Benur Pashayan Memorial 2026: all final pairings and semifinal results

On June 30, all preliminary and semifinal bouts of the 2026 Benur Pashayan International Memorial in Greco-Roman wrestling took place at the Dynamo Sports Complex in Yerevan.

The tournament brought together 170 wrestlers from 11 countries. The competition started at 09:00 and finished late in the evening. After the first competition day, all final pairings in ten weight categories were confirmed.

Armenia did not compete with its strongest possible lineup in every weight class, but several senior national team wrestlers did step onto the mat: Hayk Khloyan at 97 kg, Gevorg Tadevosyan at 87 kg, Samvel Grigoryan at 82 kg and Aramais Harutyunyan in the heavyweight 130 kg category.

The best result among them was achieved by Aramais Harutyunyan, who reached the final. Hayk Khloyan began the 97 kg tournament with a major win over Olympic champion Musa Evloev, but then lost to Estonia’s Richard Karelson and will continue his medal campaign through the repechage block.

Schedule for the second day of the tournament

The decisive bouts of the Benur Pashayan Memorial will take place on July 1.

14:00 — repechage and bronze-medal bouts
18:00 — finals

All semifinal results and final pairings

55 kg

Semifinals

Narek Akhoyan (Armenia) — Jasurbek Otirkboev (Uzbekistan) — 1:3
Gurev (Belarus) — Khojiakbar Kuchkarov (Uzbekistan) — 2:11

Final: Jasurbek Otirkboev (Uzbekistan) — Khojiakbar Kuchkarov (Uzbekistan)

60 kg

Semifinals

Mahmad (Iran) — Amirreza (Iran) — 4:1
Sergey Simonyan (Armenia) — Olivier Skrzypczak (Poland) — 0:10

Final: Mahmad (Iran) — Olivier Skrzypczak (Poland)

63 kg

Semifinals

Armen Melikyan (Armenia) — Ojala (Finland) — 8:0
Avalyan (Armenia) — Yuri Karapetyan (Armenia) — 1:7

Final: Armen Melikyan (Armenia) — Yuri Karapetyan (Armenia)

67 kg

Semifinals

Yura Oveyan (Armenia) — Novichkin (Russia) — 9:0
Iliya (Iran) — Erzu Zakriev (Russia) — 0:8

Final: Yura Oveyan (Armenia) — Erzu Zakriev (Russia)

72 kg

Semifinals

Akhmedaliev (Russia) — Khojat (Iran) — 0:2
Joni Khetsuriani (Georgia) — Petic (Moldova) — 3:1

Final: Khojat (Iran) — Joni Khetsuriani (Georgia)

77 kg

Semifinals

Dmitry Adamov (Russia) — Chkhikvadze (Georgia) — 4:1
Valery Zheldashev (Russia) — Ahura (Iran) — 6:3

Final: Dmitry Adamov (Russia) — Valery Zheldashev (Russia)

82 kg

Semifinals

Abolfazl (Iran) — Aues Gonibov (Russia) — 5:4
Bobonazarev (Uzbekistan) — Khamid Isaev (Russia) — 1:2

Final: Abolfazl (Iran) — Khamid Isaev (Russia)

87 kg

Semifinals

Gevorg Tadevosyan (Armenia) — Payton Jakobson (USA) — 1:8
Bitseev (Belarus) — Yasin (Iran) — 0:9

Final: Payton Jakobson (USA) — Yasin (Iran)

97 kg

Semifinals

Richard Karelson (Estonia) — Mahmad (Iran) — 6:5
Magomed Murtazaliev (Russia) — Shumski (Poland) — 8:0

Final: Richard Karelson (Estonia) — Magomed Murtazaliev (Russia)

Hayk Khloyan’s performance deserves a separate mention. The Armenian wrestler defeated Russia’s Musa Evloev in the round of 16, but then lost to Richard Karelson. Khloyan will continue his fight for a medal in the repechage block.

130 kg

Semifinals

Aramais Harutyunyan (Armenia) — Mahmad (Iran) — 3:0
Mikhail Laptev (Russia) — Kuosmanen (Finland) — 2:1

Final: Aramais Harutyunyan (Armenia) — Mikhail Laptev (Russia)

By the number of finalists, Russia produced the best result after the semifinals, with 6 wrestlers reaching the finals. The 77 kg category looks particularly strong, as it will feature an all-Russian final between Dmitry Adamov and Valery Zheldashev.

Armenia has 4 finalists. The hosts have already guaranteed gold in the 63 kg category, where Armen Melikyan and Yuri Karapetyan will face each other in the final. Yura Oveyan will also fight for gold at 67 kg, while Aramais Harutyunyan will compete for the title at 130 kg.

Iran is also having a strong tournament, with 4 finalists. Iranian wrestlers reached the decisive bouts in the 60, 72, 82 and 87 kg categories. Uzbekistan has guaranteed itself gold at 55 kg, where the final will also be an all-Uzbek contest.

Finalists by country

Russia — 6 finalists
Armenia — 4
Iran — 4
Uzbekistan — 2
Poland — 1
Georgia — 1
USA — 1
Estonia — 1

For Armenian fans, the main expectations for the second day are linked to the finals of Armen Melikyan, Yuri Karapetyan, Yura Oveyan and Aramais Harutyunyan. In addition, many Armenian wrestlers will continue their fight for bronze medals.