Three Penn State-affiliated wrestlers took the mat for RAF 12 on Saturday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Real American Freestyle bridges the gap between combat sport entertainment and traditional wrestling.

The Nittany Lions have 11 affiliated wrestlers in the league, with Masanosuke Ono debuting on Saturday. Other Penn State affiliates within the league include Kyle Dake, Carter Starocci, and Beau Bartlett.

Ono kicked off the night in a match against reigning NCAA runner-up and Ohio State Buckeye Ben Davino. It was Ono’s first wrestling appearance on a major stage since arriving at Penn State last March. The former highly touted recruit redshirted last year’s collegiate season. That, combined with medical issues, made his RAF debut his first high-profile match on American soil since he beat Spencer Lee in an exhibition in early 2025.

Jason Nolf, one of the most accomplished Penn State wrestlers of all time, took on Evan Wick in the Middleweight Title Bout. The match is a rematch from RAF 01, where Nolf beat Wick to take home the inaugural RAF Middleweight Championship belt. While at Penn State, Nolf won three NCAA Championships in the late 2010s. He is now a member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

Bo Nickal faced reigning NCAA Champion Max McEnelly in the former Penn State standout wrestlers’ first RAF match since RAF 01. McEnelly, representing Minnesota, upset Penn State’s Rocco Welsh in the 184 Pound NCAA Title Match. Nickal, on the other hand, is one of the most celebrated athletes to come out of Penn State, a three-time NCAA Champion and current UFC fighter boasting a 9-1 record, who wrestled in his first match at RAF since he won the inaugural Light Heavyweight Championship last August.

How It Happened

Masanosuke Ono (Bantamweight)

Ono took an early 1-0 lead in a slow first period with plenty of hand fighting.

Ono built on his lead in the second, extending it to 3-0 going into the third and final period. Ono continued to control the center of the mat in the third, pushing out Davino to extend his lead to 4-0, where the match remained as Ono defended two late low single attempts by Davino to preserve his lead and take the win in his debut bout.

Jason Nolf (Middleweight)

Wick started passively, triggering the shot clock early; Nolf’s strong defense led to the former Nittany Lion scoring the first point of the bout. He followed it up with a four-point takedown, giving him a 5-1 lead through the first period.

Despite getting a hold of Nolf’s ankle early in the second period, Wick was unable to score any points as Nolf showed great defense and balance to stay upright. Nolf came out a man possessed in the third, rattling off three two-point takedowns to make it 11-1, getting him the tech fall in the Middleweight Championship.

Bo Nickal (Light Heavyweight)

McEnelly lost a point to Nickal early after triggering the shot clock. An unsuccessful late strike by McEnelly was the only other real action in the first, and it went into the middle period with a 1-0 score. Nickal, this time, was the one to trigger the shot clock in the second; a McEnelly strike for a two-point takedown and the shot clock point gave McEnelly a 3-1 lead going into the third.

The Golden Gopher hung on amidst rapid strikes from Nickal to take the match in what many will sure consider to be a passing of the torch moment in American freestyle wrestling.

What’s Next?

Real American Freestyle will hold its next event on Saturday, September 5, 2026, in Moscow, Russia. Both Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal are scheduled to wrestle in the event.