Pirelli, world number two, arrived in Budapest in outstanding form. The 26-year-old European champion won the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam and Lima Grand Prix in 2026, adding to a record that already included grand slam titles in Tokyo and Dushanbe.

Faced with Pirelli’s constant activity, Fonseca received an initial penalty. A false attack then brought a second penalty for the double world champion. With no score registered in normal time, the contest moved into golden score. Early in the additional period, a third penalty decided the contest and delivered victory to Gennaro Pirelli.

Gennaro Pirelli said, "I felt great today, which gives me the exact motivation I need as I prepare for the Baku World Championships. Against opponents like the Canadian and the Japanese, I focused on the grip fight and changing my attack strategy from right to left, which paid off well. Winning gold at the worlds has been my dream for a long time. I rely on myself and on my coach, who keeps me focused on taking things step by step. As a superstitious Neapolitan, I’m already focused on getting back to the gym on Tuesday to keep working."

Boris Georgiev (BUL) and Niiaz Bilalov (RUS) faced each other in the first bronze medal contest. Barely disrupted by the two penalties he received during the contest, Bilalov launched an extended attacking sequence across the contest area. An o-uchi-gari, uchi-mata, harai-goshi and then a further uchi-mata drew Georgiev off balance before Bilalov completed the attack for ippon.

The second bronze medal contest paired Iosif Simin (ISR) with Daniel Eich (SUI). Eich took the lead with a yuko in the opening minute. Midway through the contest, the Swiss judoka consolidated his advantage with a right-sided uchi-mata for a waza-ari. The two scores guaranteed him a place on the podium. What eluded Eich on home soil two weeks earlier at the Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam, he achieved in Budapest.