Who could stop Malkhas Amoyan from becoming a three-time world champion? Top contenders in the 77 kg weight class at the 2026 World Championships
Photo: UWW
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
The 2026 World Wrestling Championships will begin on October 24 in Astana, Kazakhstan. One of the main favourites for the tournament will be Armenia's Malkhas Amoyan, who will aim to win his third world title and defend his crown in the Greco-Roman 77 kg weight category.
However, the road to another world title promises to be challenging. In Astana, Amoyan will face former world champions, Olympic medallists, experienced opponents and promising young wrestlers.
A total of 33 wrestlers have entered the 77 kg category, including several serious contenders for the gold medal. Unseeded competitors pose a particular threat, as they could face the Armenian wrestler in the early rounds of the tournament.
Sportaran takes a closer look at Malkhas Amoyan's main rivals at the 2026 World Championships.
Malkhas Amoyan — the main favourite for the 77 kg world title
27-year-old Malkhas Amoyan heads to Astana as the reigning world champion and one of the strongest competitors in Greco-Roman wrestling.
The Armenian wrestler has already won two world titles: in 2021 at 72 kg and in 2025 at 77 kg.
At last year's World Championships in Zagreb, Amoyan delivered an impressive performance. In the final, he defeated reigning Olympic champion Nao Kusaka of Japan by a dominant 10-1 score to claim the second world title of his career.
In 2026, Malkhas competed in only one international tournament — the European Championships in Albania, where he once again emerged victorious. In the final, he defeated Georgia's Ramaz Zoidze on criteria after a 1-1 draw.
In its official preview, United World Wrestling even described Amoyan as the "perfect wrestler", highlighting his versatility and ability to control the course of a bout.
However, competition at the World Championships in Astana will be significantly tougher than at the European Championships.
Malkhas Amoyan — a year unbeaten and a world title: all results since the Olympics
Malkhas Amoyan's main rivals at the 2026 World Championships
Ali Oskou (Iran) — one of the most dangerous challengers
Iranian wrestler Ali Oskou is considered one of the leading medal contenders at the World Championships.
In 2026, he won the Zagreb Ranking Series tournament, dominating Hungary's Zoltan Levai 9-1 in the final.
Oskou also reached the final of the Asian Championships, where he faced two-time world champion Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan. The bout ended 3-3, but Makhmudov secured the gold medal on criteria.
The Iranian therefore finished as the Asian Championships silver medallist, demonstrating his ability to compete on equal terms with the strongest wrestlers in his weight category.
Oskou has been given the eighth seed, but his wrestling ability makes him a dangerous opponent for virtually anyone in the tournament, including Amoyan.
Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) — a difficult opponent for Amoyan
Sanan Suleymanov remains one of the Armenian wrestler's most challenging rivals.
The Azerbaijani won silver at the 2023 World Championships and finished fifth at the Paris Olympic Games. More importantly, Suleymanov holds a positive head-to-head record against Amoyan: two victories for the Azerbaijani compared with one for the Armenian.
Suleymanov has extensive experience competing specifically in the 77 kg category and is very familiar with Malkhas's wrestling style. At the World Championships in Astana, the Azerbaijani is seeded fifth and will once again be aiming for a medal.
Ibrahim Ghanem (France) — a world champion moving up from 72 kg
One of the most intriguing competitors in the 77 kg category will be Egyptian-born French wrestler Ibrahim Ghanem. The 31-year-old has achieved considerable success in the non-Olympic 72 kg category.
His achievements include:
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Gold at the 2023 World Championships.
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Silver medals at the 2024 and 2025 World Championships.
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Two European Championship titles — in 2025 and 2026.
Ghanem has now decided to compete in the Olympic 77 kg weight category.
This move adds another layer of intrigue to the World Championships. The French wrestler possesses enormous experience and knows how to succeed at major international competitions.
The main danger is that Ghanem is unseeded in his new weight category. As a result, he could face Amoyan in one of the opening rounds.
Ali Arsalan (Serbia) — another unseeded world champion
Another potentially dangerous unseeded competitor is Ali Arsalan, an Iranian-born wrestler representing Serbia.
In 2022, Arsalan became world champion in the 72 kg category, winning gold at the tournament in Belgrade. The experienced wrestler will now compete at 77 kg, where he will have to face heavier opponents.
Arsalan has already proven his ability to win at the highest international level. His unseeded status makes him one of the most undesirable potential opponents for the tournament favourites in the early rounds.
Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) — three-time U23 world champion
23-year-old Alexandrin Gutu is considered one of the most promising talents in Greco-Roman wrestling.
The Moldovan wrestler won three consecutive U23 World Championship titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He claimed his first two titles at 77 kg and his third at 82 kg.
However, Gutu has yet to achieve comparable success at senior level. At the 2026 European Championships, he finished without a medal after losing the bronze-medal bout to Sweden's Edvin Baff.
The Moldovan has faced Amoyan three times and lost on all three occasions, including in the semifinals of the 2026 European Championships.
Nevertheless, Gutu continues to improve, and his attacking style can cause problems even for experienced opponents. The Moldovan wrestler has received the sixth seed in Astana.
Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) — Amoyan's main European rival in recent years
Ramaz Zoidze is a familiar name to Armenian wrestling fans. The Georgian has faced Malkhas Amoyan in the European Championship final in each of the last two years.
In 2025, Amoyan defeated him 3-1, while their 2026 encounter was even closer, ending 1-1 with the Armenian wrestler winning on criteria.
Despite not having achieved major success at the senior World Championships, Zoidze consistently performs at a high level on the European stage. The Georgian knows how to force Amoyan into tight, physical contests in which a single action can decide the outcome.
Zoidze is not among the eight seeded wrestlers in Astana, meaning another meeting with Malkhas could take place well before the final.
Sergey Kutuzov (Russia) — a dangerous unseeded competitor
27-year-old Sergey Kutuzov represents Russia and is also among the potential medal contenders.
The Russian wrestler does not always secure a place in his national team's main lineup, but he has repeatedly demonstrated a high level of ability at international tournaments.
Kutuzov previously faced Amoyan in 2021, when both wrestlers competed at 72 kg. On that occasion, the Armenian recorded two victories.
Since then, both wrestlers have gained further experience and established themselves in a heavier weight category.
In its preview, UWW specifically mentioned Kutuzov among the wrestlers capable of producing a surprise in Astana.
The Russian is unseeded, making him another potential threat to Amoyan in the opening rounds.
Ahmet Yilmaz (Turkey) — 2025 World Championships bronze medallist
30-year-old Ahmet Yilmaz is one of the most experienced competitors in the 77 kg category.
The Turkish wrestler regularly challenges for medals at major international tournaments.
At the 2025 World Championships, Yilmaz claimed bronze despite losing 3-1 to Malkhas Amoyan in the quarterfinals.
The Turkish representative will be seeded third in Astana.
Despite last year's defeat, Yilmaz remains a serious opponent, particularly in close, low-scoring bouts where successful scoring actions are limited.
Robert Fritsch (Hungary) — top seed and UWW ranking leader
Interestingly, while Malkhas Amoyan leads the list of favourites, he does not top the world rankings. First place belongs to Hungarian wrestler Robert Fritsch, who has received the number one seed at the World Championships.
Unlike Amoyan, Fritsch competed extensively on the international circuit in 2026 and accumulated a large number of ranking points. He won bronze medals at the European Championships, as well as at ranking tournaments in Albania and Croatia.
The Hungarian is also a bronze medallist from the 2025 World Championships. Notably, Amoyan and Fritsch have never faced each other at an official UWW tournament.
Their potential encounter in Astana would therefore be particularly interesting. However, leading the rankings does not necessarily mean that the Hungarian is technically superior to the Armenian wrestler.
Merey Maulitkanov (Kazakhstan) — the host nation's hope
Kazakhstan's Merey Maulitkanov is another wrestler worth watching.
The young competitor previously wrestled at 72 kg, where he won bronze at the U23 World Championships and gold at the U23 Asian Championships. He will now test himself in the 77 kg category.
Maulitkanov has yet to achieve major success at senior international tournaments, but competing at a home World Championships will provide additional motivation.
Kazakh wrestlers have enjoyed notable success on the international stage in recent years, and the support of the home crowd in Astana could play an important role.
Maulitkanov is also unseeded and could potentially meet Amoyan in the early rounds.
Which top wrestlers will miss the 2026 World Championships at 77 kg?
Despite the impressive field, several well-known wrestlers who could have posed serious challenges to Amoyan will not compete in the 77 kg category at the World Championships in Astana.
Nao Kusaka (Japan). The reigning Olympic champion and 2025 World Championships silver medallist has not been entered in the tournament. Instead, Japan will be represented by 23-year-old Isami Horikita, who has yet to achieve major success at senior level.
Across five UWW tournaments, Horikita has recorded just one victory. In particular, he lost to Armenian wrestler Samvel Terteryan at the 2025 U23 World Championships.
Alireza Abdevali (Iran). Another notable absentee is the Iranian wrestler who finished fifth at the 2025 World Championships after losing 5-1 to Amoyan in the semifinals.
In October 2026, Abdevali became Asian Games champion, defeating Olympic champion Nao Kusaka 5-3 in the final. However, Ali Oskou will represent Iran in Astana instead.
Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan). The two-time world champion and four-time Asian champion will also be absent from his usual 77 kg category. At the 2026 World Championships, Makhmudov has been entered in the heavier 82 kg division.
As a result, three of Asia's strongest wrestlers of recent years will be absent from Amoyan's weight category. Nevertheless, even without them, the competition remains extremely strong.
Seedings for the 77 kg category at the 2026 World Championships
Based on the UWW rankings, eight wrestlers have received seedings that will be taken into account when the tournament draw is determined.
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Robert Fritsch (Hungary)
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Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia)
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Ahmet Yilmaz (Turkey)
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Antonio Kamenjasevic (Croatia)
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Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan)
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Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova)
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Stoyan Kubatov (Bulgaria)
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Ali Oskou (Iran)
However, several strong wrestlers remain unseeded. These include Ibrahim Ghanem, Ali Arsalan, Ramaz Zoidze, Sergey Kutuzov and Merey Maulitkanov.
This significantly increases the importance of the draw, as bouts worthy of a World Championship semifinal or even final could take place in the opening rounds.
When will Malkhas Amoyan compete at the 2026 World Championships?
The World Wrestling Championships will take place in Astana from October 24 to November 1, 2026.
Malkhas Amoyan will begin his campaign on the opening day of the tournament, October 24.
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October 23 — draw for the Greco-Roman wrestling competitions.
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October 24 — qualification bouts, quarterfinals and semifinals in the 77 kg category.
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October 25 — repechage bouts, bronze-medal matches and the final.
No Olympic qualification spots for the 2028 Games will be awarded in Astana. However, a strong performance at the final World Championships before the start of Olympic qualification will allow wrestlers to strengthen their positions on the international stage.
Can Malkhas Amoyan win his third World Championship gold medal?
Malkhas Amoyan enters the 2026 World Championships as the leading favourite in the 77 kg category.
He is the reigning world champion, the winner of the 2026 European Championships and has already defeated many of the competitors entered in the upcoming tournament on multiple occasions. However, his preparations for the World Championships have not been without setbacks. At the Poland Open, Amoyan suffered an injury and an unexpected defeat to a Ukrainian wrestler who has no major international titles.
Nevertheless, the Armenian wrestler's biggest challenge may not be any particular opponent, but the tournament draw itself.
The presence of unseeded competitors such as Ghanem, Arsalan, Zoidze and Kutuzov creates the possibility of extremely difficult matchups even before the semifinals.
If Amoyan successfully navigates the opening rounds, he will have the opportunity to fight for a historic third World Championship gold medal — an achievement that would further strengthen his place among the greatest wrestlers in the history of Armenian sport.