From April 7 to 9, 2025, the European Freestyle Wrestling Championships will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia, where Armenian wrestler Arman Andreasyan will step onto the mat as the reigning champion in the 70 kg weight class. This division is one of the most competitive in terms of participant depth, and the path to a repeat victory will be anything but easy.
Arman Andreasyan claimed the European title in 2024, defeating two strong opponents along the way — Ismail Musukaev (8-5 in the semifinals) and Akaki Kemertelidze (7-3 in the final). However, Arman has not competed internationally for quite some time. He skipped the ranking tournament in Albania, and his most recent appearance was at the World Championships in non-Olympic weights in October 2024. There, he started confidently with a 7-2 win over Albanian Eriglen Prizreni but then fell in the quarterfinals to Russian wrestler Inalbek Sheriev (0-2), leaving questions about his current form unanswered.
Arman Andreasyan and His Potential Rivals: Head-to-Head History
Andreasyan already has a positive head-to-head record against several participants of the upcoming championship. He has beaten Georgia’s Akaki Kemertelidze twice (7-6 and 7-3), defeated Hungary’s Ismail Musukaev (8-5), and handled North Macedonia’s Fati Vejseli (5-2). However, a loss to Moldova’s Vasile Diacon (1-2 in 2023) also lingers in memory.
Head-to-Head Matches Between Arman Andreasyan and 2025 European Championship Participants:
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Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) vs. Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia) – 7-6 | 2024
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Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) vs. Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia) – 7-3 | 2024 European Championship Final
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Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) vs. Ismail Musukaev (Hungary) – 8-5 | 2024 European Championship Semifinal
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Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) vs. Fati Vejseli (North Macedonia) – 5-2 | 2023
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Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) vs. Vasile Diacon (Moldova) – 1-2 | 2023
Top Contenders in the 70 kg Weight Class
This category features one of the highest levels of competition in the tournament. Several wrestlers with major international accolades will be on the mat:
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Islam Dudaev (Albania, 30 years old) – Bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics and European Champion in 2024 at 65 kg. Now moving up in weight, he poses a serious threat to all opponents.
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Ismail Musukaev (Hungary, 32) – 2023 World Champion and 2022 European Champion, one of the most technical and experienced wrestlers in the field.
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David Baev (Russia, 27) – 2019 World Champion, recently returned to the national team and won the prestigious Ivan Yarygin tournament.
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Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia, 26) – Silver medalist at the 2024 European Championships. Despite two losses to Arman, he remains a very dangerous opponent.
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Kanan Heybatov (Azerbaijan, 22) – 2022 U20 World Champion.
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Vasile Diacon (Moldova, 25) – Bronze medalist at the 2023 European Championships, already holds a win over Arman.
Also worth watching are experienced competitors like Mihail Georgiev (Bulgaria), Haydar Yavuz (Turkey), Oleksii Boruta (Ukraine), and others.
Full List of 70 kg Participants:
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Islam DUDAEV (ALB) – 30 years old. 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, 2024 European champion at 65 kg.
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Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) – 25. 2024 European Champion.
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Benedikt HUBER (AUT) – 22.
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Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) – 22. 2022 U20 World Champion.
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Ibragim VELIEV (BEL) – 25.
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Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL) – 28.
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Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) – 26. 2024 European silver medalist.
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Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) – 32. 2023 World Champion, 2022 European Champion.
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Vasile DIACON (MDA) – 25. 2023 European bronze medalist.
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Fati VEJSELI (MKD) – 26.
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Mateusz LUSZCZYNSKI (POL) – 23.
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Viktor VOINOVIC (SRB) – 23.
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Haydar YAVUZ (TUR) – 30.
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Oleksii BORUTA (UKR) – 29.
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George KOLIEV (UWW, Belarus) – 30.
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David BAEV (UWW, Russia) – 27. 2019 World Champion.
Arman Andreasyan is certainly among the top contenders in the 70 kg category, but the competition is incredibly fierce. He’ll face decorated wrestlers in excellent form. However, Arman’s experience, his ability to peak at major tournaments, and his past victories over top opponents give reason to hope for a strong showing. The only question is how well he has prepared after a long break. The answer will come very soon — in Bratislava.