Zahid Valencia

Zahid Valencia is one of the best American freestyle wrestler and represented the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. He had been coached by 2020 Olympic gold medalist David Taylor. He is recalled for exceptional speed and versatility.

Personal Basic Information

Full Name	Zahid Valencia
Nick Name	Z-Money
Weight Category	174 lbs
Father’s Name	Ruben Valencia
Mother’s Name	Mercedes Valencia
Date of Birth (Born)	May 11, 1997
Birth Place	Pico Rivera, California
Height	6’1’’
Net worth	Information not available publicly
Marriage Status	Married
Wife Name	Does not have a wife
Kids Name	Does not have kids
High school	St. John Bosco High School
Nationality	American
Zodiac Sign	Tauras
Current Team Name	Cowboy RTC

Net Worth

Valencia is eligible for performance bonuses as a 2025 World Champion from the Living the Dream Medal Fund. He is expected to have an income worth between $1 million and $5 million.

He is signed with TNT Sports Management which make him eligible for receiving salary and housing support. Valencia has been the partner and being the brand leader with Terra Grappl’r, which is a footwear company.   

He is also signed to one of the wealthiest clubs – Titan Mercury Wrestling Club which is a high paying club.

Zahid Valencia Current Age 

Age: 28 years, 10 months, and 5 days as of today.

Time left for next birthday: 1 months and 25 days.

Current Status

He recently competed at 2026 Zagreb Open (Feb 4, 2026) where he was defeated by 11-0 to Georgia’s Vladimeri Gamkrelidze. However, he won the bronze medal by pinning Iran’s Abolfazl Shamsipour.

His current status as the world’s high rated 86 kg wrestler and won by 49-0 score at the 2025 World Championships.

Early Life and Childhood

He began his wrestling since the age of 2 at the Terminators Wrestling Club in California. He was raised in Bellflower and Pico Rivera, California. Zahid maintained a dual life during his early years. During the childhood days, his record improved from 1-18 to 22-4 since his father tried to train him beyond limits. He was interested in watching kid movies and spending time on playgrounds before modern era

Education and the Beginning of Sports Career

He maintained a 3.72 GPA throughout high school. He was named the St. John Bosco Varsity Scholar Athlete of the Year for three consecutive years (2012, 2013, 2014). Zahid won CIF State Championship for 3 times.

He had a perfect high school record of 158-1 during the high school years. He became the 2 times NCAA Division I National Champion (2018, 2019). Zahid had attained Bachelor’s degree in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies.

Professional Career

Zahid Valencia trained at the Cowboy Regional Training Centre. He outscored his opponents by 49-0 score. He defeated 2 times world champion Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) and Hayato Ishiguro (Japan) during 2025 World Champion (86 kg).

Valencia ended his college with 121-3 record. He is currently ranked no.1 at 86 kg weight category.

Achievements/ Awards/ Medals

He received the honor of being USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week. He also collected Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and Junior Hodge Trophy. He was 2 times NCAA Division I National Champion.

He was the 3 times recipient of the honor Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year. He earned Gold Medal during the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series. Zahid won Gold Medal during the 2021 Poland Open.

Zahid collected Gold and Bronze during 2025 and 2023 Senior World Championship, respectively. He was 4 times Walsh Jesuit Ironman Champion.

Married Life and Family

He is newly married athlete. He recently relocated to Stillwater to train with the Cowboy RTC. Here is no public records of Zahid having children. His father Ruben acted as his primary coach and even left his job to focus more on raising sons as champions.

His mother supported him through emotions and Zahid noted she was often “shaking with nerves” in the stands during his matches. His older brother and training partner Anthony also wrestled for Arizona State.

His younger brother Cael Valencia is also a member of the ASU wrestling during 2025-26 season. His younger sister Itzel is also involved in ideas related to wrestling due to the wrestling oriented family.

The Future Ambitions

His goal was always revolving around an Olympic gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Zahid had expressed a desire towards mentoring. He aims to maintain his position as the world’s best at 86 kg.

His goal is to grow the sport’s profile through high-level exhibition matches. He is focused on his defense against top European and Asian competitors towards remaining ranked 1^st into the 2026 World Championships.

The Hidden Fact

He lost in the California state semi-finals however he was competing with a broken ankle. Despite the injury, he played and tactically dominated.

Zahid Valencia – FAQs