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Roman Bravo-Young Ready For Potential Matchup Against Iowa’s Spencer Lee

Roman Bravo-Young has been a star on Penn State wrestling’s roster for the last three years at 133 pounds. The fifth-year wrestler sports a 64-2 record with two national championships under his belt during that span.

Ahead of this week’s No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes, unconfirmed rumors have been circling claiming that Iowa’s Spencer Lee may move up a weight class to take on the Nittany Lion. Lee is an equally accomplished wrestler as Bravo-Young, and a match between the two would be about as star-studded as it gets.

“I’m all about wrestling the best… I’ve got nothing to lose against him,” Bravo-Young said about the possible matchup. “[Lee] wants to wrestle, I’ll wrestle. I could care less.”

Due to their differences in weight, Bravo-Young and Lee have never wrestled each other. Wrestlers don’t often move up and down weight classes during the season. Nonetheless, a bout between two top-ranked wrestlers would certainly draw an increased audience.

“It would probably do numbers. A lot of people would watch it,” Bravo-Young said. “Maybe we can wait until after the season and do a pay-per-view or something… I am all about wrestling the best and I believe I have nothing to lose against him.”

“At the end of the day, he believes what I believe. I really don’t care who it is, I’ll wrestle anyone,” Bravo-Young continued.

Bravo-Young and Lee are both ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes, according to InterMat’s rankings. Both men are also frontrunners to win the prestigious Hodge Trophy, which is given to the best collegiate wrestler in the country. Lee is a two-time Hodge winner, claiming the trophy in 2020 and 2021.

Bo Nickal is the most recent Penn Stater to win the Hodge, as he did it back in 2019.

While a potential matchup against Lee looms for the two-time national champion, Bravo-Young gave the media a look into his potential future, too.

“I’m gonna dabble and of course do some crossover jiu-jitsu matches this summer,” Bravo-Young said about a possible future in MMA. “I have sparred before this past summer and 15 minutes of getting punched in the face is a lot different versus wrestling.”

The move from wrestling to MMA is not unfamiliar to Penn State wrestlers. Most notably, fellow national champion Bo Nickal competed in Dana White’s Contender Series last year, going undefeated and earning a UFC contract.

Bravo-Young will continue his Hodge Trophy conquest this Friday, January 27, when the Nittany Lions take on Iowa in the Bryce Jordan Center. The dual starts at 8:30 p.m. and will air on the Big Ten Network.

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About the Author

Brendan Wagner

Brendan is a senior majoring in print and media journalism. Born in Pittsburgh, he now lives in Mooresville, North Carolina. As a die-hard Pittsburgh sports fan, you can find him on Twitter, @brchwags, often complaining about the Pittsburgh Steelers and maybe Justin Fields, we will see.

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