Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle (≤86 kg), Men

Abdul-Rashid Sadulayev of Russia was the heavy gold medal favorite entering the Rio Olympic Games, after winning the last two consecutive World Championships (2014, 2015) where he surrendered a total of four points in those tournaments; and had an impressive win-loss career record of 58-1 over the last four years. Posed to challenge Sadulayev was defending Olympic champion and 2011 World champion Azerbaijan’s Şərif Şərifov, and two-time World medalist Selim Yasar of Turkey, Reineris Salas of Cuba, and international newcomer, J’den Cox of the United States, the two-time NCAA champion.

En-route to the final bout in the 86 kg class, Sadulayev had not given up one single point in the Olympic tournament, outscoring three early opponents 28-0. In his semi-final bout against Şərifov, Sadulayev, known as the “Russian Tank”, gave up one single point, beating Şərifov 8-1 (the only point won against him the entire Olympic tournament).

Considered to be the best pound-for-pound wrestler alive, Sadulayev, who entered the Olympic Games undefeated since 2013, met Yaşar in the gold medal match - a repeat of the 2015 World Championship final in Las Vegas, won by Sadulayev. Yasar had advanced to the final after beating American Cox 3-1.

In the final, Sadulayev scored on a pair of two-point moves late in the first period, ultimately beating Yasar 5-0 for the second year in a row in a major tournament, and his capturing his third straight global title.

Bronze medals went to Şərifov and Cox (who scored a take-down with six seconds left to give the United States its first freestyle medal of the Rio Games.)