Moscow Karate Universe International 2026:
Iran’s Nemati, Saeidabadi into kumite finals
Iran’s Morteza Nemati and Fatemeh-Zahra Saeidabadi progressed to the finals of their respective kumite categories at the 2026 Moscow Karate Universe International.
A gold medalist at June’s Asian Championships, Nemati picked up where he had left off at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September, finishing atop his pool with three wins before defeating Turkmenistan’s Davut Nazmyradov 2-1 in the quarterfinals and following that up with a 6-0 semifinal victory over Uzbekistan’s Mamayusuf Mukimjonov to reach the final of the men’s -75kg category, where he will face Russia’s Gadzhi Gadzhiev today.
Saeidabadi, meanwhile, entered the women’s -55kg event fresh off an impressive silver medal at the Asian Games. She overcame opponents from Yemen and the host nation to reach the knockout stage, where the young prodigy defeated Russia’s Anna Sergeevna Chernysheva 9-1 before outclassing Uzbek karateka Dilaferuz Kuzieva 8-0 to set up a final showdown with reigning world champion Ahlam Yousef of Egypt.
Helia Komasi was the other Iranian in the category, but her campaign ended in the first knockout round following a defeat to Russia’s Sofia Liaskalo.
Iran will also fancy its chances of winning a medal in the women’s -50kg category today, as Masoumeh Mohsenian takes on compatriot Setareh Zarei, while Yalda Naqi-Beiranvand faces Uzbekistan’s Mohinur Teshaboyeva in the two bronze-medal bouts.
In women’s individual kata, Fatemeh Sadeqi and Melika Ezzati will also be aiming for bronze medals when they take on opponents from Thailand and Russia, respectively, in today’s third-place contests.