WRESTLERS from Armenia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Armenian Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Armenian Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Armenian Wrestlers.

1. Armen Nazaryan (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 43.99, Armen Nazaryan is the most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.

Armen Nazaryan (Armenian: Արմեն Նազարյան, Bulgarian: Армен Назарян, born 9 March 1974) is an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler who later represented Bulgaria. Nazaryan is a two-time Olympic Champion (1996, 2000), a three-time World Champion (2002, 2003, 2005), and a six-time European Champion (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003). After Armenia regained independence in 1991, Nazaryan became the first Olympic gold medalist for the country. He was recognized by the FILA as the best wrestler of the year in 1998 and 2003. In 2007, Nazaryan was inducted as a member of the FILA Hall of Fame.

2. Artur Aleksanyan (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 41.13, Artur Aleksanyan is the 2nd most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Artur Aleksanyan (Armenian: Արթուր Ալեքսանյան, born 21 October 1991) is an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic Champion (2016) as well as silver medalist (2021, 2024) and bronze medalist (2012), a four-time World Champion (2014, 2015, 2017, 2022), and a seven-time European Champion (2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024). Aleksanyan is the second Olympic gold medalist of Armenia since regaining independence in 1991 and is the most decorated Olympian of independent Armenia as well. He has been nicknamed the "White Bear" by a sport journalist Karen Giloyan and is one of the most renowned Armenian athletes of the 21st century.

3. Levon Julfalakyan (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 38.63, Levon Julfalakyan is the 3rd most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Levon Julfalakyan (Armenian: Լեւոն Ջուլֆալակյան, born 5 April 1964) is a former Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic, World, and European Champion and was merited Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1988. Julfalakyan is the current head coach of the Armenian national Greco-Roman wrestling team and President of the Union of Armenian Olympians, as well as a member of the executive committee of the NOC.

4. Suren Nalbandyan (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 36.94, Suren Nalbandyan is the 4th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Suren Nalbandyan (Armenian: Սուրեն Նալբանդյան, born June 3, 1956) is a former Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a five-time Soviet Champion, European Champion and Olympic Champion. He was awarded the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR and USSR Badge of Honor titles in 1976.

5. Mnatsakan Iskandaryan (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 36.54, Mnatsakan Iskandaryan is the 5th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Mnatsakan Iskandaryan (Armenian: Մնացական Իսկանդարյան, Russian: Мнацакан Фрунзевич Искандарян; born 17 May 1967) is a former Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union and Russia. Iskandaryan is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, and two-time European Champion. He earned the rank Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1991 and was named Honoured Coach of Russia in 2000. In 2012, Iskandaryan was inducted into the FILA Hall of Fame as the sole Greco-Roman inductee. He's the second Armenian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, after Armen Nazaryan.

6. Armen Mkrtchyan (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 34.15, Armen Mkrtchyan is the 6th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Armen Mkrtchyan (Armenian: Արմեն Մկրտչյան; born 6 October 1973) is an Armenian freestyle wrestler. He is an Olympic silver medalist, World Championships medalist, and European Champion. In addition, he was also awarded the Master of Sport of the USSR, International Class title in 1991 and the Honored Master of Sports of Armenia title in 1996.

7. Roman Amoyan (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 34.11, Roman Amoyan is the 7th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Roman Amoyan [ɻɔmɑn ɑmɔjɑn] (Armenian: Ռոման Ամոյան; born 3 September 1983) is an Armenian retired Greco-Roman wrestler of Kurdish descent. He is an Olympic bronze medalist, three-time World Championships medalist, and two-time European Champion. Amoyan received the Honored Master of Sports of Armenia title in 2009.

8. Arsen Julfalakyan (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 33.46, Arsen Julfalakyan is the 8th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenian: Արսեն Ջուլֆալակյան, born 8 May 1987) is an Armenian Greco-Roman style wrestler, Olympic silver medalist, World and European Champion, World Cup winner and three-time Olympian.

9. Mkhitar Manukyan (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 33.12, Mkhitar Manukyan is the 9th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Mkhitar Manukyan (Armenian: Մխիթար Մանուկյան, born 20 September 1973) is a retired Armenian-Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 2004. He also won a world title in 1998 and 1999 and an Asian title in 1997 and 1999.

10. Armen Vardanyan (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 32.19, Armen Vardanyan is the 10th most famous Armenian Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Armen Frunzekovych Vardanyan (Armenian: Արմեն Վարդանյան, Ukrainian: Армен Фрунзікович Варданян, born 30 November 1982) is an Armenian-Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic bronze medalist, three-time World Championships silver medalist, and two-time European Champion. He has also been awarded the Honoured Master of Sports Ukraine title.