The United States have a Greco-Roman athlete in the Hungarian “Ranking Series” semifinal for the first time in two years after Beka Melelashvili (82 kg, NYAC) managed to usurp a well-known World champ.
Day 2 of the 2025 Polyak Imre Memorial “Ranking Series” tournament began at 10:30am local time from Budapest, Hungary and is streaming live on FLOWrestling.
Melelashvili — who in ’24 also became the first U23 World medalist in USA history — started off with a tight and conventional 3-1 decision at the expense of Almir Tolebayev (KAZ) before steamrolling young Antal Vamos (SRB) by way of technical superiority. That victory put Melelashvili in the quarterfinal opposite ’22 World Champion/’21 silver Burhan Akbudak (TUR), who certainly represented the US competitor’s most significant test of the event thus far.
Akbudak benefited from the first period passivity/par terre and sought to lock, but Melelashvili defended and gained a reset. The pace between the two was methodical, with neither pressing for risk-friendly attempts. In the second period, the passivities flipped, which opened the door for the match-ending sequence.
Melelashvili achieved his lock with Akbudak prepared to post; the American was then able to rotate a gutwrench for two points. On the back-end of the maneuver, the lock fell apart and Akbudak immediately began grabbing his left wrist area. The training staff along with the Turkish coaches tended to the wrestler, and before long the match was over and World Team member Melelashvili had prevailed with a win via injury default.
Melelashvili will now take on ’22 World silver Zoltan Levai (HUN) in the semifinal round in just a short while. Prior to Sunday, the last USA Greco-Roman wrestler to appear in a semifinal at this event was Olympian Kamal Bey in ’23. Coincidentally, Bey defeated Levai in said match-up to make the gold-medal round that year against Sanan Suleymanov of Azerbaijan.
Coleman & Nutter Still Alive
Both ’25 World Team member Alston Nutter (67 kg, Army/WCAP) and his runner-up from the Trials, ’24 U20 World silver Otto Black (NYAC/NTS), picked up impressive victories in their respective opening-round bouts. Nutter iced Korean Jeong Yeong-Woo via VSU and Black cruised past Damir Ibrashov (KAZ) in much the same fashion. However, Nutter was defeated by World medalist Leri Abuladze (GEO) in the proceeding round, and Black was felled by Kazakhstan’s Din Koshkar.
Koshkar was downed in the quarterfinal but Abuladze triumphed over Farid Khalilov (AZE) and will now face Valentin Petic (MDA). If Abuladze is successful, Nutter will be pulled back into the tournament for the repechage round.
Olympian/multi-time World Team member Ellis Coleman (63 kg, Army/WCAP) is likewise still in the hunt at press time. Coleman was on the wrong end of an 8-1 decision against ’24 World bronze Karen Aslanyan (ARM) in the quarterfinal. But — Aslanyan has advanced to the 63 kg semifinal round opposed by Vitalie Eriomenco (MDA; Note: Coleman defeateed Eriomenco in January). Should Aslanyan get past Eriomenco, Coleman will, like Nutter, have a pathway to potential bronze through the repechage.
Full results for Team USA thus far on Day 2 can be found below.
2025 Polyak Imre Memorial
July 19-20 — Budapest, HUN
TEAM USA DAY 2 RESULTS
55 kg: Brady Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC)
LOSS Alpamys Dastanbek (KAZ) 1-1
60 kg: Max Black (NYAC/NTS)
LOSS Mehroj Bakhramov (UZB) 7-1
60 kg: Dylan Koontz (TMWC/Dubuque RTC)
LOSS Amiran Shavadze (GEO) 8-0, TF
63 kg: Ellis Coleman (Army/WCAP)
LOSS Karen Aslanyan (ARM) 8-1
67 kg: Otto Black (NYAC/NTS)
WON Damir Ibrashov (KAZ) 8-0, TF
LOSS Din Koshkar (KAZ) via fall
67 kg: Alston Nutter (Army/WCAP)
WON Jeong Yeong-Woo (KOR) 9-0, TF
LOSS Leri Abuladze (GEO) 8-3
82 kg: Beka Melelashvili (NYAC)
WON Almir Tolebayev (KAZ) 3-1
WON Antal Vamos (SRB) 9-0, TF
WON Burhan Akbudak (TUR) via inj. def.
vs. Zoltan Levai (HUN) — semifinal
TEAM USA DAY 1 RESULTS
72 kg: Aliaksandr Kikiniou Jr. (NYAC) — 14th
LOSS Merey Maulitkanov (KAZ) 7-2
87 kg: Payton Jacobson (NYAC/NTS) — 18th
LOSS Exauce Mukubu (NOR) 4-1
130 kg: Aden Attao (Beaver Dam RTC) — 13th
LOSS Sarkhan Mammadov (AZE) 9-0, VSU
130 kg: Courtney Denzel Freeman (Marines) — 7th
WON Assylbek Abdikalyk (KAZ) via fall
LOSS Sarkhan Mammadov (AZE) 4-3
130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Atreus WC) — 9th
WON Mikheil Kajaia (SRB) 5-1
LOSS Matti Kuosmanen (FIN) 2-1
