In the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, one of the most prestigious world judo tournaments — the international “Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2025”, included in the “Grand Slam” series, has ended. During these three days, the Uzbekistan national team once again demonstrated its diligence and willpower, managing to take fourth place in the overall medal standings.
One of the main heroes of the tournament was Abdurahim Nutfulloev (-66 kg). For the first time in his career, he won the championship title at a Grand Slam level tournament, exciting not only Uzbekistan, but the entire judo community. In the final, Nutfulloev masterfully defeated the Moldovan Olympic bronze medalist, who is ranked highly in the world, Denis Vieru. Thanks to this result, he won his first Grand Slam gold medal and earned 1000 ranking points. Now Nutfulloev has jumped from 64th to 29th place in the world ranking and inscribed his name among the elite judo athletes.
Another bright result at the tournament came from Umar Bozorov (-90 kg). In the semifinals, he dramatically defeated his Russian opponent, reached the final, and as a result, won the silver medal at the “Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2025”. Bozorov earned 700 ranking points and thus rose to 23rd place in the overall standings.
Another strong athlete from the Uzbekistan team, Utkirbek Turaboev (+100 kg), lost to a Russian opponent in the bronze medal match and finished the tournament in fifth place. However, his intense competition and strong will were also highly appreciated by the fans.
The fact that the national anthem of Uzbekistan was played at this international tournament in Mongolia and that the national team was among the top four may become the starting point for further achievements in judo. Fans are now waiting for even more victories from our athletes and are eagerly watching their progress.
In addition, for every athlete, such tournaments are a great opportunity to test themselves against the best judokas in the world, improve their skills, and conquer new heights. After this participation, it has become even clearer that Uzbek judo is rising to a new level.
