Parris, Lovett Lead U.S. Charge at 2026 Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial

The U.S. men’s freestyle team will bring a potent mix of proven medalists and rising contenders into BOK Hall this week, as the seven‑man squad received its draws for the 2026 Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial in Budapest, Hungary, a United World Wrestling Ranking Series event that runs July 15–19. With qualification rounds beginning at 10:30 a.m. local time each day, this tournament offers another chance for U.S. stars to sharpen themselves against elite international opposition while adding to already impressive résumés on the world stage.

Headlining the American contingent is 2024 Olympian and 2023 World bronze medalist Mason Parris at 125 kg, joined by three‑time U23 World medalist Jacob Cardenas at 97 kg and surging 70 kg standout Ridge Lovett, who is coming off a dominant Senior Pan American Championships gold and a runner‑up finish at Final X. Parris has firmly established himself as one of the world’s premier heavyweights: he won junior World gold in 2019, captured senior World bronze in Belgrade in 2023—tech‑falling Abdulla Kurbanov of Russia, 12‑2, with a barrage of five takedowns in the bronze‑medal bout—and added a 125 kg Pan American Games title later that year.

That body of work, combined with his U.S. Olympic Team Trials title and Paris 2024 Olympic appearance, gives the American corner considerable confidence as Parris enters another major event against a deep international field. Cardenas, now up at 97 kg after spending the start of 2026 competing at 92 kg, brings one of the most consistent age‑group records in recent U.S. history: he owns three straight U23 World medals—silver in 2022, bronze in 2023 and silver again in 2024—part of a run in which he posted a 4–1 record in Tirana to reach the 92 kg final last fall. Lovett, meanwhile, arrives in Budapest as one of the hottest names in U.S. freestyle; at the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships, he tore through the 70 kg bracket and outscored his opponents 31–0 on the way to gold, punctuating the U.S. team title with a first‑period pin in the final. That Pan Am performance, coupled with his push to the brink in a tight Final X series against Zain Retherford, makes him a legitimate threat to win any Ranking Series event he enters.

Parris will not be alone in the heavyweight bracket; he is joined at 125 kg by Providence, Rhode Island’s Demetrius Thomas in a loaded 17‑man field. The draw places both Americans directly into the quarterfinals on opposite sides, setting up the possibility of an all‑U.S. final if they can successfully navigate paths filled with credentialed big men. The challenge is clear from the outset: Parris’ route to the finals includes two age‑group World medalists and will require three victories against elite competition to reach the gold‑medal bout, a familiar grind for a wrestler who has already stood on senior World and Pan American Games podiums. Thomas is slotted into what may be the most unforgiving quadrant of the bracket, featuring three 2025 Senior World medalists—Azerbaijan’s silver medalist Giorgi Meshvildishvili, Poland’s bronze medalist Robert Baran and Bahrain’s bronze medalist Shamil Sharipov—ensuring that his first match will come against the winner of a World‑class opening‑round clash between Meshvildishvili and Baran.

For Thomas, a strong showing here could serve as a breakout statement on the international scene, especially given the proven success of heavyweights like Parris and fellow Americans at recent Ranking Series events.

At 97 kg, Cardenas enters a 21‑man bracket that begins with a qualification‑round slate of 10 athletes, including his opening draw against Georgia’s Andro Margishvili. The Georgian is no stranger to tough international fields, having navigated competitive European events at 97 kg, which underscores the level of opposition Cardenas will face right away. Cardenas’ decision to bump from 92 kg to 97 kg parallels the move of Azerbaijan’s Osman Nurmagomedov, a 2025 World bronze medalist who also jumps into this weight for Budapest, creating a bracket that blends established senior medalists with U23 standouts. For Cardenas, the climb at 97 kg is an extension of what he has already demonstrated against the world’s best: at the U23 level he owns wins over high‑level international opponents from Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, India and Japan, and he rallied from a deficit in Tirana’s 2023 bronze‑medal match to secure a 4–3 win over India’s Pruthviraj Patil with two late takedowns. Those results, combined with consecutive NCAA Division I All‑American honors, give him both the mat savvy and confidence to test himself in a deeper, more physically demanding bracket on the senior stage.

Lovett’s draw at 70 kg reflects the respect he has earned in a relatively short span as a senior‑level competitor. He is the lone wrestler in the bracket to receive a first‑round bye, meaning his road to the finals will require three wins rather than four, and he will open against the winner of Ebrahim Elahichouran of Iran and India’s Abhimanyou. Abhimanyou is already known in Ranking Series circles; he climbed the podium with a bronze medal at the Zagreb Open 70 kg bracket earlier this year, proving his ability to score and survive in deep international fields. Waiting elsewhere in Lovett’s bracket is two‑time age‑group World champion Kanan Heybatove of Azerbaijan, whose age‑group titles signal world‑class potential, and 2024 Senior World silver medalist Ahmet Duman of Turkey, who has already stood on the Yasar Dogu podium with a bronze medal in men’s freestyle competition. The presence of athletes like Heybatove and Duman makes Lovett’s section one of the most compelling of the whole tournament, but his recent track record—Pan Am gold, a Final X series that went down to the wire, and his ability to generate falls and shut‑out wins against top regional opponents—suggests he has the offense and pace to thrive in that environment.

Another wrestler looking to convert recent international success into more Ranking Series momentum is Beau Bartlett at 65 kg. The New York City RTC product has already made a promising step at this level by placing third at the 2026 Yasar Dogu International, where he went 3–1 in Antalya and secured the bronze medal at 65 kg. Bartlett’s lone setback in that tournament came on criteria in a 10–10 shootout against the eventual silver medalist, underscoring how fine the margins are in his matches against top‑tier opposition. In the bronze‑medal bout, Bartlett showed the kind of late‑match composure coaches value, turning a narrow edge into a comfortable win by stringing together takedowns in the back half of the second period. That ability to build leads and finish strong will be crucial in Budapest, where he opens against Nika Zakashvili of Georgia. Zakashvili himself owns notable success this season with a bronze medal at 65 kg from the Zagreb Open, meaning Bartlett’s first match in Budapest is immediately a clash of proven Ranking Series podium performers.

At 74 kg, Will Lewan returns to action after already making a United World Wrestling Ranking Series stop earlier this year, placing seventh at the Muhamet Malo tournament. He will make his second Ranking Series appearance of 2026 here in Budapest, drawing either Magomedrasul Asluev of Bahrain or Turan Bayramov of Azerbaijan in his first round. Both potential opponents come from nations with strong freestyle traditions, and Bayramov in particular has been a consistent factor in international brackets. Lewan’s willingness to test himself repeatedly in Ranking Series events reflects the broader approach of U.S. athletes who see these tournaments as key building blocks toward World and Olympic campaigns, especially in a weight like 74 kg that has historically produced global stars. His seventh‑place outing at Muhamet Malo gave him important mat time against European and Asian styles, the kind of experience that often pays off in a second or third overseas event within the same season.

Dustin Plott will also be back on the Ranking Series grind at 92 kg in Budapest, making his third such appearance of 2026 after a bronze‑medal performance at the Zagreb Open and a 10th‑place finish at the Muhamet Malo. Plott’s Zagreb outing produced a signature international achievement; he earned bronze at 92 kg in a field won by Iran’s Mohammadmobin Azimi and featuring Trent Hidlay of the United States as the silver medalist, illustrating that Plott can find the podium in brackets loaded with global powers. In Budapest he draws Ali Tcokaev of Azerbaijan in the opening round, another test from a nation whose 92 and 97 kg wrestlers routinely factor into World Championship team races. Plott’s combination of defense and counter offense helped him break through in Zagreb, and a strong showing here would cement his status as a reliable scorer of team points in overseas competitions.

The overall structure of the Polyák Imre,

Varga János & Kozma István Memorial ensures that the U.S. men’s freestyle squad will have two intense days of competition. Men’s freestyle action is split across Wednesday and Thursday, with the 57, 61, 65, 70, 74 and 86 kg classes contested on July 15 and the 79, 92, 97 and 125 kg brackets, along with the women’s freestyle 50 and 55 kg divisions, on July 16. The daily schedule follows a familiar cadence for Ranking Series events: qualification rounds at 10:30 a.m. local time, semifinals at 12:30 p.m., repechage at 1:30 p.m., and medal matches in the evening session at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday’s slate will feature Lovett, Bartlett and Lewan, giving the U.S. a chance to start fast in the lighter and middle weights, while Thursday’s program will spotlight Parris, Thomas, Cardenas and Plott in the upper classes. Beyond men’s freestyle, the tournament also includes women’s freestyle and Greco‑Roman competition, with women’s draws being announced Wednesday and Greco‑Roman brackets following on Thursday, rounding out a full five‑day wrestling festival in Budapest.

For fans and coaches back in the United States, access to the event will be straightforward. A live stream of the Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial is available to U.S. viewers through FloWrestling, continuing the platform’s role as a primary home for international freestyle coverage. Brackets and updated results will be hosted on UWW Arena, allowing followers to track each American’s progress in real time as they move through qualification, semifinals, repechage and medal rounds. Because Budapest is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time, morning sessions will start around 4:30 a.m. ET, with medal matches falling into late‑morning to early‑afternoon viewing windows for American audiences. Together, the combination of high‑level draws, recent medal‑winning form from athletes like Parris, Cardenas, Lovett, Bartlett and Plott, and accessible coverage via FloWrestling and UWW Arena sets the stage for an important checkpoint in the 2026 international season—and another opportunity for the U.S. men’s freestyle team to add major hardware to an already growing collection.