their rivalry continued at the Islamic Solidarity Games, where Esmaeili again prevailed in the closing seconds.
Jafarov, a European champion with world and Olympic medals, will be determined to complete his collection with a senior world title. Cuba’s Luis Orta, a former world champion, and Uzbekistan’s Aytjan Khalmakhanov, who has moved up from 63kg, will also be in contention.
Gholamreza Farokhi will return to the 82kg division after a difficult season at 87kg. Since winning the world title, the Iranian has struggled to replicate that success at senior level, missing out on gold at both the Asian Championships and the Asian Games. A return to his title-winning weight class offers an opportunity to regain his form and defend his crown.
Former world champion Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan will be among his leading rivals, alongside Asian champion Shahin Baddaghi of Qatar and European champion Gurban Gurbanov of Azerbaijan.
Iran will also count on Ali Ahmadi Vafa at 60kg, where he will seek to make amends for missing out on a medal last year. At 63kg, Mohammad Keshtkar will aim to improve on his previous bronze medal as the division welcomes a new champion following Khalmakhanov’s move to 67kg.
At 77kg, Asian champion Ali Oskou faces a difficult challenge against defending world champion Malkhas Amoyan of Armenia, while Danial Sohrabi will seek to upgrade the bronze medal he won at 72kg last year.
Payam Ahmadi will also be looking to go one better at 55kg after taking silver in a thrilling final against Georgia’s Vakhtang Lolua in 2025. The two young wrestlers will again be among the contenders, alongside Azerbaijan’s experienced Eldaniz Azizli.
With established champions seeking to defend their crowns and emerging talents eager to make their mark, defending team champion Iran will look to strengthen its position among the leading forces in Greco-Roman wrestling.