Two Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers will compete for medals at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana today, October 31. The highlight for the national team will be the 86kg final, where Arseniy Djioev faces American star Kyle Dake. Meanwhile, Giorgi Meshvildishvili will battle for bronze in the 125kg category.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the clash between Djioev and Dake is particularly intriguing not only because of the American's impressive record but also because of the result of their only confirmed previous meeting. On February 25 this year, the Azerbaijani wrestler defeated his illustrious opponent 4-1 in the bronze medal bout at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series tournament in Tirana.
For 24-year-old Djioev, today's contest will mark his first senior World Championships final. His achievements already include bronze at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, silver at the 2026 European Championships, bronze at the 2024 European Championships and gold at the 2025 European U23 Championships.
The Azerbaijani has progressed confidently through the competition in Astana. He defeated Bahrain's Khidir Saipudinov (7-1), India's Pushpender Dalal (7-2), reigning 2025 world champion Georgios Kougioumtsidis of Greece (3-1), and Georgia's Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (9-1) in the semi-finals.
However, Djioev now faces one of the most decorated wrestlers of his generation.
Dake, 35, is a four-time world champion (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022), a silver medallist at the 2023 World Championships and a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, having reached the podium at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. The American also won four NCAA wrestling titles during his collegiate career.
Interestingly, Dake secured all four of his world titles in lighter weight categories, winning twice at 79kg and twice at 74kg. In April 2025, after years of competing in those divisions, he returned to 86kg, a category in which he had previously competed during the American Olympic trials in 2016.
His first international appearance at 86kg following that move came only in February 2026, at the very tournament in Tirana where Djioev defeated him. Consequently, the American has relatively limited international experience in his current weight category.
Djioev, by contrast, has competed consistently at 86kg since at least 2023, gaining valuable experience at major European and World Championships.
His familiarity with the demands of the division, experience of physically demanding contests against heavier opponents and previous victory over Dake could provide the Azerbaijani with a slight advantage.
Nevertheless, underestimating the American would be a mistake.
In the Astana semi-finals, Dake defeated reigning European champion Ibragim Kadiev 6-3, avenging an 11-4 defeat suffered against the same opponent at the February tournament in Tirana. That result suggests the American is gradually adapting to his new weight category.
Victory over Djioev would give Dake his fifth world title and make him a world champion in a third weight category for the first time.
For the Azerbaijani, meanwhile, success would mean reaching the top of the podium at the senior World Championships for the first time in his career.
Azerbaijan also has another opportunity to add to its medal tally through Giorgi Meshvildishvili in the 125kg division.
The two-time European champion, 2025 World Championships silver medallist and Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist suffered a 5-0 defeat to Russia's Abdulla Kurbanov in the semi-finals.
Meshvildishvili will face Hungary's Vladislav Baitcaev in the bronze medal contest after the latter defeated Kenya's Joel Tukai and Poland's Robert Baran in the repechage rounds.
Notably, their head-to-head record strongly favours the Azerbaijani heavyweight.
In April this year, Meshvildishvili dominated Baitcaev 8-0 in the European Championships final in Tirana to successfully defend his continental title.
He had previously defeated the Hungarian in the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Championships (7-0) and the 2025 European Championships (5-0).
Meshvildishvili therefore faces a familiar opponent whom he has repeatedly beaten at major international competitions. That record could give the Azerbaijani a psychological advantage in the battle for bronze.
The medal session in Astana will begin at 17:00 Baku time, featuring contests in the 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg categories.
The Djioev-Dake final is provisionally expected to take place between 18:30 and 19:00 Baku time, although the exact starting time will depend on the order and duration of the preceding bouts.
Azerbaijan has already secured three medals at the championships. Greco-Roman wrestlers Eldaniz Azizli (55kg) and Sanan Suleymanov (77kg) claimed gold, while Nihat Mammadli (63kg) earned silver.
Djioev has already guaranteed Azerbaijan a fourth medal in Astana, and today he has the opportunity to turn it into gold.
