List of male freestyle wrestlers
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Freestyle wrestling is a style of
wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
originated from
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Along with
Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...
, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
. American
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
and men's
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
wrestling is conducted under different rules and is termed scholastic and
collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...
. American collegiate women's wrestling is conducted under freestyle rules. Freestyle wrestling, like collegiate wrestling, has its greatest origins in
catch-as-catch-can wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by John Graham Chambers, J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed th ...
. In both styles the ultimate goal is to throw and pin the opponent to the mat, which results in an immediate win. Unlike Greco-Roman, freestyle and collegiate wrestling allow the use of the wrestler's or the opponent's legs in offense and defense. Freestyle wrestling brings together traditional wrestling,
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
, and
sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , oly ...
techniques. According to wrestling's world governing body,
United World Wrestling United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including ...
(UWW), freestyle wrestling is one of the six main forms of amateur competitive wrestling practiced internationally today. The other five forms are Greco-Roman wrestling,
grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...
/
submission wrestling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...
,
beach wrestling Beach wrestling is a type of wrestling that has been officially held since 2005. History First time in 2004, during the International United Wrestling Federation (FILA), beach wrestling was registered as a type of wrestling. Beach wrestling is ...
,
pankration athlima Pankration (; el, παγκράτιον) was a sporting event introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC, which was an empty-hand submission sport with few rules. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques but also others, such as ...
,
alysh Alysh () is a Turkic term for Central Asian folk wrestling or "belt wrestling" regulated by United World Wrestling. Alysh is an upright wrestling style. Competitors wear trousers, jackets and belts, and must hold on to their opponents' belts at ...
/
belt wrestling Belt wrestling is a form of wrestling that is one of the oldest historically recorded sports. It involves two belted contestants aiming to take each other over by grappling with a belt. There are hundreds of national belt wrestling styles, but con ...
and traditional/
folk wrestling A folk wrestling style is any traditional style of wrestling, which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most cultures have developed regional forms of grappling. Europe Britain Traditionally wrestling has two main centres in Great ...
. The Executive Board of the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) recommended dropping wrestling as a sport from the
2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
, but the decision was later reversed by the IOC.


History

Modern freestyle wrestling, according to UWW (formerly FILA), is said to have originated in Great Britain and the United States by the name of "catch-as-catch-can" wrestling. "Catch-as-catch-can" wrestling had a particular following in Great Britain and the variant developed in
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
had a particular effect on freestyle wrestling."Wrestling, Freestyle" by Michael B. Poliakoff from ''Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present'', Vol. 3, p. 1190, eds. David Levinson and Karen Christensen (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1996). "Catch-as-catch-can" wrestling gained great popularity in fairs and festivals during the 19th century. In catch-as-catch-can wrestling, both contestants started out standing and then a wrestler sought to hold his opponent's shoulder to the ground (known as a fall). If no fall was scored, both wrestlers continued grappling on the ground, and almost all holds and techniques were allowable. A Scottish variant of Lancashire wrestling also became popular, which began with both wrestlers standing chest to chest, grasping each other with locked arms around the body and, if no fall was made, with the match continuing on the ground. In addition, there was the Irish
collar-and-elbow Collar-and-elbow wrestling (Irish: Coiléar agus Uille or Brollaidheacht) is a style of jacket wrestling native to Ireland. Historically it has also been practised in regions of the world with large Irish diaspora populations, such as the United ...
style, where wrestlers started out on their feet with both wrestlers grasping each other by the collar with one hand and by the elbow with the other. If neither wrestler then achieved a fall, the contestants would continue both standing and on the ground until a fall was made. Irish
immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
later brought this style of wrestling to the United States, where it soon became widespread, especially because of the success of the wrestling champion of the
Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
, George William Flagg from
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. Catch-as-catch can was the style performed by at least a half dozen
U.S. presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term Term may refer to: * Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in pa ...
, including
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
,
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
,
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
,
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
,
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
, and
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. Because of the widespread interest in and esteem of professional
Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...
and its popularity in many international meets in nineteenth century Europe, freestyle wrestling (and wrestling as an amateur sport in general) had a tough time gaining ground on the continent. The 1896 Olympic Games had only one wrestling bout, a heavyweight Greco-Roman match. Freestyle wrestling first emerged as an Olympic sport in the St. Louis Olympics of 1904. All 40 wrestlers who participated in the 1904 Olympics were American. The 1904 Olympics sanctioned the rules commonly used for catch-as-catch-can, but imposed some restrictions on dangerous holds. Wrestling by seven weight classes—47.6 kg (104.9 lb), 52.2 kg (115.1 lb), 56.7 kg (125.0 lb), 61.2 kg (134.9 lb), 65.3 kg (143.9 lb), 71.7 kg (156.7 lb), and greater than —was an important innovation in the
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
. Since 1921, the body now known as United World Wrestling (UWW), which has its headquarters near Lausanne, Switzerland, has set the "Rules of the Game", with regulations for scoring and procedures that govern tournaments such as the World Games and the competition at the Summer Olympics. These were later adopted by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for its freestyle matches. Freestyle wrestling gained great popularity in the United States after the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. By the 1880s, tournaments drew hundreds of wrestlers. The rise of cities, increased industrialization, and the closing of the frontier provided the affable environment for amateur wrestling, along with
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
, to increase in esteem and popularity. Amateur wrestling teams soon emerged, such as the wrestling team of the New York Athletic Club, which had its first tournament in 1878.
Professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
also developed, and by the 1870s, professional championship matches offered allowances of up to $1,000. Nineteenth century wrestling matches were particularly long, and especially Greco-Roman bouts (where holds below the waist and the use of the legs are not allowed) could last as many as eight to nine hours, and even then, it was only decided by a draw. In the 20th century, time limits were set for matches."Wrestling, Freestyle" by Michael B. Poliakoff from ''Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present'', Vol. 3, p. 1191, eds. David Levinson and Karen Christensen (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1996) For more than forty years into the twentieth century, freestyle and its American counterpart, collegiate wrestling, did not have a scoring system that decided matches in the absence of a fall. The introduction of a point system by
Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
wrestling coach Art Griffith gained acceptance in 1941 and influenced the international styles as well. By the 1960s international wrestling matches in Greco-Roman and freestyle were scored by a panel of three judges in secret, who made the final decision by raising colored paddles at the match's end. Dr. Albert de Ferrari from
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
who became vice president of FILA (now UWW), lobbied for a visible scoring system and a rule for "controlled fall", which would recognize a fall only when the offensive wrestler had done something to cause it. These were soon adopted internationally in Greco-Roman and freestyle. By 1996, before a major overhaul of FILA rules, an international freestyle match consisted of two three-minute periods, with a one-minute rest between periods. Today, wrestlers from
post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
, Iran, the United States, Bulgaria, Cuba, Turkey, and Japan have had the strongest showings.
Alexander Medved Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Medved (born 16 September 1937) is a Ukrainian-born Soviet Belarusian retired freestyle wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union and was named "one of the greatest wrestlers in history" by FILA, the sport's governing bod ...
of
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
won 10 world championships and three Olympic gold medals from 1964 to 1972. Many collegiate wrestlers have moved on to freestyle competition, particularly internationally with great success. In the spring of 2013, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted wrestling out of the core sports for the summer Olympics beginning in 2020 As a result of this news the wrestling community started a massive campaign in order to reinstate the sport. A largely online group called 2020 vision lead the movement. They had several campaigns as well as Facebook and Twitter pages that spread awareness and gathered support for the cause of wrestling's return to the Olympics. They had a mission of gaining 2,000,020 signatures (online and offline) in support of wrestling's return to the Olympic Games. In September 2013 the IOC voted to allow wrestling back into the Olympics for 2020 and 2024 as a probationary sport. In order to achieve this, UWW made several changes to the rules as well as changes to the weight classes. There are also discussions about uniform changes as well as changes to the competition mat.


Weight classes

Currently, international men's freestyle wrestling is divided into six main age categories: schoolboys, cadets, novice, juvenile, juniors, and seniors. Schoolboys (boys ages 14–15; or age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) wrestle in 10 weight classes ranging from . Cadets (young boys ages 16–17; or age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) wrestle in 10 weight classes ranging from . Juniors (young boys ages 18 to 20; or age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) wrestle in eight weight classes ranging from . Seniors (men ages 20 and up) wrestle in seven weight classes ranging from . For men, there is also a special category for some freestyle competitions, "Veterans", for men ages 35 and older, presumably featuring the same weight classes as seniors. Also, all of the men's age categories and weight classes can be applied to Greco-Roman wrestling. Women currently compete in freestyle wrestling in one of four age categories on an international level: schoolgirls, cadets, juniors, and seniors. Schoolgirls (young women ages 14–15; or age 13 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) wrestle in 10 weight classes ranging from . Cadets (young women ages 16–17; or age 15 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) wrestle in 10 weight classes ranging from . Juniors (young women ages 18 to 20; or age 17 with a medical certificate and parental authorization) wrestle in eight weight classes ranging from . Seniors (women ages 20 and up) wrestle in seven weight classes ranging from . Wrestlers after weigh-in may only wrestle in their own weight class. Wrestlers in the senior age category may wrestle up a weight class except for the heavyweight division (which starts at a weight more than for the men and more than for the women). Different nations may have different weight classes and different age categories for their levels of freestyle competition.


Layout of the mat

The match takes place on a thick rubber mat that is shock-absorbing to ensure safety. For the Olympic Games, all World Championships, and World Cups, the mat has to be new. The main wrestling area has a nine-meter diameter and is surrounded by a border of the same thickness known as the protection area. Inside the nine meter in diameter circle is a red band of one meter (3 ft 3 in) in width that is on the outer edge of the circle and is known as the red zone. The red zone is used to help indicate passivity on the part of a wrestler; thus, it is also known as the passivity zone. Inside the red zone is the central wrestling area which is seven meters in diameter. In the middle of the central surface of wrestling is the central circle, which is one meter in diameter. The central circle is surrounded by a band 10 centimeters (4 in) wide and is divided in half by a red line eight centimeters (3  in) in width. The diagonally opposite corners of the mat are marked with the wrestlers' colors, red and blue or in some areas, Red and Green. For competition in the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and the Continental Championships, the mat is installed on a platform no greater than in height. If the mat lies on a podium and the protection margin (covering and free space around the mat) does not reach two meters (6 ft 6 in), the sides of the podium are covered with 45° (degree) inclined panels. In all cases, the color of the protection area is different from the color of the mat.


Equipment

* A singlet is a one-piece wrestling garment made of spandex that should provide a tight and comfortable fit for the wrestler. It is made from
nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
or
lycra Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The g ...
and prevents an opponent from using anything on the wrestler as leverage. One wrestler usually competes in a red singlet and the other in a blue singlet. * A special pair of shoes is worn by the wrestler to increase their mobility and flexibility. Wrestling shoes are light and flexible in order to provide maximum comfort and movement. Usually made with rubber soles, they help give the wrestler's feet a better grip on the mat. * A handkerchief, also called a bloodrag, is carried in the singlet. In the event of bleeding, the wrestler will remove the cloth from his singlet and attempt to stop the bleeding or clean up any bodily fluids that may have gotten onto the mat. *
Headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...
, equipment worn around the ears to protect the wrestler, is optional in freestyle. Headgear is omitted at the participant's own risk, as there is the potential to develop
cauliflower ear Cauliflower ear is an irreversible condition that occurs when the external portion of the ear is hit and develops a blood clot or other collection of fluid under the perichondrium. This separates the cartilage from the overlying perichondrium tha ...
.


The match

A match is a competition between two individual wrestlers of the same weight class. In freestyle wrestling, a jury (or team) of three officials (referees) is used. The referee controls the action in the center, blowing the whistle to start and stop the action, and supervises the scoring of holds and infractions. The judge sits at the side of the mat, keeps score, and occasionally gives his approval when needed by the referee for various decisions. The mat chairman sits at the scoring table, keeps time, is responsible for declaring technical superiority, and supervises the work of the referee and judge. To call a fall, two of the three officials must agree (usually, the referee and either the judge or the mat chairman).


Session format

In Greco-Roman and freestyle, the format is two three-minute sessions. Before each match, each wrestler's name is called, and the wrestler takes his place at the corner of the mat assigned to his color. The referee then calls both of them to his side at the center of the mat, shakes hands with them, inspects their apparel, and checks for any perspiration, oily or greasy substances, and any other infractions. The two wrestlers then greet each other, shake hands, and the referee blows his whistle to start the session. A wrestler wins the match when he has outscored his opponent at the end of the two three-minute sessions. For example, if one competitor were to score four points in the first session and his opponent two, and then two in the second session, his opponent zero, the competitor would win. Only a fall, injury default, or disqualification terminates the match; all other modes of victory result only in session termination. In freestyle, if no wrestler scores in two minutes, the referee of the match will then identify the more passive wrestler, and that wrestler will be given a thirty-second window of opportunity to score, and if he doesn't, then his opponent will be awarded a point. When the session (or match) has concluded, the referee stands at the center of the mat facing the officials' table. Both wrestlers then approach each other, shake hands, and stand on either side of the referee to await the decision. The referee then proclaims the winner by raising the winner's hand. At the end of the match, each wrestler then shakes hands with the referee and returns to shake hands with his opponent's coach.


Match scoring

In freestyle wrestling, as well as in Greco-Roman wrestling, points are awarded mostly on the basis of explosive action and risk. For example, when one wrestler performs a grand amplitude throw that brings his opponent into the danger position, he is awarded the greatest number of points that can be scored in one instance. Also, a wrestler who takes the risk to briefly roll on the mat (with his shoulders in contact with the mat) could give a certain number of points to his opponent. Scoring can be accomplished in the following ways: * Takedown (2 to 5 points): A wrestler is awarded points for a takedown when the wrestler gains control over his opponent on the mat from a neutral position (when the wrestler is on his feet). At least three points of contact have to be controlled on the mat (e.g. two arms and one knee; two knees and one arm or the head; or two arms and the head). ::(5 points):5 points are awarded for a takedown brought about by a throw of grand amplitude (a throw in which a wrestler brings his opponent off of the mat and controls him so that his feet go directly above his head) either from the standing or ''par terre'' position into a direct and immediate danger position. ::(4 points): 4 points are awarded for a takedown brought about by a throw of grand amplitude as in the 5-point throw, but does not put the opponent into a direct and immediate danger position or if the opposing wrestler maintains contact with at least one hand on the mat. ::(3 points): Generally, three points are awarded for a takedown brought about by a short amplitude throw that does not bring his opponent in a direct and immediate danger position or for a takedown in which a wrestler's opponent is taken from his feet or his stomach to his back or side (a throw of short amplitude) so that he is in the danger position. ::(2 points):Two points are awarded for a takedown brought about by a wrestler taking his opponent from his feet to his stomach or side such that his back or shoulders are not exposed to the mat and while in this position holding him down with control. * Reversal (1 point): A wrestler is awarded one point for a reversal when the wrestler gains control over his opponent from a defensive position (when the wrestler is being controlled by his opponent). * Exposure also called the Danger Position (2 or 3 points): A wrestler is awarded points for exposure when the wrestler exposes his opponent's back to the mat for several seconds. Points for exposure are also awarded if one's back is to the mat but the wrestler is not pinned. Criteria for exposure or the danger position is met when 1) a wrestler's opponent is in a bridge position to avoid being pinned, 2) a wrestler's opponent is on one or both elbows with his back to the mat and avoids getting pinned, 3) a wrestler holds one of his opponent's shoulders to the mat and the other shoulder at an acute angle (less than 90 degrees), 4) a wrestler's opponent is in an "instantaneous fall" position (where both of his shoulders are on the mat for less than one second), or 5) the wrestler's opponent rolls on his shoulders. A wrestler in the danger position allows his opponent to score two points. An additional hold-down point may be earned by maintaining the exposure continuously for five seconds. * Penalty (1 or 2 points): Under the 2004-2005 changes to the international styles, a wrestler whose opponent takes an injury time-out receives one point unless the injured wrestler is bleeding. Other infractions (e.g. fleeing a hold or the mat, striking the opponent, acting with brutality or intent to injure, using illegal holds, etc.) are penalized by an award of either one or two points, a Caution, and a choice of position to the opponent. A wrestler whose opponent regularly refuses to take an ordered hold is awarded a point. Three cautions automatically result in the match being awarded to the opponent. * Out-of-Bounds (1 point): Whenever a wrestler places his foot in the protection area, the match is stopped, and one point is awarded to his opponent. * Passivity (1 point): A point awarded to the attacking wrestler whose opponent flees the hold or refuses to start. Classification points are also awarded in an international wrestling tournament, which give most points to the winner and in some cases, one point to the loser depending on the outcome of the match and how the victory was attained. For example, a victory by fall would give the winner five classification points and the loser no points, while a match won by technical superiority with the loser scoring technical points would award three points to the winner and one point to loser. The full determinations for scoring are found https://unitedworldwrestling.org/sites/default/files/2018-04/wrestling_rules.pdf in the ''UWW International Wrestling Rules''].


Victory conditions

A match can be won in the following ways: * Win by pin (amateur wrestling), Fall: The object of the entire wrestling match is to attain victory by what is known as the fall. A fall, also known as a
pin A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch de ...
, occurs when one wrestler holds both of his opponents' shoulders on the mat simultaneously. In Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, the two shoulders of the defensive wrestler must be held long enough for the referee to "observe the total control of the fall" (usually ranging from one half-second to about one or two seconds). Then either the judge or the mat chairman concurs with the referee that a fall is made. (If the referee does not indicate a fall, and the fall is valid, the judge and the mat chairman can concur together and announce the fall.) A fall ends the match entirely regardless of when it occurs. * Win by Technical Superiority (Also called Technical Fall): If at any point during the match, a wrestler gains a ten-point lead over his opponent, the wrestler would win the match by technical fall. * Win by Decision: If neither wrestler achieves either a fall or technical superiority, the wrestler who scored more points during match is declared the winner. * Win by Default: If one wrestler is unable to continue participating for any reason or fails to show up on the mat after his name was called three times before the match begins, his opponent is declared the winner of the match by default, forfeit, or withdrawal. * Win by Injury: If one wrestler is injured and unable to continue, the other wrestler is declared the winner. This is also referred to as a medical forfeit or injury default. The term also encompasses situations where wrestlers become ill, take too many injury time-outs, or bleed uncontrollably. If a wrestler is injured by his opponent's illegal maneuver and cannot continue, the wrestler at fault is disqualified. * Win by Disqualification: Normally, if a wrestler is assessed three Cautions for breaking the rules, he is disqualified. Under other circumstances, such as flagrant brutality, the match may be ended immediately and the wrestler disqualified and removed from the tournament.


Team scoring in tournaments

In an international wrestling tournament, teams enter one wrestler at each weight class and score points based on the individual performances. For example, if a wrestler at the 60 kg weight class finishes in first place, then his team will receive 10 points. If he were to finish in tenth place, then the team would only receive one. At the end of the tournament, each team's score is tallied, and the team with the most points wins the team competition.


Team competition

A team competition or dual meet is a meeting between (typically two) teams in which individual wrestlers at a given weight class compete against each other. A team receives one point for each victory in a weight class regardless of the outcome. The team that scores the most points at the end of the matches wins the team competition. If there are two sets of competitions with one team winning the ''home'' competition and one winning the ''away'' competition, a third competition may take place to determine the winner for ranking purposes, or the ranking may take place by assessing in order: 1) the most victories by adding the points of the two matches; 2) the most points by fall, default, forfeit, or disqualification; 3) the most matches won by technical superiority; 4) the most periods won by technical superiority; 5) the most technical points won in all the competition; 6) the fewest technical points won in all the competition. This works similarly when more than two teams are involved in this predicament.


Women's freestyle wrestling

Women compete in freestyle wrestling at the collegiate, world, and Olympic levels. Women's freestyle wrestling made its Olympic debut at the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
. There are ten weight classes for women (50 kg, 53 kg, 55 kg, 57 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg and 76 kg) that compete in World Championships. However, after the
2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
, there are only six weight classes (50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg). Only one representative from each weight class is permitted to compete in the Olympics. Freestyle wrestling was added to the
NCAA Emerging Sports for Women NCAA Emerging Sports for Women are intercollegiate women's sports that are recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, but do not have sanctioned NCAA Championships. History In 1994, the NCAA adopted th ...
program effective with the 2020–21 school year. At that time, 35
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
members sponsored women's wrestling teams. Wrestlers wear a red or blue singlet, depending on their bracket placement; all female competitors are required to wear a women's-cut singlet.


Notable freestyle wrestlers


Olympic and world champions


Men

*
Aleksandr Medved Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Medved (born 16 September 1937) is a Ukrainian-born Soviet Belarusian retired freestyle wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union and was named "one of the greatest wrestlers in history" by FILA, the sport's governing bod ...
– three-time Olympic Champion and seven-time World Champion *
Anatoly Beloglazov Anatoly Alekseyevich Beloglazov (russian: Анатолий Алексеевич Белоглазов; born 16 September 1956) is a retired Russian freestyle wrestler. He won gold medals at the 1980 Olympics and 1977, 1978 and 1982 World Champion ...
– Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion *
Ivan Yarygin Ivan Sergeyevich Yarygin ( rus, Иван Сергеевич Ярыгин, p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ jɪˈrɨɡʲɪn; 7 November 1948 – 11 October 1997) was a Soviet and Russian heavyweight freestyle wrestler. Between 1970 and 1980 he ...
– two-time Olympic Champion and one-time World Champion * Shamseddin Seyed-Abbasi-World Chamion *
Kamran Ghasempour Kamran Ghasempour ( fa, کامران قاسمپور, born 16 Dec 1996) is an Iranian freestyle wrestler who competes at 92 kilograms, where he is the reigning World Champion. He is also a two-time Asian Continental champion and a two-time Worl ...
– two-time World Champion *
Hassan Yazdani Hassan Yazdani Charati ( fa, حسن یزدانی چراتی born 26 December 1994 in Lapu Sahra, Chapakrud Rural District, Juybar County, Iran) is an Iranian wrestler. Yazdani is an Olympic and World Champion in freestyle wrestling in two weig ...
– Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion * Bruce Baumgartner – two-time Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion *
Kyle Dake Kyle Douglas Dake (born February 25, 1991) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 74 kilograms. Dake is a four-time and the reigning World Champion, winning back-to-back titles twice, at ...
– four-time World Champion * Buvaisar Saitiev – three-time Olympic Champion and six-time World Champion *
Sergei Beloglazov Sergei Alekseyevich Beloglazov (russian: Серге́й Алексеевич Белоглазов, born 16 September 1956 in Kaliningrad) is a Soviet and Russian former Olympic wrestler and World Champion. He trained at the Armed Forces sports s ...
– two-time Olympic Champion and six-time World Champion *
Arsen Fadzaev Arsen Suleymanovich Fadzaev (russian: Арсен Сулейманович Фадзаев; born 5 September 1962, in Chikola, North Ossetia–Alania, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a former Soviet wrestler, World champion and Olympic champion in ...
– two-time Olympic Champion and six-time World Champion * Majid Torkan – World Champion *
Valentin Yordanov Valentin Dimitrov Yordanov ( bg, Валентин Димитров Йорданов; born January 26, 1960), also transliterated Jordanov, is a retired Bulgarian freestyle wrestler who competed in the up to 52 kg weight class. He is an Oly ...
– Olympic Champion and seven-time World Champion *
Makharbek Khadartsev Makharbek Khasbiyevich Khadartsev (russian: Махарбек Хазбиевич Хадарцев) (born 2 October 1964) is a former Soviet wrestler who later competed for Russia and Uzbekistan, two times Olympic champion and ...
– two-time Olympic Champion and five-time World Champion * Levan Tediashvili – two-time Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion * Soslan Andiyev – two-time Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion *
Abdollah Movahed Abdollah Movahed ( fa, عبدالله موحد , born March 20, 1940) is a retired Iranian lightweight freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a gold medal in 1968. He served as flag bearer for Iran at the Ope ...
– Olympic Champion and five-time World Champion *
Leri Khabelov Leri Khabelov ( ka, ლერი ხაბელოვი, russian: Лери Габрелович Хабелов) (born 5 July 1964) is a Georgian politician and a retired wrestler, formerly a Soviet Olympic champion in Freestyl ...
– Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion *
Akbar Fallah Akbar Fallah ( fa, اکبر فلاح, born 4 September 1966) is an Iranian wrestler. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as A ...
- World Champion * Mehdi Taghavi – two-time World Champion * John Smith – two-time Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion *
Khadzhimurat Gatsalov Khadzhimurat Soltanovich Gatsalov (russian: Хаджимурат Солтанович Гацалов, born December 11, 1982, in Chikola, North Ossetia–Alania) is a Russian wrestler. As of February 2020, he represents Armenia. He won the go ...
– Olympic Champion and five-time World Champion *
Mustafa Dağıstanlı Mustafa Dağıstanlı (11 April 1931 – 18 September 2022) was a Turkish wrestler. He had his best achievements in freestyle wrestling, winning gold medals at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and 1954, 1957, and 1959 world championships. In Greco-Roma ...
– two-time Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion * Ali Aliev – five-time World Champion *
Aleksandr Ivanitsky Aleksandr Vladimirovich Ivanitsky (russian: Александр Владимирович Иваницкий ; 10 December 1937 – 22 July 2020) was a Russian wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling who competed for the Sovie ...
– Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion *
Gholamreza Takhti Gholamreza Takhti ( fa, غلامرضا تختی, August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968) was an Iranian Olympic Gold-Medalist wrestler and Varzesh-e Bastani (''Persian Traditional Sport'') practitioner.Houchang E. Chehabi, TAḴTI, Ḡolām-Re ...
– Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion *
Abbas Jadidi Abbas Jadidi ( fa, عباس جدیدی; born 13 January 1969) is an Iranian wrestler who competed in the Freestyle Heavyweight (90–100 kg) category at the 1996 Summer Olympics, losing to Kurt Angle and winning the silver medal. He was susp ...
– World Champion *
J'den Cox J'den Michael Tbory Cox ( /ˈdʒeɪdən/ ''JAY-dən'', born March 3, 1995) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 92 kilograms. In freestyle, Cox is a two-time World Champion (bronze medalist in 20 ...
– two-time World Champion * Emam-Ali Habibi – Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion *
Vladimir Yumin Vladimir Sergeyevich Yumin (russian: Владимир Сергеевич Юмин; 18 December 1951 – 4 March 2016) was a Russian freestyle wrestler. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and world titles in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1979, placing se ...
– Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion *
Jordan Burroughs Jordan Ernest Burroughs (born July 8, 1988) is an American freestyle wrestler and former folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 79 kilograms, and previously competed at 74 kilos. In freestyle, he was the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is ...
– Olympic Champion and six-time World Champion * Alireza Heidari – World Champion *
Hüseyin Akbaş Hüseyin Akbaş (1933–1989) was a Turkish wrestler. He competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1956 and a silver in 1964. Akbaş won the world freestyle title in 1954, 1957, 1959 and 1962, p ...
– four-time World Champion * David Taylor – Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion *
Olle Anderberg Olle Henrik Martin Anderberg (13 September 1919 – 26 September 2003) was a Swedish wrestler. He competed in the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics in freestyle and Greco-Roman events and won a silver medal in the Greco-Roman featherweig ...
– Olympic Champion and World Champion in freestyle *
Amir Reza Khadem Amir Reza Khadem Azghadi ( fa, امیررضا خادم ازغدی, born February 10, 1970) is an Iranian wrestler who won Olympic bronze medals in 1992 and 1996. He finished fourth at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and he won the 1991 World Champions ...
– World Champion *
Abdulrashid Sadulaev Abdulrashid Bulachevich Sadulaev ( rus, Абдулрашид Булачевич Садулаев, , ɐbdʊɫrɐˈʂɨts sədʊˈɫa(ɪ̯)ɪf, av, ГІабдулрашид Булачил Садулаев; born 9 May 1996) is a Russian freestyle ...
– two-time Olympic Champion and five-time World Champion *
Kustaa Pihlajamäki Kustaa Kustaanpoika Pihlajamäki (7 April 1902 – 10 February 1944) was a Finnish wrestler. He competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won two gold and one silver medal. Between 1930 and 1943 he won nine Eu ...
– two-time Olympic Champion *
Komeil Ghasemi Komeil Ghasemi ( fa, کمیل قاسمی, born 27 February 1988) is a retired Iranian wrestler who won a gold medal in the men's freestyle 120 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ghasemi was awarded his Olympic gold medal after the two wrestl ...
– Olympic Champion *
Abbas Hajkenari Abbas Hajkenari ( fa, عباس حاج كناری, born January 1, 1974, in Fereydoon Kenar) is an Iranian retired Sport wrestling, wrestler . References Abbas Hajkenari at Sports Reference External links

* 1974 births Living ...
– World Champion * Arayik Gevorgyan – three-time World Champion * Mark Schultz – Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion * Kurt Angle – Olympic and World Champion *
Mohammad Talaei Mohammad Talaei ( fa, محمد طلایی, born April 7, 1973, in Isfahan) is an Iranian retired wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedown ...
– World Champion *
Rasoul Khadem Rasoul Khadem Azghadi ( fa, رسول خادم ازغدی, born March 18, 1972) is a former Iranian Sport wrestling, wrestler who has won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was also the 1994 ...
– Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion * George Mehnert – two-time Olympic Champion *
Mohsen Farahvashi Mohsen Mohamed Farahvash Fashandi ( fa, محسن محمد فره وش فشندى, born 21 July 1947) is a retired Iranian featherweight freestyle wrestler. He won a world title in 1973 and a gold medal at the 1974 Asian Games. He placed fourth ...
- World Champion *
Amir Hossein Zare Amir Hossein Zare ( fa, امیر حسین زارع; born 16 January 2001) is an Iranian freestyle wrestler who currently competes in the heavyweight division. Zare became World Champion in 2021, and was the 2019 U23 World Champion at age 18. ...
– World Champion * Arsen Mekokishvili – Olympic and World Champion *
Alireza Soleimani Alireza Soleimani Karbalaei ( fa, علیرضا سلیمانی کربلایی, 2 February 1956 – 21 May 2014) was an Iranian heavyweight freestyle wrestler. He was the first Iranian to win the world superheavyweight title, which he achieve ...
– World Champion * Vakhtang Balavadze – two-time World Champion * Hamit Kaplan – Olympic Champion and World Champion * Ebrahim Seifpour – two-time World Champion *
Wilfried Dietrich Wilfried Dietrich (14 October 1933 – 2 June 1992) was a German heavyweight wrestler. Between 1956 and 1972 he took part in five Olympics and six world championships, often entering both the freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling contests – a f ...
– Olympic Champion and World Champion *
Alireza Dabir Alireza Dabir ( fa, علیرضا دبیر, born September 16, 1977) is the President of Islamic Republic of Iran Wrestling Federation from July 2019. He is an Iranian champion freestyle wrestler. Dabir won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Game ...
– Olympic Champion and World Champion *
Mansour Mehdizadeh Mansour Savad-Abadi Mahdizadeh ( fa, منصورسواد آبادی مهدى زاده, born 14 August 1938) is a retired Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western ...
– three-time World Champion * Alejandro Puerto – Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion * Mohammad Ali Sanatkaran – World Champion *
Hideaki Tomiyama represented Japan in wrestling at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and won the gold medal in the bantamweight division. He later coached the 2004 Athens Olympics wrestling team. He is currently the head coach of the Nihon University , abbr ...
– Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion * Boris Gurevich – Olympic Champion *
Osamu Watanabe is a retired Japanese freestyle wrestler. In 1962, he debuted internationally and retired shortly after the 1964 Olympics. During his brief career Watanabe won all his few hundred bouts. He is considered one of the best wrestlers in Olympic histo ...
– Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion *
Aleksandr Ivanitsky Aleksandr Vladimirovich Ivanitsky (russian: Александр Владимирович Иваницкий ; 10 December 1937 – 22 July 2020) was a Russian wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling who competed for the Sovie ...
– Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion * Kyle Snyder – Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion * Ebrahim Javadi - four-time World Champion *
Haji Aliyev Haji Aliyev ( az, Hacı Azər oğlu Əliyev; born 21 April 1991, in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan SSR) is an Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 61 kg division in the 2014 European Wrestling Championships and won the gold medal af ...
– three-time World Champion *
Toghrul Asgarov Toghrul Shahriyar oghlu Asgarov (; born on September 17, 1992, Ganja, Azerbaijan) is an Azerbaijani wrestler. He is an Olympic and European champion in freestyle wrestling. In 2012 Summer Olympics Toghrul Asgarov won Olympic wrestling gold med ...
– Olympic Champion *
Kenny Monday Kenny Dale Monday (born November 25, 1961) is an Olympic gold medalist and three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University. He began wrestling at age six at a YMCA after-school program and grew up idolizing Olympic wrestler Wayn ...
– Olympic Champion and World Champion *
Mansour Barzegar Mansour Barzegar ( fa, منصور برزگر; born 28 February 1947) is a retired Iranian welterweight freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and placed fifth and second, respectively. At the world championships he won on ...
– World Champion


Women

* Saori Yoshida – three-time Olympic Champion and thirteen-time World Champion *
Kaori Icho is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. She is a ten-time World Champion and four-time Olympic Champion, winning gold in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. Icho was undefeated between 2003 and 2016. On 29 January 2016 at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 20 ...
– four-time Olympic Champion and ten-time World Champion * Hitomi Obara – Olympic Champion and eight-time World Champion * Yayoi Urango * Christine Nordhagen – six-time World Champion * Shoko Yoshimura – five-time World Champion * Liu Dongfeng – five-time World Champion * Zhong Xiue – five-time World Champion * Nikola Hartmann – five-time World Champion *
Stanka Zlateva Stanka Zlateva Hristova ( bg, Станка Златева Христова; born 1 March 1983 in Krushare, Sliven Province) is a retired female Bulgarian freestyle wrestler. She competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Ath ...
– five-time World Champion *
Adeline Gray Adeline Maria Gray (born January 15, 1991) is an American freestyle wrestler who currently competes at 76 kilograms. She is a six-time world champion (2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021) and a two-time Olympian (2016, 2020), with the silver m ...
– six-time World Champion * Gudrun Høie – four-time World Champion * Line Johansen – two-time World Champion *
Iryna Merleni Iryna Oleksiyivna Merleni ( uk, Ірина Олексіївна Мерлені), née Melnyk (), married name Mykulchyn () (born 8 February 1982) is a Ukrainian wrestler, who competed in the – 48 kg weight class at the 2004 Summer Olym ...
– Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion *
Tricia Saunders Tricia Saunders (born as ''Patricia McNaughton''; February 21, 1966 in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is an American amateur wrestler and pioneer in the sport of Women's Freestyle Wrestling. She earned a total of five FILA Wrestling World Championships me ...
– four-time World Champion * Anna Gomis – four-time World Champion * Kristie Marano – two-time World Champion *
Seiko Yamamoto is a Japanese wrestler who won four world titles and two Asian Wrestling Championships in her career. Her father is Ikuei Yamamoto, who also competed in the Olympics as a wrestler. Her older brother is mixed martial artist Norifumi Yamamoto. He ...
– four-time World Champion *
Kyoko Hamaguchi is a Japanese freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler. She has won five FILA Wrestling World Championships and two Olympic games, Olympic Bronze medals in the 72 kg weight class. She is sponsored by Japan Beverage Inc. ...
– five-time World Champion * Jing Ruixue – two-time World Champion *
Chiharu Icho is a Japanese sport wrestling, wrestler who competed in the 48 kg Wrestling weight classes, weight class at the Wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's freestyle 48 kg, 2004 and Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's fr ...
– three-time World Champion *
Martine Dugrenier Martine Dugrenier (born June 12, 1979) is a Canadian retired wrestler. A three time world champion (2008, 2009 and 2010), she has also competed twice at the Olympics, finishing in 5th place both times. Early life and education Martine Dugrenier ...
– three-time World Champion *
Tamyra Mensah-Stock Tamyra Mariama Mensah-Stock (born October 11, 1992, Mensah) is an American wrestler who competes in women's freestyle wrestling. She won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on August 3, 2021, and became the first black woman to win gold in wo ...
– Olympic Champion and two-time World Champion


Mixed martial arts


Men

*
Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "The Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed marti ...
– only UFC Triple Crown Champion in history, member of UFC Hall of Fame * Ken Shamrock – first UFC Superfight Champion, member of UFC Hall of Fame *
Don Frye Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the ''UFC 8'' and ''Ultimate Ultimate 96'' tournaments an ...
– member of UFC Hall of Fame *
Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler, currently signed to Rizin Fighting Federation and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugiura. ...
UFC Japan ''UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan '' (also known as ''UFC Ultimate Japan'' or ''UFC 15.5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 21, 1997 in Yokohama, Japan. The event was seen on pay per view in the Unit ...
champion *
Mark Coleman Mark Daniel Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride Fig ...
– first
UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
, member of UFC Hall of Fame *
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...
– six-time UFC Champion, oldest champion in UFC history at 43, member of UFC Hall of Fame * Tito Ortiz – former Light Heavyweight Champion, member of UFC Hall of Fame * Kevin Randleman – former UFC Heavyweight Champion, member of UFC Hall of Fame * Daniel Cormier – Olympic freestyle wrestler, former Light Heavyweight Champion and Heavyweight Champion, member of UFC Hall of Fame * Askar Askarov – Gold medalist at
2017 Summer Deaflympics ) , nations = 86 , athletes = 2,873 , events = 219 in 18 sports , stadium = Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium , opened_by = Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , torch_lighter = Ertuğrul Bursa , opening = July 18, 2017 , closing ...
, UFC fighter *
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
– former UFC Heavyweight Champion *
Yoel Romero Yoel Romero Palacio (born April 30, 1977) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for Bellator MMA. Romero formerly competed in the Middleweight division ...
– Olympic silver medalist,
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
fighter * Henry Cejudo – Olympic gold medalist, former UFC Bantamweight Champion *
Raoni Barcelos Raoni Mendonça Barcelos (born May 1, 1987) is a Brazilian former amateur wrestler and grappler, and current professional mixed martial artist. He was five-times Brazilian national wrestling champion, and three-time Resurrection Fighting Allianc ...
– UFC fighter *
Soa Palelei Soa Palelei (born 12 July 1977) is an Australian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2015, he most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Background Born in 1977, Newc ...
– UFC fighter *
Khamzat Chimaev Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev ( ce, Хизаран Хамзат; russian: Хамзат Хизарович Чимаев; born 1 May 1994), is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Welterweight divi ...
– three-time Swedish National Champion in freestyle wrestling, UFC fighter * Alexander Romanov – UFC fighter *
Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wre ...
– former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion * Kamaru Usman – former UFC Welterweight Champion *
Daniel Weichel Daniel Weichel (born November 22, 1984) is a German mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, he has also competed in M-1 Global and Shooto. As of November 22, 2022, he i ...
Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...
fighter * Matt Lindland – Olympic silver medalist in
Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...
, UFC fighter * Frank Trigg – UFC fighter * Robert Wittaker – UFC Middleweight Champion * Arjan Bhullar – Olympic freestyle wrestler, UFC fighter *
Mike Grundy Michael Grundy (born 1 March 1987) is an English professional mixed martial artist and retired freestyle wrestler who also competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). During his wrestling career, Grundy ...
– UFC fighter * Aljamain SterlingUFC Bantamweight Champion *
Darrion Caldwell Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion ...
– former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion * Corey Anderson – UFC and Bellator fighter *
Ali Isaev Ali Isaevich Isaev (russian: Али Исаевич Исаев; born 18 December 1983 in Makhachkala, Soviet Union) is a Dagestani-Azerbaijani professional mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the Heavyweigh ...
– Olympic freestyle wrestler, Bellator fighter *
Abubakar Nurmagomedov Abubakar Magomedovich Nurmagomedov (born November 13, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who is currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a three-time Combat Sambo World Championship bron ...
– UFC fighter * Norifumi Yamamoto – UFC fighter *
Ed Ruth Edward Lee Ruth (born October 21, 1990) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA ...
– Bellator fighter, represented USA at 2014 and 2015
Wrestling World Cup Wrestling World Cup is an international wrestling competition among teams representing member nations of the United World Wrestling (UWW) the sport's global governing body. The cups have been conducted by FILA (the UWW predecessor) every year sinc ...
in freestyle *
Arman Tsarukyan Arman Nairovich Tsarukyan (; born October 11, 1996) is a Georgia-born Armenian and Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of January 17, 2023, ...
– UFC fighter *
Jake Shields Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight ...
– UFC fighter * Gregor Gillespie – UFC fighter * Bubba Jenkins – freestyle Junior World Champion, Bellator and Professional Fighters League fighter *
Joey Davis Joel Malcolm Davis (born December 29, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. As a wrestler at Notre Dame College, he was the ...
– Bellator fighter *
Tom Erikson Tom Erikson (born July 6, 1964) is an American former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist who competed in the super heavyweight division. Weighing between and throughout his career, "The Big Cat" began wrestling at an early age and was t ...
– former USA World Team member in freestyle,
Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
fighter *
Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade before competing in ...
– Olympic freestyle wrestler, UFC fighter,
Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...
and ONE Welterweight Champion *
Matt Hamill RIT Tigers Matthew Stanley Hamill (born October 5, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and wrestler who has competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in w ...
– UFC fighter * Michel Batista – Olympic bronze medalist, former UFC fighter *
Alexis Vila Alexis Vila Perdomo (born March 12, 1971) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist. An accomplished wrestler, Vila is also a two-time World Champion and 1996 Olympic bronze medallist. At the 1996 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in ...
– Olympian and two-time World Champion in freestyle, MMA fighter * Aaron Pico – freestyle Cadet World Champion, Bellator fighter *
Deron Winn Deron Andrew Winn (born June 13, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. A professional mixed martial artist since 2017, he formerly competed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA, fighting in th ...
– UFC fighter *
Tyron Woodley Tyron Woodley (born April 17, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Di ...
– former UFC Welterweight Champion *
Kyle Crutchmer Kyle Crutchmer (born May 5, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist, freestyle wrestler and graduated collegiate wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a tw ...
– Bellator fighter *
Steve Mocco Iowa Hawkeyes Oklahoma State Cowboys Steve Mocco (born December 28, 1981) is an American former amateur wrestler, judoka and mixed martial artist. As a collegiate wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA national ...
– Olympic freestyle wrestler, MMA fighter *
Kevin Jackson Kevin Andre Jackson (born November 25, 1964 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach. During his i ...
– Olympic gold medalist, UFC fighter * Dave Beneteau – UFC fighter *
Kazuyuki Miyata Kazuyuki Miyata ( ''Miyata Kazuyuki'') is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Rizin. A professional competitor since 2004, Miyata has competed for DREAM, K-1 HERO'S, DEEP, RINGS, and made an appear ...
Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the spir ...
fighter *
Stephen Abas Stephen Anthony Abas (born January 12, 1978) is an American Olympic freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. Abas became a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion in the weight division while attending Fresno State University. He has c ...
– Olympic silver medalist, MMA fighter * Cole Konrad – first Bellator Heavyweight World Champion *
Karo Parisyan Karapet "Karo" Parisyan ( hy, Կարապետ Փարիզյան; born August 28, 1982) is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist, who last competed in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 1999, Parisyan is a ...
– former WEC Welterweight Champion * Manvel Gamburyan – UFC fighter * Josh Koscheck – UFC fighter * Sean Sherk – former UFC Lightweight Champion * Matt Hughes – former UFC Welterweight Champion, member of UFC Hall of Fame *
Matt Serra Matthew John Serra (born June 2, 1974) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the co-star of Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and co-h ...
– former UFC Welterweight Champion * Chris Weidman – former UFC Middleweight Champion * Luke Rockhold – former UFC Middleweight Champion * Rashad Evans – former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, member of UFC Hall of Fame * Anthony Johnson – UFC fighter * Colby Covington – former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion * Josh Barnett – former UFC Heavyweight Champion * Johny Hendricks – former UFC Welterweight Champion * Bo Nickal – Gold medalist at U23 World Wrestling Championships in freestyle, UFC fighter


Women

* Sara McMann – Olympic silver medalist in freestyle, UFC fighter *
Miyuu Yamamoto is a Japanese female freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. Yamamoto is a three-time freestyle wrestling world champion and a Rizin Women's Super Atomweight title contender in MMA. She is represented with Krazy Bee. Personal life Miyuu Y ...
– three-time World Champion in freestyle, Rizin fighter * Tatiana Suarez – strawweight tournament winner in the 23rd season of
The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...
* Ritu Phogat – Gold medalist at 2016
Commonwealth Wrestling Championship The Commonwealth Wrestling Championship is a tournament designed for top wrestlers in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is not linked to the Commonwealth Games, nor has any accreditation with any sports body in any country. Edizioni Łącznie meda ...
in freestyle, ONE Championship fighter


Professional wrestling

* Frank Gotch *
Earl Caddock Earl Caddock (February 27, 1888 – August 25, 1950) was an American professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" ( ...
* Joe Stecher *
Robin Reed Robin Reed (October 20, 1899 – December 20, 1978) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling coach. Throughout his amateur career he never lost a wrestling match, official or unofficial, to anyone at any weight class. ...
*
Earl McCready Earl Gray McCready (June 5 or 15, 1905 – December 9, 1983) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler. McCready competed in the U.S. for Oklahoma State University in folkstyle, and as a freestyle wrestler who competed for Canada in ...
*
Ed Don George Edward Nye "Ed Don" George Jr. (June 3, 1905 – September 18, 1985) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling promoter. A former Olympic freestyle wrestler, George competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and turned pro ...
* Lou Thesz * Stu Hart * Ralph Silverstein * "Iron" Mike DiBiase * Ray Gunkel * Karl Gotch *
Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling ...
* Pat O'Connor * Bill Miller *
Dick Hutton Richard Heron Avis Hutton (October 4, 1923 – November 24, 2003) was an American amateur and professional wrestler. He was a three-time NCAA champion and, as a professional, held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, making him a one-time worl ...
*
Danny Hodge Daniel Allen Hodge (May 13, 1932 – December 24, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and boxer. He is renowned primarily for his wrestling career, where he competed both as an amateur and professional. A three-time NCA ...
*
Jack Brisco Freddie Joe "Jack" Brisco (September 21, 1941 – February 1, 2010) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As an amateur for Oklahoma State, Brisco was two-time All-American and won the Natio ...
*
Bob Backlund Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...
*
Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
* Mitsuharu Misawa * Minoru Suzuki *
Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for his ...
* Bobby Lashley * Jeff Cobb * Chad Gable


See also

*
List of World and Olympic Champions in men's freestyle wrestling Men's freestyle wrestling competition began in the Olympics in 1904. United World Wrestling (formerly known as FILA until 2014), began holding the World Wrestling Championships in men's freestyle in 1951. The World Wrestling Championships takes pl ...
* List of World and Olympic Champions in women's freestyle wrestling *
List of Freestyle Wrestling techniques A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
Amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...
*
Folk wrestling A folk wrestling style is any traditional style of wrestling, which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most cultures have developed regional forms of grappling. Europe Britain Traditionally wrestling has two main centres in Great ...
*
Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...
*
Collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...
*
Submission wrestling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...


Notes


References

* * * * * * *


External links


TheMat.com (The Official Website of USA Wrestling) - News about Wrestling: Greco-Roman, Freestyle, International NewsAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) WrestlingFreestyle and Greco-Roman WrestlingFreestyle wrestling videosInterMat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freestyle Wrestling Sport wrestling Mixed martial arts styles Summer Olympic disciplines