Date of Competition: Saturday, September 21

The 84 kg/185 lbs. Greco-Roman World Championships will provide an opportunity for younger wrestlers to put a stamp on this weight class for the coming years.

2012 Olympic gold medalist and rising Russian star Alan Khugaev will not be competing to defend his title from a year ago.

 Instead longtime Russian staple at 84 kg/185 lbs. Alexej Mishin will take to the mat in Budapest, Hungary in search of his second World Championship. 2013 will mark Mishin’s ninth World or Olympic Championship appearance. Mishin brought home a World silver medal in 2001 and 2005, as well as a World bronze medal in 2006.

The current world No. 1 Selcuk Cebi of Turkey is no guarantee for a medal come Budapest. Cebi is a two-time World Champion at 74 kg/163 lbs. but he is not seeing the same results at his new weight of 84 kg/185 lbs. Cebi finished in 13th place at the European Championships and in 18th at the recent Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup held in Warsaw, Poland.

Mentioning Poland, the nation will be represented by 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Damian Janikowski who is currently ranked No. 6 in the world by FILA. Janikowski is also a 2011 World silver medalist and wound up with a silver medal at this year’s tough Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup.

The nation of Georgia boasts the third and fifth ranked wrestlers in world according to the FILA World Rankings, however neither Revazi Nadareishvili nor Vladimir Gegeshidze will compete in Budapest. That honor belongs to the upstart Giorgi Tsirekidze who has not earned a medal at an international tournament since the 2010 Golden Grand Prix.

A wrestler to watch out for is 2013 European bronze medalist Artur Shahinyan of Armenia. The 26 year old will be competing in his third World Championship and looks poised to make a run in Budapest. 

Lithuania’s Olympic bronze medalist Aleksandr Kazakevich, who is currently ranked ninth in the FILA World Rankings at 84 kg/185 lbs., will be dropping down to compete at 74 kg/163 lbs. at the World Championships. 

With only one 2012 Olympic medalist registered to compete in Budapest, opportunity is knocking for American Jordan Holm.

Holm will be competing in his first senior level World Championship, but he has gained valuable international experience this year competing in seven international events including gold medal performances at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and Jacob Curby Cup.

Utilizing his gritty style and recent international experience, Holm has the opportunity to go deep in the tournament. 

FILA WORLD RANKINGS

1. Selcuk Cebi (Turkey) 2. Alexej Mishin (Russia) 3. Revazi Nadareishvili (Georgia) 4. Alan Khugaev (Russia) 5. Vladimir Gegeshidze (Georgia) 6. Damian Janikowski (Poland) 7. Viktor Lorincz (Hungary) 8. Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan) 9. Aleksandr Kazakevich (Lithuania) 10. Artur Shahinyan (Armenia) 11. Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine) 12. Hassan Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan) 13. Park Jin-Sung (Korea) 14. Taleb Nariman Nematpuor (Iran) 15. Jordan Holm (USA)

RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS

2012 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alan Khugaev (Russia); Silver - Karam Gaber (Egypt); Bronze - Danjel Gajiyev (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia); 5th - Melonin Noumonvi (France); 7th - Pablo Shorey (Cuba); 8th - Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 9th - Chas Betts (USA); 10th - Amer Hrustanovic (Austria)

2011 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alim Selimau (Belarus); Silver - Damian Janikowski (Poland); Bronze - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Bronze - Rami Heitaniemi (Finland); 5th - Alan Khugaev (Russia); 5th - Saman Ahman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Andrea Minguzzi (Italy); 9th - Se-Yeol Lee (Korea); 10th - Marian Mihalik (Slovakia) 

2010 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold – Hristo Marinov (Bulgaria); Silver – Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); Bronze – Alexej Mishin (Russia); Bronze – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 5th – Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 5th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 7th – Alhazur Ozdiev (Kazakhstan); 8th – Vladimir Gegeshidze (Georgia); 9th – Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 10th – Laimutis Adomaitis (Lithuania)

2009 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Silver - Melonin Noumonvi (France); Bronze - Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran) ; Bronze - Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); 5th - Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan) ; 7th – Jose Antonio Arias Paredes (Dominican Republic) ; 8th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 9th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 10th - Hyo-Chul Cho (Korea)

2008 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold - Andrea Minguzzi (Italy); Silver - Zoltan Fodor (Hungary); Bronze - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 5th - Ma Sanyi (China); 5th - Melonin Noumonvi (France); 7th - Denis Forov (Armenia); 8th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan); 9th - Alexej Michine (Russia); 10th - Yunior Estrada (Cuba) 

2007 World Championship
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold – Alexej Mishin (Russia); Silver – Brad Vering (United States); Bronze – Hassan Tahmasebi (Iran); Bronze – Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Jung-Sub Kim (Korea); 5th – Ara Abrahamian (Sweden); 7th - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 8th - Zoltán Fodor (Hungary); 9th - Jan Fischer (Germany); 10th - Alim Selimov (Belarus)

2006 World Championship
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Mohamed Abdelfatah (Egypt); Silver - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Bronze - Alexey Mishine (Russia); Bronze - Saman Tahmasebi (Iran); 5th - Badri Khasia (Georgia); 5th - Kim-Jussi Nurmela (Finland); 7th - Artur Michalkiewicz (Poland); 8th - Ara Abrahamian (Sweden); 9th - Shingo Matsumoto (Japan); 10th - Adomaitis Laimutis (Lithuania)

2005 World Championships 
84 kg/185 lbs. - Gold - Alim Selimav (Belarus); Silver - Alexei Mishine (Russia); Bronze - Sandor Bardosi (Hungary); Bronze - Namzi Avluca (Turkey); 5th - Kim Jung-Sub (Korea); 5th - Oleg Daragan (Ukraine); 7th - Artur Michalkiewicz (Poland); 8th - Shingo Matsumoto (Japan); 9th - Ntante Charempasvili (Greece); 10th - Luis Mendez (Cuba)