Saeid Mollaei His Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

By Benjamin Strusnik, February 02, 2022

Who Is Saeid Mollaei?

Saeid Mollaei is a Judo Black belt who has become an international superstar. Saeid has lit up the world arena with his exceptional ability to win professional tournaments. He is an Olympic Silver medalist who dedicated his 2021 Tokyo medal to the people of Mongolia and Israel. Saeid has also won a Judo World Championship, an IJF Grand Slam and Grand Prix. Saeid has also won the Gold medal at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. Saeid has had a controversial career, but through facing adversity he has conquered many fears as a young athlete and Martial Artist.

Who Is Saeid Mollaei?

Winning The Worlds by Saeid Mollaei

Saeid began his competitive career by winning a Bronze medal at the Under 20 Asian Championships in Beirut. In Saeid's next few tournaments he placed 7th at the Junior World Championships, 5th at the Asian Championships and 7th at the Grand Slam in Baku. In 2015 Saeid started gaining momentum with his Judo career, as he won 5 Bronze medals. Saeid defeated Joachim Bottieau to take third place at the Grand Prix in Samsun, he also took third at the Asian Championships in Kuwait. After a loss to Ivan Morales, Saeid took Bronze at the European Open in Minsk. Another third place for Saeid, as he defeated Dominic Ressel at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix. Saeid finished off his season with his 5th Bronze medal after defeating Abdelaziz Ben Ammar at the World Military Games in Mungyeong South Korea.

In 2016 Saeid competed at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games, unfortunately he was eliminated in the first round by Khasan Khalmurzaev. Saeid would then enter the European Open in Oberwart where he secured another Bronze medal victory. Saeid was becoming extremely familiar with third place as he won another Bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Tashkent. The following year Saeid set off to improve on his previous third place finishes, as he started with the 2017 Grand Slam in Baku. After fighting his way into the final, Saeid was defeated by Rufat Ismayilov, securing his first Silver medal on the international stage.

Saeid had a monstrous 2017 as he secured Bronze medals at the Tbilisi Grand Prix, the World Championships in Budapest, the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi and the Grand Prix in the Hague. Saeid also placed seventh at the Grand Prix in Hohhot and 5th at the IJF World Masters in St Petersburg. Saeid secured his second Silver medal at the Asian Championships in Hong Kong, after a close loss to the Japanese veteran Sotaro Fujiwara. On the 14th of May Saeid competed in the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku. He defeated Serdar Jummyyev and Vladimir Zoloev in the quarter and semi finals respectively. Saeid fought Ilker Gulduren in the final, and after defeating the Turkish Judoka Saeid was finally a Gold medal winner.

Saeid started 2018 with bang as he won the Grand Slam in Dusseldorf, with a win over Alpha Oumar Djalo. Saeid continued his excellence on the Tatami, as he placed third at the Grand Slam in Ekaterinburg, 5th at the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi and second at the Asian Games in Jakarta. In September of 2018 Saeid competed in Baku and would win his first ever World Championship. Saeid faced Sotaro Fujiwara and in the final he outclassed the Japanese Judoka, as he was crowned the World Champion. After the event Saeid had secured the number 1 ranking position in the under 81 kilogram division.

2019 was an up and down year for Saeid as he won another Hohhot Grand Prix, placed second at the Bundesliga finals and secured the Bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Zagreb. Saeid placed 5th at the Tokyo World Championships after some controversy that surrounded the Iranian government, came into the forefront. As a result Saeid seeked refuge in Germany before becoming a Mongolian citizen. Saeid went on to place third at the Grand Slam in Budapest and third at the Asian Oceania Championships. He also secured a Silver medal at the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv. In 2021 Saeid entered his second Olympic Games campaign as he went on to win the Silver medal, and become a folk hero to many Mongolian and Israeli people.

Winning Judo Fundamentals by Vince Skillcorn

How Old Is Saeid Mollaei?

Saeid Mollaei was born in Iran, and at a young age he moved to Mongolia. He was born on the 5th of January in 1992, he is currently 30 years of age.

Controversy Surrounding Saeid Mollaei!

Saeid Mollaei was Iranian born, but moved to Mongolia at a young age. Growing up and competing for his nation of Iran was a huge honour as he looked to become an Olympic and World Champion. Competing as an Iranian at international Judo events was typically hard considering the cultural differences between Muslims and Israelis. In 2019 Saeid was approached by the Iranian government where they pressured him into intentionally losing the World Championships in Tokyo. Iran had an agenda of trying to exclude Israeli athletes, as they tried to avoid Saeid competing against Israeli World Champion Sagi Muki. After Saeid threw the matches he finished in fifth place at the tournament. Saeid publicly criticized the Iranian government for their actions surrounding the event.

Saeid was afraid to return to Iran, so he decided to seek refuge in Germany on a 2 year Visa. Saeid competed as a part of the IJF refugee team at the Osaka Grand Slam. As a result of Iran's actions they received an indefinite ban from IJF competition, until they can prove that they will respect IJF statutes and allow their athletes to compete against Israeli competitors. Sagi Muki congratulated Saeid publically for his stance against hateful politics. Saeid posted a picture of himself and Sagi Muki standing side by side, in a show of true friendship and solidarity against evil. In November 2019 Saeid was awarded the Crans Montana Forum Gold medal from Ambassador Jean Paul Carteron, for his extremely brave decision. Saeid was then granted citizenship in Mongolia, as he fought for his nation of Mongolia and for the freedoms of Israel.

How Much Is Saeid Mollaei Worth?

Saeid Mollaei has competed across multiple platforms of Judo events, including World Championships, European Opens, Grand Slams, Military Games and Olympic Games. Saeid has accumulated a vast net of wealth which is reported at 1. 5 million dollars, most of which has come from his outstanding competitive career. Saeid has also began working exclusively with the famous brand BJJ Fanatics, where he has filmed an instructional video called "Winning The Worlds" and is available for purchase through bjjfanatics.com.

How Tall Is Saeid Mollaei?

Saeid Mollaei stands at 5 feet and 9 inches tall which is the equivalent of 176 centimetres.

How Much Does Saeid Mollaei Weigh?

Saeid Mollaei weighs in at 81 kilograms or 178 pounds, as a 22 year old he used to compete in the under 73 kilogram or 160 pound division.

Saeid Mollaei's Fight List!

Saeid Mollaei has become a folk hero within the Judoka community, his stance against Iran has become a famous moment in Judo history. Saeid has fought extensively against many world class Judoka, including exceptional Olympic athletes. Saeid has a fight list that includes guys like; Shamil Borchashvili, Tato Grigalashvili, Didar Khamza, Abdelrahman Mohamed, Dominic Ressel, Antonio Esposito, Frank De Wit, Nicolas Chilard, Dominik Druzeta, Sung Ho Lee, Khasan Khalmurzaev, Seung Su Lee, Sotaro Fujiwara, Matthias Casse, Jack Hatton, Vedat Albayrak, Haiyuan Gao, Ivan Petr, Eduardo Santos, Joao Martinho, Laszlo Csoknyai, Moon Jin Lee, Ilker Gulduren and Goki Maruyama.

Saeid Mollaei's Best Fight Of All Time!

Saeid Mollaei has fought comprehensively in the world arena of Judo. He has won many titles throughout his career, including great wins at the 2019 Grand Prix in Hohhot and the Grand Slam in Dusseldorf in 2018. Saeid has also conquered the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku in 2017 which was an inspirational win for the Mongolian national. Saeid's best win would come in 2018 at the World Championships in Baku. Saeid defeated 6 opponents in a row, including Etienne Briand, Sveinbjorn Lura, Anri Egutidze, Matthias Casse and Vedat Albayrak. In the final Saeid went toe to toe with Japan's Sotaro Fujiwara, Saeid was declared the winner as he held up the 2018 World title.

Who Did Saeid Mollaei Lose To?

Saeid Mollaei has lost to many talented Judokas in his time. Some of his losses came from athletes like; Sotaro Fujiwara, Sharofiddin Boltaboev, Antoine Valois Fortier, Khasan Khalmurzaev, Frank De Wit, Matthias Casse, Ruslan Mussayev, Didar Khamza, Takeshi Sasaki, Matteo Marconcini, Alan Khubetsov and Rufat Ismayilov. Saeid's most notable loss came in 2021 when he fought for the Tokyo Olympic Gold medal. Saeid was defeated by Takanori Nagase in the final, but after the event Saeid was extremely proud of his achievement. He dedicated his second place finish to every Israeli athlete, as a way to show a future path towards peace and equality.

Saeid Mollaei's Record!

Saeid Mollaei has won a multitude of Judo fights throughout his controversial but prestigious career. Saeid has a career record of 133 wins with 64 losses, with a win percentage of 67.5%. Saeid's two best seasons came in 2015 where he posted an overall 26 - 9 record with a 74.3% win ratio and 2017 as he recorded 26 wins with 10 losses with a win percentage of 72.2%. Saeid has compiled a list of accolades that consists of;

Olympic Silver Medalist (Tokyo 2021) World Champion (Baku 2018) Grand Prix Champion (Hohhot 2019) Grand Slam Champion (Dusseldorf 2018) 4th Islamic Solidarity Games Champion (Baku 2017) Asian Championships Runner Up (Hong Kong 2017) Asian Games Runner Up (Jakarta 2018) Grand Slam Runner Up (Baku 2017, Tel Aviv 2021) World Champion Third Place (Budapest 2017) Asian Oceania Championships Third Place (Bishkek 2021) Asian Championship Third Place (Kuwait 2015, Tashkent 2016) Grand Slam Third Place (Abu Dhabi 2017, Ekaterinburg 2018, Paris 2019, Budapest 2020) Grand Prix Third Place (Samsun 2015, Ulaanbaatar 2015, Tbilisi 2017, The Hague 2017, Zagreb 2019) European Open Third Place (Minsk 2015, Oberwart 2016) Asian Under 20 Championships Third Place (Beirut 2011) World Military Games Third Place (Mungyeong 2015)

Saeid Mollaei's Injuries!

Saeid Mollaei has had many reports of injuries throughout his career, he has pulled out of events with head injuries and failed to take the podium after foot injuries. Saeid has later spoken about how he had to fake a multitude of injuries just to avoid fighting Israeli opponents, he also had to avoid standing next to Israeli athletes on the podium. Although it is not an actual law in Iran, it has been widely noted that the Iranian government forbids their athletes from competing against Israeli competitors. Saeid has spoken about the shame he was forced into and the fear he had for his family, , Saeid now he has asylum in Mongolia, as he embraces his fellow Judoka.

Is Saeid Mollaei Retired?

Saeid Mollaei has lit up the world of Judo with his humble stand against tyranny. His unified views on competing against fellow athletes has given him significant popularity worldwide. Saeid is still an active Judoka at the age of 30, as he is fresh off winning a Silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Saeid is still determined to keep on winning as a Mongolian athlete as he looks to push for his last Olympics in Paris 2024.

If you enjoyed this piece, check out these athletes: