Live Updates World Championships 2026: Freestyle

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 30) -- The World Championships enters day seven with four Freestyle weight categories -- 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 6 RESULTS

12:56: Aaron JOHNSON (JAM), who became the first ever Jamaican to win a match at a senior World Championships when he stunned Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR) 4-4 in the previous round, makes it two in arow with a 2-1 win over Jonovan SMITH (PUR) in an all-Caribbean clash between U.S.-born wrestlers at 125kg. After giving up an activity point in the first period, Johnson just beats the activity clock while scoring a stepout. He receives an activity point himself, then holds for the historic win that avenged a loss to Smith at the 2023 worlds. Can he make it three in a row in a likely quarterfinal clash with Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)?

12:56: European bronze medalist Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR) overpowers local teen Yedige KASSIMBEK (KAZ), hitting a 4-point headlock en route to an 11-1 win to advance to the 125kg quarterfinals. 

12:47: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) takes out Olympic champion Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL), 5-3, in the marquee match at 86kg. Ramazanov takes a 1-0 lead at the break through a passivity point of Ghasempour before the Iranian takes a 1-1 criteria lead for the Ramazanov's inactivity. But in the only scramble of the match, Ghasempour hits head outside double leg for four as Ramazanov falls on his back. But he controls Ghasempour's gut to get two. But Ghasempour holds his lead for the win 

12:39: As he did in his opening match, Kyle DAKE (USA) falls behind early when Paulius LESCAUSKAS (LTU) grabs a takedown in their 86kg clash. But again, that's just a blip, and Dake quickly comes back with a takedown and adds five gut wrenches back and forth for a 13-2 win in 1:31.

12:26: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) may have been surprised by Gabriel MC DUFFIE (SLE) but from his wrestling. McDuffie pulled off some dance moves. But Magamadov rules the match with a 10-0 win to advance at 86kg.

12:25: European champion Ibragim KADIEV (RUS) has trouble getting the knee of a stubborn Natsura OKAZAWA (JPN) to the mat to complete his takedowns, but eventually gets three of them in a 9-3 victory at 86kg.

12:20: World champion at 79kg Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), who has now moved up to 86kg, begins his campaign with a 12-1 win over Traian CAPATINA (MDA). No troubles for the Greece wrestler here.

12:12: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) sets up a bronze medal bout against Shamil MAMEDOV (BUL) at 65kg after beating Ossimzhan DASTANBEK (KAZ), 11-0. Amouzad with his typical stepouts but he manages a huge four-pointer in the second period before the match winning takedown 

12:05: Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (RUS) uses the leg lace and finishes his first 70kg bout against Wotna NDOC (GBS). Ibragimov finished firth fifth at 65kg at the last World Championships 

11:59: Marcus BLAZE (USA), a U20 world champion, cradles Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) and secures a fall in the second period at 61kg

11:48: Former world champion Zain RETHERFORD (USA) with the fall in his opening match at 70kg against Muhammad ABDURACHMANOV (BEL). Retherford opens with a double-leg takedown and when Abdurachmanov attempts a switch, he presses forward and applies a cross-face to put his opponent in the danger position. Gradually the shoulders near the mat until the fall is confirmed at 1:09. 

11:45: Paris Olympic bronze medalist Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) works on three different takedowns and beats Changsu KIM (KOR), 6-0, to advance at 61kg

11:36: Four-time world bronze medalist Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) gets his campaign for an elusive gold at 61kg started with a bang, finishing up a 10-0 victory over Derek GUANAJUATO (MEX) with slick 4-point takedown.

11:29: Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN), a bronze medalist back in 2021, finally breaks through against the defense-oriented Batnasan GANKHULEG (MGL), scoring three takedowns and two stepouts with his low single in the second period for an 8-4 win at 61kg. 

11:18: Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA), looking to make up for a disappointing first-round exit in Zagreb a year ago, gets off to a strong start by dominating returning bronze medalist Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN)  in an 11-0 victory. Sharipov is powerless to stop Hendrickson's deep double-leg takedowns, and after the third one, the U.S. wrestler bulls him over for a pair of 2-point exposures to finish the match 36 seconds into the second period.

11:03: Kyle DAKE (USA), famous for his Dake Bombs, gets thrown off the underhook by U23 world bronze medalist Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL) who led 5-2 after that four-pointer. But Dake uses his experience to remain calm and scores two takedowns to overturn the match and starts with a 6-5 hard-fought win at 86kg

11:00: An early win for the home team, as teenager Yedige KASSIMBEK (KAZ), the 2025 world U20 champion and bronze medalist at the recent Asian Games, takes out Aleksandre ABRAMISHVILI (GEO) with an impressive 10-0 victory. Kassimbek spins behind for takedown and adds two lace-lock rolls for a 6-0 lead. He then shows some dexterity when he slips out of a single-leg hold and turns it into a takedown, which he follows with an exposure to end it at 1:49.

10:49: Just to show how crazy deep the 97kg division is in Astana, following Sadualev onto Mat B is Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), whose bid for a fourth world gold ended at the hands of Arash YOSHIDA (JPN). He will get a shot at an eighth world medal overall after storming to a 10-0 victory over VICKY (IND). Yazdani opens with a stepout, then bulls his way to a 4-point takedown with Vicky on the activity clock. He spins behind for a takedown that puts him up 8-0 at the break, then finishes the match with a takedown a little over a minute into the second period. That sets up another eye-opening clash for the bronze—Yazdani's opponent: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN).

10:42: Prior to the start of the qualification rounds, wrestling fans get to witness an otherwise unimaginable scene -- Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) taking the mat for a repechage match. The six-time world champion, who famously lost in the quarterfinals to longtime rival Kyle SNYDER (USA), gets down to business and defeats a defiant Alperen TOKGOZ (TUR) 7-3. The match starts with an exchange of points, as Tokgoz counter-lifts a single-leg shot for 2, but Sadulaev reverses for 2. The Russian then hits a 4-point throw to lead 6-2 at the break. The two exchange stepouts in the second and that's the extent of the scoring. Sadulaev will face Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) later tonight in his first-ever major bronze-medal match at 97kg.