79 kg Preview & Predictions - 2024 Senior World Championships
79 kg Preview & Predictions - 2024 Senior World Championships
A full preview with predictions for the 79 kg weight class at the 2024 Senior World Championships.
The 2024 Senior World Championships are set to take place in Tirana, Albania with men’s freestyle wrestlers taking the mat October 30-31. Jordan Burroughs will highlight an incredible 79 kg field filled with challengers looking to keep Burroughs from winning his 8th world/Olympic gold. Check out the below article for a full preview with predictions for 79 kg at the 2024 Senior World Championships.
The Favorites
- Jordan Burroughs, USA
- Mohammad Nokhodi, IRI
- Magomed Magomaev, AIN (RUS)
Jordan Burroughs leads the way in this group and will seek to win his 7th world title in Albania. Burroughs is already a two-time 79 kg world champion and defeated Mohammad Nokhodi in both 2021 and 2022 on his way to winning gold. At 36 years old, Burroughs is nearing the end of his competitive career but he’s still wrestling at an amazingly high level. Burroughs looked as good as ever at the World Team trials in his two victories over Chance Marsteller along with his 7-4 win over Alex Dieringer. Burroughs might already be the greatest American wrestler of all time and he can add to his legacy by winning gold in this deep 79 kg bracket.
Burroughs win over Mohammad Nokhodi in the 2022 World Finals:
As mentioned above, Mohammad Nokhodi has placed second at worlds twice to Jordan Burroughs. He also won a world bronze medal last year where he lost only to eventual world champion Akhmed Usmanov. Nokhodi has clearly established himself as one of the best in the world at 79 kg but he’s never been able to bring home gold when it’s mattered most. However, Nokhodi is undefeated since 2023 Worlds and has impressive wins over Magomet Evloev (11-0), Khidir Saipudinov (5-4), Avtandil Kentchadze (6-0), and Evan Wick (6-6). At just 23 years old, Nokhodi might still be entering his prime and this could be the year he finally gets the job done on the biggest stage.
Nokhodi's win over Avtandil Kentchadze in the finals of the 2024 Zagreb Open:
The final wrestler in this category is a young contender - Russia’s Magomed Magomaev. The 24-year-old is a two-time U23 World Champion and he defeated last year’s world champion Akhmed Usmanov at the 2024 Yarygin, 4-1. Magomaev has a high-powered offense and prefers to wrestle from space on his feet, with a double leg from the outside as his primary attack. Magomaev has been tested and come out on top against all of Russia’s best at 79 kg but he’s yet to face anyone as savvy as Burroughs - Magomaev will face an entirely new level in Albania and it will be fascinating to see how he matches up with the best in this bracket.
Magomaev's win in the 2023 U23 World Finals:
The Contenders
- Avtandil Kentchadze
- Orkhan Abasov, AZE
- Daulet Yergesh, KAZ
Avtandil Kentchadze leads this group of competitors as one of the most experienced wrestlers in the bracket behind Burroughs. Kentchadze won a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships and has notable victories over Ali Savadkouhi, Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, and Chance Marsteller - all wrestlers who have defeated Jordan Burroughs in the past. This year, Kentchadze lost close, competitive matches against Mohammad Nokhodi and Akhmed Usmanov proving even in his losses he’ll be competitive with the best in the world at 79 kg.
Kentchadze's win over Chance Marsteller at the 2023 Zagreb Open:
Azerbaijan’s Orkhan Abasov spoiled Chance Marsteller’s world championships last year when he defeated the American in the quarterfinals 9-3. Abasov then went on to lose to Akhmed Usmanov and Mohammad Nokhodi to place 5th but last year’s showing proved Abasov is capable of wrestling at a high level on the biggest stage. Similar to Marsteller, Abasov is a shorter, stockier wrestler and that style has proved challenging for Burroughs in the past. I’m not predicting Abasov to defeat Burroughs but if they meet in Albania, it has the makings of being a highly competitive match.
Abasov's win over Chance Marsteller at the 2023 World Championships:
American fans might remember Daulet Yergesh for his win over Carter Starocci at the 2022 U23 World Championships. There, Yergesh defeated Starocci in a back-and-forth 8-7 bout on his way to winning a silver medal. Since U23 Worlds, Yergesh has won 3 different senior-level tournaments but has also dropped matches to lesser opponents. Yergesh might not have the consistency to prove he can navigate a bracket this deep but he’s a dangerous wrestler and could bring home a medal if he wrestles his best.
Yergesh's win over Carter Starocci at the 2022 U23 World Championships:
Sleepers & Landmines
- Murad Kuramagomedov, HUN
- Khidir Saipudinov, BRN
- Akhsarbek Gulaev, SVK
This group of three wrestlers displays the depth in this bracket and how many Russians are transferring out to represent other countries - all three are Russian transfers. Murad Kuramagomedov has the most experience internationally wrestling at three senior world championships. He’s never placed but he has a close loss to Jordan Burroughs (6-4) to go along with wins over Ramazan Ramazanov (world silver), Georgios Kougioumtsidis, Giorgi Elbakidze (U23 World Champ), Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (world & Olympic medalist), and Logan Massa. Those results suggest Kuramagomedov might be due for a breakthrough at this year’s worlds.
Kuramagomedov's win over Bekzod Abdurakhmonov:
Khidir Saipudinov has only been representing Bahrain internationally for two years but already has results suggesting he could make some noise this year. He lost a tight, 5-4 match to Nokhodi at the 2024 Asian Championships where he went on to win a bronze medal by defeating Magomet Evloev, 10-2. Beyond that, Saipudinov also defeated Armenia’s Arman Avagyan who placed 5th at worlds in 2021 and is a U23 World Bronze medalist. Saipudinov is a wrestler to keep an eye on in this bracket and has the potential to make a deep run.
Akhsarbek Gulaev perfectly fits into this category of sleepers and landmines because he’s had a roller coaster ride of results over the past few years. Gulaev had his best result when he won a European title in 2021 where he defeated that year’s world bronze medalist Nika Kentchadze, 5-4. He followed up that tournament with a gold medal performance at the 2021 Ziolkowski where he defeated eventual world medalist Vasyl Mykhailov. However, since then, Gulaev’s only placed at a few tournaments and taken losses to wrestlers far below his best wins. I’m not picking Gulaev to medal in Albania but I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled off an upset or two against one of the contenders.
Gulaev's win over Nika Kentchadze at the 2021 European Championships:
Who Will Win Gold At 79 kg?
Can anyone stop Jordan Burroughs from adding another gold medal to his trophy case? Nokhodi has tried and failed twice already and I think Burroughs matches up perfectly against the Iranian. Simply put, I don’t think Nokhodi is good enough to take out Burroughs. If any wrestler can do it, it’s Russia’s Magomed Magomaev. His athleticism and offensive attacks have the potential to overwhelm Burroughs in a way few have ever done.
Despite Magomaev's abilities, I’m still picking Jordan Burroughs to win gold in Albania. I think Magomaev wrestles a style too similar to Burroughs and I don’t think Magomaev can match Burrough’s hand fighting or conditioning. If Burroughs and Magomaev meet at worlds, I can see Magomaev getting an early lead but Burroughs wearing him down as the match progresses. I think Burroughs will be too savvy for the young Magomaev and Burroughs will once again reach the top of the podium.
Full 79 kg Medal Predictions
Gold: Jordan Burroughs, USA
Silver: Magomed Magomaev, AIN (RUS)
Bronze: Mohammad Nokhodi, IRI
Bronze: Avtandil Kentchadze, GEO