Eldar Kurtanidze, also known as Luka Kurtanidze (born April 16, 1972) is a Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 wrestler. He has been a senior professional freestyle wrestler since 1992. He was a bronze medallist in both the Men's Freestyle 90 kg

Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics

At the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2 different wrestling disciplines were contested: freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. The freestyle category was notable as it featured the gold medal performance of Kurt Angle, who later became a notable professional wrestler.-Freestyle:-Greco-Roman:-Medal...

 at the 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

 and also Men's Freestyle 97 kg

Wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place in the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and was split into two disciplines, Freestyle and Greco-Roman which are further divided into different weight categories. The freestyle competitions were held from September 28 to October 1, and the...

 at the 2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

. He also competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics

Wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's Freestyle 96 kg

The Men's Freestyle 96 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the wrestling program were held at the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall, August 28 to August 29.-Medalists:- Tournament results :...

, but was eliminated early. In addition to his Olympic bronzes, he has two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal from the FILA Senior World Championships. He has received five gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals from the FILA Senior European Championships. In 2006 he raised his weight to compete in the 120 kg class. He made his mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 debut at the Pride Fighting Championships show on December 31, 2006 against veteran MMA fighter and former amateur wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita

Kazuyuki Fujita

is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler. He has fought in mixed martial arts promotions including PRIDE, K-1 and currently fighting in Sengoku....

. He was defeated via submission (strikes) at 2:09 of round 1.

MMA record

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event Title	Date	Round	Time
Loss	0-1	Kazuyuki Fujita Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler. He has fought in mixed martial arts promotions including PRIDE, K-1 and currently fighting in Sengoku....	submission (strikes)	Pride Shockwave 2006 PRIDE Shockwave 2006 Pride Shockwave 2006 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on December 31, 2006. In Japan, this event was called...	31/12/2006	1	2:09

Senior wrestling international competition medals and rankings received

2009

August 29: World Beach Wrestling Championship, 85+ kg = 2nd place

2008

June 27: Golden Grand Prix, 120 kg = 7th place

2007

March 22: World Cup, 96 kg = 4th place

2006

September 25: World Championship, 120 kg = 10th place

June 23: Golden Grand Prix, 120 kg = Bronze

April 29: European Championship, 120 kg = Bronze

March 11-12: Uzbekistan Independence Cup Golden Grand Prix, 120 kg = Bronze

2005

September 26: World Championship, 96 kg = Silver

April 12: European Championship, 96 kg = Gold

2004

August 26: Olympic Games, 96 kg = 8th place

2003

November 9: FILA Absolute Championship, 96 kg = 5th place

September 12: World Championship, 90 kg = Gold

May 1: European Championship, 96 kg = 5th place

2002

September 5: World Championship, 96 kg = Gold

May 1: European Championship, 96 kg = Silver

2001

November 22: World Championship, 97 kg = 5th place

April 19: European Championship, 97 kg = Gold

2000

September 28: Olympic Games, 97 kg = Bronze

April 6: European Championship, 97 kg = 9th place

1999

October 7: World Championship, 97 kg = 6th place

April 15: European Championship, 97 kg = Bronze

1998

September 7: World Championship, 97 kg = 6th place

May 7: European Championship, 97 kg = Gold

1997

August 29: World Championship, 97 kg = Bronze

May 6: European Championship, 97 kg = Gold

1996

July 30: Olympic Games, 90 kg = Bronze

March 21: European Championship, 90 kg = Gold

1995

August 10: World Championship, 90 kg = 8th place

January 1: European Championship, 90 kg = Silver

1994

August 24: World Championship, 90 kg = 10th place

April 8: European Championship, 90 kg = 6th place

1993

August 25: World Championship, 90 kg = Silver

January 1: European Championship, 90 kg = Silver

External links

• Fightagenda.ch
• Databaseolympics.com Uni-leipzig.de