December 2020 Russian Men's Freestyle Rankings
57 KG
U23 National Final
Musa Mekhtikhanov (Dagestan) - Mikhail Ivanov (Yakutia) - 10: 0
Fights for 3rd place
Artur Chebodaev (Krasnoyarsk) - Yegor Venzel (Yakutia) - 8: 4
Said Khunkerov (Dagestan) - Nachyn Mongush (Tuva) - 9: 2
Musa Mekhtikhanov (Dagestan) fills the #10 spot in the rankings for his U-23 national title over tenth ranked Mikhail Ivanov (Yakutia).
61 KG
U23 National Final
Alexander Sabanov (Alania) - Ai-Belek Mongush (Tyva) - 11: 0
Fights for 3rd places
Bulat Bayaskholonov (Buryatia) - Alan Abiev (Alania) - 5: 2
Rakhim Gurdaliev (Kabardino-Balkaria) - Vadim Bikoev (Alania) - touch (+: -)
Alexander Sabanov (Alania) takes the #10 spot in the rankings after a dominant showing at U-23 nationals that saw him take gold with a 11-0 win over Ai-Belek Mongush (Tuva). Sabanov’s best achivements are at 57 kilograms, where he was a bronze medalist at the 2019 Alans where he defeated 2019 national champion #5 Ramiz Gamzatov and 2018 national runner-up #9 Donduk-Ool Khuresh-Ool.
65 KG
U23 National Final
Chayan Mongush (Tyva) - Abdulmazhid Kudiev (Dagestan) - 14: 4
Fights for 3rd places
Shamil Mamedov (Moscow) - Gadzhimurad Omarov (Dagestan) - 4: 3
Ibrahim Abutalimov (Dagestan) - Muslim Mekhtikhanov (Dagestan) - 10:
65 Kilograms was a weight that saw a lot of turn over and that stems from the presence of #7 Muslim Saidulaev (Chechnya), who was coming off a 5th place showing at Senior nationals where he defeated past medalist Julian Gergenov (Buryatia) and Bekhan Goygereev (Chechnya). The 2018 Alans champion was upset in the round of 16 to Gadzhimurad Omarov (Dagestan) and was eliminated from competition when Omarov fell in the semifinals to eventual national runner-up Abdulmuzid Kudiev (Dagestan). Now because Omarov beat Saidulaev but lost to Kudiev (semis) and Shamil Mamedov (bronze), he doesn’t qualify even with a rank over #7 Saidulaev.
So the aftermath of all of this, is that Chayan Mongush, the U-23 national champ takes the #10 spot in the rankings for winning the stacked bracket, and former #7 Saidulaev drops out of the rankings with senior nationals 5th place finisher #8 Artur Badtiev (Alania) taking the #7 spot for his win over 2x national medalist #8 Murshid Mutalimov (Dagestan) in the repechage of nationals in October. I believe that while Saidulaev’s victories (Goygereev and Gergenov) are very good, I overanked them in comparison to Badtiev’s more domestically relevant win Murshid Mutalimov who was a returning bronze medalist and had a highly productive fall that saw him beat world medalists Alejandro Valdes Tobier (CUB) and Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (AZE) while in Germany. Ultimately, I still think Saidulaev is a guy to keep an eye out for but as it stands now he doesn’t have quite an argument to stay in the rankings.
70 KG
U23 National Final
Inalbek Sheriev (Moscow) - Alexander Baltuev (Irkutsk) - 13: 2
Fights for 3rd places
Georgy Sekinaev (Moscow) - Tazret Tuskaev (Alania) - 5: 4
Ramazan Yakubov (Krasnoyarsk) - Maxim Isaev (St. Petersburg) - 4: 2
Inalbek Sheriev (Moscow) made a major statement after coming up short last year to Ruslan Zhendaev by winning his first U-23 national title in dominant fashion with a 13-2 victory over Alexander Baltuev (Irkutsk). Sheriev makes into the senior national rankings at #9 for his title here and recall that last year Inalbek beat 65 KG Yarygin and European champion #5 Kurban Shiraev at U-23 nationals, so he is not unfamiliar to success on the senior level.
74 KG
U23 National Final
Khamzat Eldarov (Chechnya) - Magomed Yevloyev (Ingushetia) - 6: 5
Fights for 3rd places
Nikolay Donzalenko (Krasnoyarsk) - Nikita Zhargalov (Buryatia) - 13: 2
Robert Dzukaev (Moscow) -Konstantin Topshinoev (Amur Region) ) - 9: 0
Khamzat Eldarov (Chechnya) emerged as a new contender at 74 KG with a U-23 national title via a 6-5 win over Muslim Yevloyev (Ingushetia). While he’s one to keep an eye on, the fantastic depth of Russia at 74 kilograms makes it such that Khamzat is unable to debut in the senior level rankings. Leaving the rankings was #10 Magomedmurad Dadaev (Dagestan) who was the 79 KG U-23 national runner-up to Khalid Yakhiev (Chechnya).
79 KG
U23 National Final
Khalid Yakhiev (Chechnya) - Magomedmurad Dadaev (Dagestan) - 13: 2
Fights for 3rd places
Marik Shebzukhov (Stavropol) - Magomednabi Magomedov (Dagestan) - 8: 6
Kamil Dalgatov (Dagestan) - Ruslan Chertkoev (Ruslan) - 4: 3
Yarygin bronze medalist Khalid Yakhiev (Chechnya) won his first national title in dominant fashion of Magomedmurad Dadaev (Dagestan) via a 13-2 technical superiority victory. Dadaev made the finals by a surprising 3-1 upset victory in the quarterfinals over 2019 Junior world champion Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev (Dagestan) that he followed up with a 6-3 semifinal win over Marik Shebzukov (Stavropol). Yakhiev registered a first period pin in his back and forth semi final match against Junior national champion Kamil Dalgatov (Dagestan). Because 79 KG is the home of all of the rest of Russia’s insane depth from 74 KG, Yakhiev and Dadaev can’t get in the rankings to end the year, even though they’ve had strong placement in the past.
86 KG
U23 National Final
Amanula Rasulov (Dagestan) - Slavik Naniev (Khanty-Mansiysk) - 10: 4
Fights for 3rd places
Astik Badoev (Alania) - Andrey Tefanov (St. Petersburg) - 8: 0
Turpalali Eldarov (Tatarstan) - Zaur Umalatov (Moscow) - touch (+: -)
Amanula Rasulov (Dagestan) defeated 2018 Alans bronze medalist and 2019 Junior European bronze medalist Slavik Naniev (Khanty-Mansiysk) 10-4 to take the 86 KG U-23 national title. While a strong age group accomplishment, neither man is in a place to be contending with the elites of 86 KG as it stands right now.
92 KG
U23 National Final
Azamat Zakuev (Crimea) - Aslan Tolparov (Alania) - 10: 0
Fights for 3rd places
Soslanbek Tskayev (Alania) - Lambert Kharonov (Bryansk) - touch (+: -)
Artem Tskharebov (Alania) - Arsen Aliev (Dagestan) - 6: 3
2018 Junior European champion Azamat Zakuev (Crimea) was dominant throughout, tech falling all his competition on his way to the 92 KG U-23 national title. Zakuev debuts in the 92 KG rankings at #7 for past wins over #1 Alikhan Zhabrailov (Chechnya) at the 2018 Intercontinental Cup and #3 (97) Aslanbek Sotiev (Alania) at the 2017 Junior North Caucasian Federal District tournament finals.
97 KG
U23 National Final
Magomedkhan Magomedov (Dagestan) - Khokh Khugaev (Alania) - 10: 5
Fights for 3 places
Tamerlan Kotsoev (Alania) - Soslanbek Dudaev (Moscow) - touch (+: -)
Maxim Tolmachev (Krasnoyarsk) -David Dzugaev (Alania) - 10: 5
#7 Magomedkhan Magomedov (Dagestan) recovered well from failing to place at senior nationals by taking gold at U-23 nationals with a 10-5 win over Khokh Khugaev (Alania). Magomedov moved up 3 spots in the rankings to #4 because he beat Maxim Tolmachev (Krasnoyarsk) in the semifinals who had beaten Senior nationals bronze medalist #5 Aslanbek Gazzaev (Alania) by a 10-0 tech fall in the quarterfinals. Gazzaev had taken bronze at Senior nationals by beating #6 Shamil Musaev (Dagestan) who had beaten #7 Magomedkhan Magomedov (Dagestan) 5-1 in the qualification round of Senior nationals. All of action means that Magomedov goes up three spots to #4, Tolmachev debuts at #5 for his win over #5 Gazzaev, Gazzaev falls one spot to #6, and Musaev drops one spot to #7. Now, 2019 national runner-up Igor Ovsyannikov (Krasnoyarsk) was ranked 4th previously but was removed from the rankings due to inactivity since the last time he competed was October 10th, 2019 when he won the Korkin tournament so with his removal it also allows for the addition of U-23 national runner-up Khokh Khugaev (Alania) at #10.
125 KG
U23 National Final
Vakhit Galaev (Ingushetia) - Soslan Khinchagov (Crimea) - 11: 0
Fights for 3rd places
Haji Alizudinov (Dagestan) - Gazimagomed Nazhmudinov (Dagestan) - 12: 9
Artem Pukhovsky (Moscow) - Denis Sedives (Tyva) - 5: 2
Vakhit Gulaev took home the sole gold medal for Ingushetia at U-23 nationals with a 11-0 tech fall win over 2018 Junior world champ Soslan Khinchagov (Crimea). The results of U-23 nationals did not affect the senior Russian national rankings.
Pound-for-Pound
57 KG national runner-up Azamat Tuskaev (Alania) makes his debut in the pound for pound rankings at #18 for his wins over #6 Zavur Uguev (Dagestan), #3 (57) Akhmed Idrisov (Dagestan), #5 (57) Ramiz Gamzatov (Dagestan), and #7 (57) Abubakar Mutaliev (Dagestan). No other changes to the rankings.