Asadulloev Faces a Relentless -73 kg Test

Muhiddin Asadulloev arrives at the World Championships as one of the standout judoka in the -73 kg category. The Tajikistan athlete has built exceptional momentum across the season, earning results that have lifted him to the top of the world ranking and into a leading seeded position.

His run began with third place at the Paris Grand Slam in February. Asadulloev then won the Asian Championships and the Dushanbe Grand Slam, while adding bronze medals in Lausanne and at the Asian Games. It is a record of consistency, but the -73 kg field leaves little room for a quiet round.

A quarter-final against Lasha Shavdatuashvili could be waiting. The Georgian brings one of the division’s most decorated records, having won European, world and Olympic titles. That potential meeting would put Asadulloev’s season-long form up against the experience of a proven champion.

In -73 kg, strong results do not guarantee an easy path.

Pool B also has serious depth. Danil Lavrentev has reached three Grand Slam podiums this season, in Dushanbe, Kazakhstan and Switzerland, making him a judoka to follow closely. Azerbaijan’s Rashid Mammadaliyev competes with the energy of the host nation around him and could draw extra confidence from the atmosphere surrounding the national team.

In the lower half, Brazil’s Daniel Cargnin starts as world number two and the favourite, but the category offers danger in every round. Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov, representing the UAE, enters after taking bronze at the 2025 World Championships and is chasing the world title that would strengthen his claim among the division’s leading names.

Makhmadbekov may face Joan-Benjamin Gaba in the quarter-finals. France’s 2025 world champion is ranked 13th in the world and will be aiming to rediscover his strongest form after a quieter season, in which two fifth places were his only podium-chasing results in 2026.

The European challenge is clear through Shavdatuashvili’s championship pedigree and Gaba’s determination to return to the top. Yet Asadulloev’s results make him a central figure in a division where every section of the draw carries a major test.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation