A Moneyball Look at Kamal, Zac, Ermak and Joe's Opponents

The actual Moneyball look will come later when the brackets are released. Instead, at this time, we are going to provide some basic information about the event and some of the better grapplers at the relevant weights. Below you'll find a schedule for the wrestlers' qualification rounds, the UWW seeds, returning World medalists, and viewing options. 

The 2023 UWW Senior World Championships will take place in Belgrade, Serbia at the Stark Arena. In addition to competing for individual medals and team trophies, wrestlers will be attempting to qualify their country for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Medalists gain a golden ticket to the Olympics. Additionally, there will be a special match between the fifth-place finishers to determine an additional representative.  

SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 -- ZANE RICHARDS WRESTLES

TIME: 3:30 am (Central)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 -- ERMAK KARDANOV WRESTLES

TIME: 3:30 am (Central)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 -- KAMAL BEY WRESTLES

Time: 3:30 am (Central)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 -- JOE "THE RAUSTLER" RAU WRESTLES

Time: 3:30 am (Central)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 -- ZAC BRAUNAGEL WRESTLES

Time: 3:30 am (Central)

TV/STREAMING

FloWrestling (subscription service) The 2023 Senior World Championships broadcast starts on Sep 16, 2023 and runs until Sep 24, 2023. Stream or cast from your desktop, mobile or TV. Now available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV. Don’t forget to download the FloSports app on iOS or Android! If you can’t watch live, catch up with the replays! Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

UWW+ (subscription service) United World Wrestling has just started their own subscription service for world-level wrestling and grappling events. There's more information here. It is likely that a VPN alone won't work to watch Worlds any longer. 

KAMAL BEY 

Bey is in the army and wrestles for WCAP and has also been a part of the IRTC. He won the US Open and then was the winner at Final X. As a past age-group medalist, he will be looking for his first Senior-level World Championships medal. 

Most recently, he was a Silver Medalist at the ranking tournament in Hungary. In the semifinal of that event, Kamal beat the #1 seed for this World Championship, Zoltan Levai of Hungary, by the score of 7-3. Levai also finished with the Silver at last year's World Championships. In the final, Bey lost a close one to the 2021 World Silver, Sanan Suleymanvo of Azerbaijan, who is unseeded for Worlds. 

This is from WIN Magazine, which has a bunch of previews up for Greco, Men's and Women's Freestyle:

The field is large with 45 wrestlers, including folks from both Belarus and Russia. Most of the previous senior world medalists have a seed in the tournament, so they should be spread out. Here are those seeds:

77kg GRECO SEEDS

No. 1 - Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
No. 2 - Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR)
No. 3 - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
No. 4 - Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
No. 5 - Rui LIU (CHN)
No. 6 - Viktor NEMES (SRB)
No. 7 - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
No. 8 - Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)

PREVIOUS WORLD MEDALISTS IN THE FIELD

2022 World Championships

Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ) Gold -- Seeded 3rd

Zoltan Levai (HUN) Silver -- Seeded 1st

Malkhas Amoyan (ARM) Bronze -- Seeded 4th

Yunus Basar (TUR) Bronze -- Seeded 2nd

2021 World Championships

Sanan Suleymanov (AZE) Silver -- Unseeded

Mohammadali Geraei (IRI) Bronze -- Unseeded

2017 World Championships

Victor Nemes (SRB) Gold -- Seeded 6th

ZAC BRAUNAGEL

The Brawlnagel finished third at the US Open, losing to eventual winner Alan Vera. At the World Team Trials, he finished atop the podium, punching his ticket to Final X. On that big stage, Zac faced Alan Vera again, and it was a different story. 

The ILLINI and IRTC wrestler came with a massive gas tank that wore out the former Cuban and USA World Team member. Although officially an injury default, it was pretty obvious that it was a gas tank win. 

Can he do the same in Belgrade?

This will also be a large bracket at Worlds with 43 wrestlers entered. There is a Belarussian and Russian in the field. Here are your preseeds:

87kg GRECO SEEDS

No. 1 - Ali CENGIZ (TUR)
No. 2 - David LOSONCZI (HUN)
No. 3 - Alex KESSIDIS (SWE)
No. 4 - Naser Ghasem ALIZADEH (IRI)
No. 5 - Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
No. 6 - Semen Sergeevich NOVIKOV (BUL)
No. 7 - Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)
No. 8 - Kumar SUNIL (IND)

PREVIOUS WORLD MEDALISTS IN THE FIELD

2022 World Championships

Ali Cengiz (TUR) Bronze -- Seeded 1st

David Losonczi (HUN) Bronze -- Seeded 2nd

Jalgasbay Berdimuratov (UZB) Silver @82kg -- Seeded 7th 

2021 Olympics

Zhan Beleniuk (UKR) Gold -- Unseeded

2021 World Championships 

Kiryl Maskevich (BEL/AIN) Silver -- Unseeded

Lasha Gobadze (GEO) Bronze -- Unseeded

Arkadziusz Kulynycz (POL) Bronze -- Unseeded

2019 World Championships

Zhan Beleniuk (UKR) Gold -- Unseeded

Alex Kessidis (SWE) Silver @77kg -- Seeded 3rd

Jalgasbay Berdimuratov (UZB) Bronze @77kg -- Seeded 7th

As you can see, a very deep field with plenty of unseeded landmines. On top of all that, other wrestlers at the weight (as in the other weights discussed in this post) have World Cup and age-level World accomplishments. 

ERMAK KARDANOV 

YAY! We can finally root against Zahid Valencia at an international event free of guilt. The reason? Ermak Kardanov of the ILLINOIS Regional Training Center. Moreover, Kardanov has snagged a seed at Worlds with his Bronze Medal finish at the European Championships. 

Below, he's listed as the 8th seed, but that is likely to change, as Matt Finesilver appears to be wrestling at 86 kg. So, expect Ermak to move up a seed. Valencia, by the way, will likely move up a seed as well. 

In that Euro Bronze Medal battle, Kardanov beat the very same Finesilver for the podium. 

According to the Tehran Times, Kamran Ghasempour will miss the 2023 World Wrestling Championships due to foot injury. Or, is it a groin injury? They are both claimed in the article. His replacement is Amirasli Azarpira, a U23 Gold Medalist last year. 

There are only 25 wrestlers entered at this weight. At this point there is no Russian. Kardanov, although born in Russia and having wrestled in the Russian Nationals at one time, is now representing Slovakia and the ILLINOIS Regional Training Center. Here are the seeds: 

92kg FREESTYLE SEEDS

No. 1 - Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
No. 2 - Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
No. 3 - Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
No. 4 - Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
No. 5 - Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)
No. 6 - Matthew Phillip FINESILVER (ISR)
No. 7 - Zahid VALENCIA (USA)
No. 8 - Ermak KARDANOV (SVK)

PREVIOUS WORLD MEDALISTS IN THE FIELD

2022 World Championships

Miriani Maisuradze (GEO) Bronze -- Seeded 1st

Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) Bronze -- Seeded 2nd

2021 World Championships

Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) Bronze -- Seeded 2nd

The entry list is short, but there are other problems at the weight, including the fourth seed, Feyzullah Akturk of Turkey, who is a two time Euro Champion. The Kazakh seeded just below him finished second in the Asian Championships. 

JOE "THE RAUSTLER" RAU

Sure, you will see The Wraustler listed with Northwestern RTC below, but he will always, always be ILLINI RTC. Between wrestling and Improv Comedy, Joe has been very busy this year, and it will get busier as he again seeks a World Medal. 

97kg GRECO SEEDS

No. 1 - Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
No. 2 - Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
No. 3 - Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI)
No. 4 - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
No. 5 - Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE)
No. 6 - Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
No. 7 - Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)
No. 8 - Felix BALDAUF (NOR) 

PREVIOUS WORLD MEDALISTS IN THE FIELD

2022 World Championships

Artur Aleksanyan (ARM) Gold -- Seeded 2nd

Kiril Milov (BUL) Silver -- Seeded 1st

Arif Niftullayev (AZE) Bronze -- Seeded 5th

Mohammadhadi Saravi (IRI) Bronze -- Seeded 3rd

Tamas Levai (HUN) Bronze @82kg -- Seeded 6th

2021 Olympics

Artur Aleksanyan (ARM) Silver -- Seeded 2nd

Mohammadhadi Saravi (IRI) Bronze -- Seeded 3rd

Artur Sargsian (RUS/AIN) Bronze -- Unseeded

2021 World Championships

Mohammadhadi Saravi (IRI) Gold -- Seeded 3rd

2019 World Championships

Artur Aleksanyan (ARM) Silver -- Seeded 2nd

Mikheil Kajaja (SRB) Bronze -- Unseeded

Rustam Assakalov (UZB) Bronze @87kg -- Seeded 7th

Besides having a living legend in Artur Aleksanyan at the weight, there are a ton of senior world medals in the group. Rau is coming off a nice performance in Budapest where he beat a tough Iranian (just not the one seeded above) and gave a great performance against Felix Baldauf of Norway, a former Euro Gold.