Varlam Liparteliani is warned for Niyaz Ilyasov

We will see a new World Champion U100kg. Reigning champion Aaron Wolf lost in the quarter final to Russian revelation Niyaz Ilyasov and will now fight Michael Korrel in the repechage. The sixth day of the World Championships in Baku saw a few surprises U100kg.

We expected Wolf to come on tops in the pool of death where the Japanese defeated 5 time World medallist Kirill Denisov (RUS). Then World silver medallist in 2015 Karl-Richard Frey was beaten but Niyaz Ilyasov develops really well and was already counted in for the part in our preview. Although he didn’t have the toughest draw, he was stable and showed his skills against Wolf. The World champion impressed in the early rounds with his uchi-mata and some opportunistic shime-waza. The world number 17 was unseeded and was dethroned by Niyaz Ilyasov who won their quarter-final by ippon from a ko-soto-gake.

Ilyasov will now face Cho Gu-Ham of Korea in the semi final. Also he had a tough road. First he started against Cyrille Maret (FRA) who keeps struggling to be successful at World Championships. Then Karolis Bauza (LTU) was put aside and in the quarter Michael Korrel who had beaten the Korean in Paris this year but Cho took him down in the final of the Grand Slam in Tokyo last year. Cho never fought Ilyasov.

The other semi final is between Varlam Liparteliani, the only favourite and world number one who kept his promise to the Georgian fans. He wasn’t placed in the hottest pool but wit Iddir, Gasimov and Darwish not easy opponents. All these guys have a bag of experience, but not so much as Liparteliani who finally can win gold, will he? After four consecutive world medals including two lost finals, we just beg him to take the title this time. He earns it on paper, he just has to finish it.

His opponent in the semi final is Mongolian Otgonbaatar Lkhagvasuren. Liparteliani beat him twice, in U90kg and U100kg, even this year in Düsseldorf. Mind that Niyaz Ilyasov defeated Liparteliani in their only fight in May 2017.

Semi finals:

Liparteliani vs Lkhagvasuren

Cho vs Ilyasov

Repechage:

Darwish vs Fonseca

Korrel vs Wolf