The dynamics at this weight class should change very little with the new weight class structure, dropping just one kilogram from 85 kg to 84 kg. The returning World Champion is Mukran Vaktangadze of Georgia, who was also the Olympic bronze medalist in Sydney. A proven star, he will be expected to make a strong run at defending his turf.    Two-time Olympic champion Hamza Yerlikaya of Turkey must also be considered a strong favorite. Besides winning Olympic golds in Atlanta and Sydney, Yerlikaya won World titles in 1993 and 1995 and a World silver medal in 1997. He was the youngest World Champion in history, claiming his first World title at the age of 17. Yerlikaya dropped to ninth in the 2001 World Championships, but the fact that he won the 2002 European title shows that he could still be at the top of his game.     Sandor Bardosi of Hungary was the 2000 Olympic silver medalist, and came back last year to place fifth at the World Championships. The 2001 World bronze medalist was Oleksei Dorogan of Ukraine. Both of these wrestlers could be considered gold-medal contenders. Bardosi was fifth and Dorogan was ninth at this year's European Championships. Dorogan was also fourth at this year's Pytlasinki Tournament in Poland, the major summer tune-up event for the World meet.    The competitor for Russia at the last two World-level events has been Alexandre Menshikov. He was fourth in the 2001 World meet and 14th at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. These results are generally not acceptable to the strong Russian program. However, Menshikov was a 1998 World Champion, which proves that he can win when it counts. Alexei Mishin was the World silver medalist at 76 kg for Russia and moved up to win the gold medal at 84 kg at the 2002 Pytlasinski Tournament.  The Russian at the 2002 European Championships was Andrei Tcherepakine, who placed sixth. The 2000 Olympic champion at 76 kg, Murat Kardanov, has also competed at this weight class. It is safe to say that host Russia will be strong at this division.    The 1999 World Champion was Luis Mendez of Cuba who placed sixth in the Sydney Games, then placed seventh at the 2001 World Championships. Mendez won the 2002 Pan American Championships, as expected. Mendez has the skill and strength to win the World Championships again.    Last year's World Champion at 76 kg, Ara Abrahamian of Sweden, jumped up to 85 kg for the 2002 European Championships and won the silver medal behind Yerlikaya. He has proven that he can handle the jump in weight class, if he chooses to stay here. Martin Lidberg of Sweden was sixth at the 2001 World Championships and eighth at the 2000 Olympics at this weight class, but moved up to 97 kg for the 2002 Europeans. Will Abrahamian and Lidberg drop back down to their old weights, or will they make a run at the higher division?    Last year's World silver medalist, Matt Lindland of the United States, did not compete this year. Lindland was also an Olympic silver medalist in Sydney at 76 kg. The U.S. representative will be newcomer Brad Vering, a talented young athlete who trained many years with Lindland. American fans hope that some of Lindland's magic has rubbed off on Vering.    Among the others to place in the top 10 last year at the World Championships were Evgeniy Erofaylov of Uzbekistan and Viacheslav Makarenko of Belarus. Makarenko won the European Championships bronze medal this year, putting him right in the thick of things at the World level.    Viacheslav Metodiev of Bulgaria placed fourth at the 2001 European Championships, then followed it up with a silver medal at the Pytlasinski Tournament in Poland. These two performances make him a dangerous opponent at the World Championships.    A number of veteran stars could be a factor if they continue to compete. Gotcha Tsitsiachvili of Israel and Raatbek Sanatbayev of Kyrgyzstan are past World medalists. Going back to the 2000 Olympics, past World Champion Thomas Zander of Germany competed. Marcin Letki of Poland, Valeri Tsilent of Belarus, Tomi Rajamaki of Finland and Levon Geghamyan of Armenia are other veterans who could be in the hunt.    One of Iran's possible entries is Behrooz Jamshidi, who had his bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships stripped after a positive drug test. Jamshidi has served his two year suspension, and could be eligible again. Mohamed Abdelfatah of Egypt was the 2002 African champion. Bojan Mijitov of Yugoslavia was a silver medalist at the 2002 World University Championships.    Others to watch include Artur Michalkiewicz of Poland, Filip Soukop of the Czech Republic, Shingo Matsumoto of Japan, Tuomo Mantila of Finland, Attila Battky of Slovakia, Dimitros Avramis of Greece, and Molonin Noumonvi of France. This division has traditionally had plenty of depth.    Many expect that Yerlikaya of Turkey will continue to be the class of this weight division. Vakrangadze of Georgia looks to add a second World title to his impressive resume. Cuba's Mendez, Ukraine's Dorogan, Bardosi of Hungary and whoever Russia chooses from its closet full of talent should also be top contenders. Expect the matches to be very close and the level of competition very high.    2001 World Championships results   85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Gold  - Mukran Vakrangadze (Georgia) won by ref. dec. over Matt Lindland (United States), 2-1, ot; Bronze  - Oleksei Dorogan (Ukraine) dec. Alexandre Menshikov (Russia), 3-2, ot, 6:33; 5th - Sandor Bardosi (Hungary); 6th - Martin Lidberg (Sweden); 7th - Luis Mendez (Cuba); 8th - Evgeniy Erofaylov (Uzbekistan); 9th - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey); 10th - Viachaslau Makaranka (Belarus)    2000 Olympic Games results   85 kg/187.25 lbs. - Gold - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey) won by ref. dec. over Sandor Bardosi (Hungary), 3-3, ot, 9:00; Bronze - Mukhran Vakhtangadze (Georgia) dec. Fritz Aanes (Norway), 4-0; 5th - Valeri Tsilent (Belarus); 6th - Luis Mendez (Cuba); 7th - Gotcha Tsitsiachvili (Israel); 8th - Martin Lidberg (Sweden); 9th - Mohamed Mohamed (Egypt); 10th - Toomas Proovel (Estonia); 11th - Yuriy Vitt (Uzbekistan); 12th - Eddy Bartolozzi (Venezuela); 13th - Thomas Zander (Germany); 14th - Alexandre Mentchikov (Russia); 15th - Vyasheslav Oliynyk (Ukraine); 16th- Raatbek Sanatbaev (Kyrgyzstan); 17th - Amor Bach Hanba (Tunisia); 18th - Marko Asell (Finland); 19th - Arek Olczak (Australia); 20th - Quincey Clark (United States)    Each day this week, TheMat.com will preview a weight class at the 2002 World Greco-Roman Championships, set for Moscow, Russia, Sept. 19-21. Please visit TheMat.com each day for a new preview of the championships. To discuss the World Championships with other fans, please visit the International Board on TheMat.com Message Boards