Nomad Wrestling brings together 32 athletes from various wrestling styles to determine the strongest style in the world. The competition features practitioners of Kazakh Kuresi, Greco-Roman wrestling, Sambo, Judo, BJJ, and other grappling disciplines competing in a Grand Prix format with a significant cash prize for the winner.
The tournament follows a unique format with two five-minute rounds. Victories can be achieved through submission holds, strangulation techniques, or painful joint locks. If no winner emerges during the allocated time, an extra round is announced with the “rule of the first throw” determining the victor.
What makes this competition particularly interesting is the absence of weight categories – it’s an absolute division where grapplers of varying sizes face off against each other, truly testing skill against size.
The 1/8 finals showcased elite grapplers from diverse disciplines including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Qazaq Kuresi, Judo, Freestyle Wrestling, MMA, and Hand-to-Hand Combat, all battling in a Grand Prix format that has “no analogues in the world.”
In the opening bout, Ruslan Israilov, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and finalist of the first tournament, faced off against Ravshan Urasov, another BJJ representative weighing in at 105kg. Despite Urasov’s size advantage, Israilov demonstrated superior technique, quickly taking control of the match and finishing his opponent with remarkable efficiency.
“I act in the fight. What does the opponent suggest? I already act from this,” Israilov explained in his post-match interview. His dominant performance established him as an early tournament favorite.
Islam Momilov, considered a serious contender for the finals, matched up against Adilet Akhmetgali, a 20-year-old Qazaq Kuresi practitioner. Though Akhmetgali showed promising throws in his previous match, Momilov’s experience proved decisive in their encounter.
After securing victory, Momilov shared his thoughts on the tournament format: “We have a lot of time, we have enough time to find some action in the parter. It’s not scary to miss the throw, you just don’t need to delay everything.”
One of the tournament’s most intriguing matchups pitted Tanirbergen Beknur (Qazaq Kuresi, 89kg) against Sanzhar Jabborov (Judo, 135kg), testing how skill could overcome a significant 46kg weight difference.
Alibi Orazbek, a grappling specialist, faced Alik Domnich, a two-time world champion in MMA. The matchup represented a classic grappler versus striker scenario, with fans eager to see which discipline would prevail.
Orazbek controlled much of the action, utilizing his superior ground skills to build a commanding lead. Despite Domnich’s reputation as one of Kazakhstan’s premier MMA fighters, he struggled to impose his game, eventually falling to Orazbek by a score of 12-5.
“I don’t think it was a good plan,” Orazbek admitted in his post-fight interview. “But I think the next fight will be even harder.”
Domnich reflected on his performance: “My main mistake was that I started to play in his game. And I almost lost. I think I can give any opponent [a challenge] if you have a good preparation.”
