Mahmoud Mollaghasemi played many sports in his youth, but did not take up wrestling until the age of 18. His first major international competition was the 1950 World Championships, where he placed fourth as a Greco-Roman flyweight. The following year, however, he took silver at the Worlds in the freestyle competition. His next stop was the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where he earned a bronze medal. Domestically, he was a two-time flyweight, freestyle national champion. Following his Olympic success, he turned to coaching and, a few years after that, international judging. His most notable appearance as a referee came at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Islamic Republic of Iran